From Binge Drinking to Cali Sober: 4 Tips On How I Quit Alcohol

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Have you ever woken up after a night of drinking and said to yourself “I’m never drinking again” as you scarf down that greasy breakfast, chug your gatorade and hide under the covers for the rest of the day? 5 years ago, I told myself that and actually did quit drinking alcohol, and since then, I’ve never looked back.

I’m diving into a topic that has transformed my life for the better— going alcohol-free and turning “cali-sober”. As we continue to bask in the height of summer here in Toronto, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the drinking culture that often accompanies this season.

My journey of becoming alcohol-free over the past four years has been rewarding, so in today’s conversations I’m going to share why I decided to go “cali-sober,” discuss whether alcohol or cannabis is a healthier option for your body, and offer tips to help you on your path to an alcohol-free life.

Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash

The Cali Sober Movement

I first stumbled upon the term "Cali sober" a few years ago, and it resonated with me big time. Being "California sober" means not drinking alcohol and instead, choosing to consume cannabis. I think at this point, people who use mushrooms are also being lumped into the category of California sober as well. This trend is ever-growing, partly driven by people becoming more health-conscious and curious about living life without alcohol. It’s also driven by influential podcasts, influencers and other media that highlight research indicating that drinking any amount of alcohol isn’t good for you. I think it’s what’s encouraging more people to explore alcohol alternatives and social settings sans booze.

The alcohol free movement is starting to take the world by storm and become almost “trendy” in a sense as more and more mocktail alternatives and products hit the market. As cannabis continues to become legal in more and more places around the world, people are gradually shifting to the California sober lifestyle as a replacement for consuming alcohol.

My Alc-Free Journey

Every summer, I feel a bit of FOMO seeing people partying and drinking, but my decision to go alcohol-free has been one of the best choices I’ve made and all of the pros definitely outweigh that FOMO. For years during my university days I would basically binge drink from Thursday to Saturday and would wake up on Sunday feeling absolutely terrible. Like literally, bent over holding my stomach in pain terrible. These drinking habits also lead me to make poor choices in my eating habits, sleep habits and even in some of my relationships.

All in all, my alcohol consumption really bled into the rest of my life and negatively affected a lot of things for me. After battling the repercussions of binge drinking I knew I needed a change.

During the pandemic, I made the firm decision to basically stop drinking and it was hard. Especially when a lot of my friends continued to drink during social situations and I was really feeling left out.

This experience really challenged me to be firm with myself and and I had to set boundaries with my friends and say "look, I’m not drinking tonight, please respect that choice". I knew that I wanted more for myself and wanted to be better for myself so I knew I had to be very self-disciplined.

4 Tips to Become Alcohol Free

Going alcohol free is not easy, and throughout my experience going cali-sober, I figured out a few tricks that made it a little bit easier for me:

1. Communicate with Your Social Circle

The first step in my journey was openly communicating with my friends about my decision to stop drinking. I asked for their respect for my choice and made it clear that I wouldn’t partake in drinking activities. Some friends were supportive, while others criticized me for being "lame" or leaving events early. But it's crucial to surround yourself with people who support your healthy life choices. If they don’t, it might be time to reconsider those friendships.

2. Avoid Alcohol-Centric Activities

I distanced myself from activities where drinking was the main focus. Over time it became really easy to do this because I realized a lot of the activities that are centered around drinking are activities that I don’t even really enjoy. Over time, this helped me naturally gravitate towards different, more fulfilling, activities that actually brought me joy.

3. Bring Your Own Beverages

In social settings, I came prepared with alcohol-free drinks. Whether it's mocktails, sparkling water, or cannabis-infused beverages, having a drink in hand helped avoid the awkwardness and constant questioning about my non-drinking choices. It also prevented any unnecessary peer pressure to drink alcohol. Through my alcohol free journey I’ve come up with tons of infused mocktail recipes like this Infused Spicy Margarita and drinking that made it much easier for me to feel comfortable in social situations where I felt like a drink in hand was a necessity.

4. Consistency and Practice

Becoming fully comfortable with saying no to alcohol took time—about eight months to a year to be honest. Consistent practice and having a support system were vital. Setting a clear goal and reminding myself of the reasons behind my choice made the transition a lot smoother. Nowadays, I order mocktails and enjoy socializing without the hangovers or negative effects of alcohol.

Photo by Kym MacKinnon on Unsplash

Alcohol vs. Cannabis - Which is Healthier?

While I subscribe to a Cali sober lifestyle, I don’t see cannabis as a substitute for alcohol; they are very different substances. Cannabis has therapeutic and medical properties, and it should be used mindfully to obtain the desired benefits. Alcohol on the other hand has almost no therapeutic and medical properties other than maybe for cleaning wounds?

There is lots of research coming out these days about how even just one alcoholic beverage negatively impacts your entire body functionality - not even just your liver. I found this really interesting graphic from NIAAA that shows just how many parts of the body are negatively affected by even just one alcoholic beverage.

Photo from NIAAA

Long term alcohol consumption has very negative side effects on lots of different parts of the body yet there is a huge double standard in Canada because alcohol can be advertised and consumed in more places than cannabis.

When it comes down to it, I think a lot of it depends on dosage. In low doses, alcohol can be useful as a social lubricant and to lower anxiety in social situations. It can also be used to help form relationships or create memories with family and friends. With cannabis, dosage is also very important and it’s possible to have an unhealthy relationship with the plant if consumption habits turn into a dependency or a cannabis use disorder. That’s why it’s so crucial when consuming cannabis to do so mindfully and intentionally in order to get the best possible outcome from the plant.

I’m not trying to demonize alcohol by any means, I just want to very clearly acknowledge the health impacts that excessive consumption can create. Even though I’m obviously pro-cannabis, I also want to be clear that it’s not for everyone and excessive and reckless use can also have negative health effects - especially on younger people whose brains are not fully developed yet. It can also impact those who are already prone to mental health disorders which is something to be cautious about when consuming.

Although I’ve chosen an alcohol-free and cali-sober path, I acknowledge that alcohol can have social benefits. However, alcohol impacts every organ in the body, and these health issues outweigh its benefits for me personally. I am very happy with my choice to go alcohol free and turn towards the California sober lifestyle - in fact, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to drinking. I feel more like myself than I’ve ever felt, and I’m happy to be choosing a lifestyle that brings me the most balance and joy. I think overall, there needs to be more education on responsible consumption of both alcohol and cannabis which could benefit everyone.

Final Thoughts

This Cali-sober lifestyle has led me to a more fulfilling and balanced life, and the rise of the alcohol-free movement and mocktail market is very promising. Ultimately, whether you choose to go alcohol-free, be Cali sober, or simply reduce your alcohol intake, it’s about finding what works best for you. Listen to your body, practice mindful consumption, do your best to understand any health effects that may come from your choices and stay true to your personal goals.

If you’re part of the alcohol-free or Cali-sober movement or even if you’re starting to consider it, I’d love to hear from you! Send me any of your stories, thoughts or questions at community@thecannabinista.com.

If you’d like an even more in-depth conversation about this topic, check out my podcast episode and YouTube video for my full thoughts!