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Individuals in recovery often require assistance after graduating from treatment to help them return to a normal way of living. Many cases of this assistance include prescription substances to help stave off the feelings of withdrawal to promote long-term recovery.
This practice is otherwise known as medication-assisted treatment – and it’s proven to be effective in cases of opioid abuse disorder, alcohol use disorder, and various substance abuse challenges. However, for many individuals who choose to become California sober, this practice gives whole new meaning to the process of recovery.
If you’ve never heard of the term “California sober,” it’s a phrase that’s becoming more popular since singer Demi Lovato revealed the practice in a documentary about their addiction. Basically, California sober is the abstinence of all drugs besides marijuana.
However, experts argue that the practice does more harm than good. Advocates claim that it’s a form of balanced sobriety that helps them cope with the absence of hard drugs and alcohol.
Since Lovato’s widely publicized participation in the Cali sober lifestyle, the practice has exploded online through various social media platforms. Unfortunately, the belief in this practice is grossly misdirected and targeted at a demographic that desperately needs proper, research-backed guidance.
The truth is addiction is a disease, and California sober isn’t the cure.
One of the primary arguments at the center of the addiction debate is whether addiction is a disease or a moral shortcoming. In the past, rehab facilities aimed at treating substance abuse issues from the approach of the abuse disorder were a moral dilemma and a matter of decision making.
By definition, drug addiction is a strong compulsion to get and use substances, even though a number of undesirable and dangerous consequences are likely to occur. It’s been described as a medical condition that acts on the brain and switches the way humans behave.
Alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and even OTC medications may trigger the onset of an addiction. Even gambling and sexual intercourse can morph into addictions. However, in this case, addiction refers to alcohol or substance abuse.
Although the definition of substance abuse changes depending on who you ask, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), and the National Institute of Health (NIH) alladdiction as a long-term and recurring condition that’s highlighted by the individual acting compulsively and engaging in use despite negative consequences.
The reasons these agencies identify addiction as a disease are as follows:
Addiction also includes recovery periods and a return of symptoms (known as relapse). It’s a lifelong condition that requires continuous effort to manage and live with. Symptoms are more likely to resurface during times when treatment is minimal or not present at all. However, symptoms will diminish when the individual is proactive about treatment.
Understanding all of this, is being California sober a safe alternative to complete abstinence?
Choosing to use California sober to remain in recovery isn’t actually remaining in recovery and could be dangerous. Addiction is a disease of the mind and can wreak havoc on your perceptions and sense of self, sense of reality, and decision-making process.
Just because marijuana wasn’t your substance of choice doesn’t mean this method won’t make you relapse. Some of the dangers of deciding to use marijuana as a treatment method include:
If you want to remain in recovery, the bottom line is that you need to remain sober. This is how you develop healthy alternative coping strategies for long-term success. This decision is a classic case of abstinence vs. harm reduction.
Harm reduction vs. abstinence is a classic argument when it comes to substance abuse disorder. These are two completely different models with different arguments behind them. First, let’s take a look at abstinence.
Abstinence-based rehab is probably the oldest model for recovery. This method dates back much farther than the time when addiction was formally considered a disease.
Basically, the philosophy states that an individual must completely remain free from any drugs or alcohol as part of therapy. This abstinence-based model is related to the Alcoholic Anonymous 12-steps that claim abstinence is a cornerstone of recovery.
Many addiction treatment programs worked closely with AA for a long time and still do. A large majority of these treatment programs make attendance at AA meetings mandatory to remain in compliance.
According to these models, there is never any safe amount of alcohol or any drug that’s acceptable for use. Complete abstinence is the key to success.
Harm reduction is the exact opposite of the abstinence-based model. This philosophy focuses on the fact that there are safer ways to use substances when individuals don’t want to commit to abstinence.
Instead of relying on punishment through the form of discharging individuals who aren’t abstinent, these programs target minimizing the dangerous consequences of substance abuse by educating participants about safer ways to consume.
