Slang dictionary

California sober

Cali sober [ kal-uh-fawrn-yuh soh-ber ]

What is California sober?

California sober is a term used to informally describe a person who’s a moderate user of alcohol and marijuana (or other psychedelic substances), typically as a way of avoiding heavier substance use.

The term is also used in a slightly different way to informally describe a person who has replaced all alcohol consumption with (typically moderate) marijuana use.

Regardless of which sense is used, California sober is most often used in the context of a person who has changed to such consumption to avoid substance abuse, especially that which involves alcohol and/or “harder” drugs.

In this way, the term uses sober in reference to sustained sobriety (avoidance of alcohol or other drugs altogether).

However, many professionals in the field of substance abuse prevention oppose the use of the term sober in California sober as inaccurate and potentially harmful due to research that shows that it is often an ineffective method for avoiding harmful substance use.

If you’ve reached this page because you or someone you know is affected by substance abuse, please know that there is help available. You can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

Related words

indica, Adderall high, dro, blem

Where does California sober come from?

cannabis

In California sober, the word sober is used in the sense that describes someone who avoids alcohol (or other drugs) completely, especially after a period of substance abuse.

The term seems to have emerged from the US state of California as a way of referring to a “California style” of “sobriety” involving marijuana as a substitute for alcohol. Online use of the term dates back to at least 2016.

The term entered larger mainstream awareness in 2021 when musician Demi Lovato used it in the title of a song about the practice. Despite having personally identified with the term at the time of the song’s release, Lovato later changed that stance to instead promote full sobriety and avoidance of all drugs.

Examples of California sober

My wife just informed me that "California sober" is drinking moderately and smoking weed, and wow, had no idea i was California sober for the majority of my life
@NotRyanMcD, April 2021
Others define their recovery as being able to go about their lives without having their days defined by unsafe drug use, or by using the "California sober" method where they eliminate some vices but not all.
Kerry Breen, TODAY, August 2022

Who uses California sober?

The term California sober is used informally. Some people use it to refer to moderate use of alcohol and drugs, while others use it to mean the replacement of alcohol with marijuana use. Many professionals in the field of substance abuse prevention oppose the term as inaccurate and potentially harmful due to research that shows that it is often an ineffective method for avoiding harmful substance use.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of California sober like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of California sober that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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