You don't actually have to get sober, you can just change the definition to fit your own lifestyle. From The Cut:
What Does It Mean to Be ‘Cali Sober’?
Recently, I saw a conversation between a few women I follow on Twitter about Fiona Apple, who was profiled by Vulture last month. In the course of her interview, Apple mentions that she’s stopped drinking, but has started smoking more weed instead: “Alcohol helped me for a while, but I don’t drink anymore,” she says. “Now it’s just pot, pot, pot.” This was the part of the interview the women were discussing. “Fiona Apple: Cali sober??” one wrote.
The term “Cali sober” here refers to people who don’t drink but do smoke weed, though internet definitions vary slightly: Urban Dictionary says it means people who drink and smoke weed but don’t do other drugs; an essay by journalist Michelle Lhooq uses it to refer to her decision to smoke weed and do psychedelics, but not drink. While the term is new to me, the behavior it describes is not: this is more or less how I operate. I’m not sober, but I rarely drink, and when I do, I usually have a single glass of wine. In my early 30s I’ve discovered that when I’m looking to unwind after a stressful week, or having a movie night with friends, I’d much rather smoke weed than drink a few beers. As a result, I haven’t been hungover in years. I also sleep better, and my anxiety (for which I also take daily Prozac, and go to therapy) is more manageable. But I also feel guilty about smoking, likely because I grew up believing that all drugs are bad, and that taking them makes you a worse person. Alcohol is, of course, also a drug, but everyone does that — at least, until they don’t.
Cali Sober? Smashed out of your gourd but it's OK - just part of my hedonistic lifestyle.
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