9/19/2023 0 Comments I quit all substancesIt’s about the neurophysiology of the brain.” “We know that the same brain structures involved in chemical addiction are also at play with other types of disordered behaviors. “This is why we say that addiction is about people, not any particular drug,” Couey says. “If taking substances like cannabis was a cure for opioid use disorder, we wouldn’t have opioid treatment programs.”Ĭouey says that some people with a substance use disorder may have a predisposed vulnerability to mind- and mood-altering substances, resulting in other unhealthy behaviors. He cautions that for someone with a substance use disorder, treatment is not as simple as replacing one substance with another. For example, if you find yourself drinking more than usual, as many people have during the pandemic, reducing your intake is always a good idea. Too much of anything can be problematic health-wise, he adds. Brennan, MD, the director clinical services at the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai in New York City. “I like hearing 'moderation' as a specialist,” says Timothy K. Given the way substances affect mental and physical health, is California sober a recommended approach for some people? “'California Sober,' or using in moderation, may not produce the results a person is looking for.” “For people who truly have addiction, complete abstinence works the best for the most,” Couey says. It’s more about how a person’s brain reacts to chemicals, such as having tolerance, urges, and cravings, than it is about the specific chemical ingested. This means that addiction does not have as much to do with which substances people use as it does with the person’s biology, psychology, and genetics. It always led to relapse.”īrian Couey, PsyD, director of outpatient services for the Betty Ford Center in San Diego and Los Angeles, says it makes sense that patients with addiction - including people with opioid use disorder - avoid all intoxicants instead of trying to substitute one substance with another or use them in moderation.Īll addiction is neurophysiological, Dr. Cronin himself is in long-term recovery from a history of opioid use disorder he said he tried the California sober approach numerous times while trying to get clean. While California sober may be a new colloquial term, people all over have been trying to manage addiction using this approach for years, says Cronin. The term “Cali sober,” Lhooq wrote, is also commonly used by people who abstain from all substances except marijuana. Lhooq quit all drugs except marijuana and certain psychedelics when she moved from New York to California (one of the states that had legalized marijuana use at the time, hence the name “California sober”). The term is often attributed to Michelle Lhooq, a writer who published an article on in 2019 about streamlining her substance use to improve her health. “By most definitions California sober is not harm reduction,” he says, emphasizing that this approach is more about replacing one drug with another than about minimizing usage. “In the case of Demi Lovato, substituting drug of choice, opioids, with other substances, like alcohol and cannabis,” says Patrick Cronin, an addiction specialist at Ark Behavioral Health, which runs rehab facilities in Massachusetts.Ĭronin makes a distinction between this approach and the philosophy of harm reduction, which is when someone uses strategies to manage their usage and reduce the harmful or life-threatening consequences of drug or alcohol use. While traditional sobriety is defined as abstaining from any drug or alcohol, the California sober approach is about using certain drugs in moderation. They posted on their Instagram story in December to disavow their "'California sober' ways.” They went on to say, “Sober sober is the only way to be.” The California Sober Lifestyle Now, however, Lovato sees things differently. In the March interview at Lovato’s Los Angeles home, they told CBS's correspondent Tracy Smith, “I think the term that I best identify with is 'California sober.' I really don’t feel comfortable explaining the parameters of my recovery to people, because I don’t want anyone to look at my parameters of safety and think that’s what works for them, because it might not.” They continued, “I am cautious to say that, just like I feel the complete abstinent method isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody, I don’t think that this journey of moderation is a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody.” At the time, the singer said that stopping short of complete sobriety worked well for them in the aftermath of their near-fatal opioid overdose in July 2018. The term “California sober” gained attention after Demi Lovato’s interview on CBS Sunday Morning in March.
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