Harm reduction was brought to the mainstream in the 1980s in Europe. Government officials were trying to combat the AIDS epidemic brought on by unsafe IV drug use. Needle exchange programs were created, and many methadone treatment clinics popped up.
The whole basis is the idea of putting energy toward minimizing the dangerous consequences of drug use instead of condemning individuals who use. Medication-assisted treatment is a type of harm-reduction model used for opioids to reduce the record-breaking numbers of overdose deaths.
Safety is the primary mechanism of harm reduction. The focus is on controlling the situation by having naloxone on hand or using fentanyl test strips.
In reality, the only true form of sober is abstinence-based. Using the form Demi Lovato popularized is harm-reduction and not a form of sobriety at all.
Although Demi Lovato once advocated for their form of recovery, crediting marijuana use as a way out of opioid addiction, they also stated at the same time that it wasn’t for everybody.
Recently, Lovato has gone on the record to state that their description of California sober was wrong and not the way to achieve recovery. They claim to be currently abstinent from marijuana and any amounts of alcohol and have continued to stay free from opioids.
The reality is that using alcohol or marijuana to replace a drug of choice is a substitute addiction. While everyone is allowed to make their own decisions, it’s important, to be honest about the activities you’re engaging in.
It’s counter-productive to engage in harm-reduction and expect the same results as abstinence. When you remain abstinent, a different process is happening inside of your brain.
During abstinence, you’re allowing your brain to heal from the actual physical damage done by addiction. Receptors and the way they fire recovery can return to normal, and you’re also learning healthy coping strategies for the long term.
The whole idea of sobriety is learning to live without the reliance on ANY substance to lead a normal and healthy life. In order for this to happen, you must have certain dynamics in your life that give you alternative ways to cope and vent in a healthy way.
When you still use marijuana and alcohol, this is your coping strategy. What happens when you don’t have access to marijuana or alcohol?
The brain reacts in the same manner as the initial detox process from your original drug of choice. You’re not allowing any healing from the initial damage to the brain’s pathways.
The bottom line is this: If you rely on alcohol or marijuana during recovery, you’re still a slave to a substance. You can dress it up and package it any way you’d like, but this is the cold, honest truth.
Now, it does no good to judge anyone for their methods of recovery. If someone is fine with using marijuana and not allowing it to lead them back to their drug of choice, that’s fine. People use the medication-assisted treatment every day and are very successful in doing so.
These methods can ever be considered forms of sobriety or abstinence if you’re willing to completely change the definitions of “sobriety” and “abstinence.”
However, it’s important to note that Cali sober doesn’t describe the entire state’s stance on substance abuse recovery. Long-term recovery may still be found in California.
Long-term recovery is found in California. It’s found in New York. It’s found in Mexico, and it’s found in Europe. It’s found in the freedoms of your home, within the walls of a treatment facility, and even in prison.
Long-term recovery is a state of mind, a commitment, and a complete lifestyle change. And anyone willing to make these changes and commit to that lifestyle can achieve it.
Your chances of achieving long-term sobriety are only as strong as the depths of your conviction to reach for real and authentic recovery.
At Rehabs Of Armerica, we share in the mindset that long-term recovery takes dedication and a commitment to a complete lifestyle change. The difference-maker is we’re willing to embark on that lifestyle change with you, helping you find the best options for treatment nationwide.
Everybody’s road to recovery is different, and the most important portion of that road is maintaining the goals it takes to arrive there, as well as honestly reaching out for help.
Regardless of how long it takes you to get there, you can expect our team to be there the entire step of the way. If you want a real opportunity to take YOUR journey to GENUINE recovery and sobriety, contact our recovery representatives today!
Edward lives and works in South Florida and has been a part of its recovery community for many years. With a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts, he works to help Find Addiction Rehabs as both a writer and marketer. Edward loves to share his passion for the field through writing about addiction topics, effective treatment for addiction, and behavioral health as a whole. Alongside personal experience, Edward has deep connections to the mental health treatment industry, having worked as a medical office manager for a psychiatric consortium for many years.
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