We asked r/trees who was Cali sober and never looked back. What we got was 89 replies and no agreement whatsoever on what the term means. One of the most upvoted answers came from somebody explaining why it did not apply to them.
🧪 Lab Tested | 👩💼 Woman-Owned | 🏆 Est. 2017
Every quote below is a real comment from a public Reddit thread, shown with username and upvote count and linked to the live discussion. These are personal experiences, not medical advice. Cannabis is not a treatment for alcohol dependence or any addiction. If alcohol is a problem in your life, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free and confidential, available 24/7 in English and Spanish on 1-800-662-4357.
The Question, and the Argument It Started
We asked r/trees a question we thought had an obvious answer: who else is Cali sober and never looked back? It pulled 201 upvotes and 89 replies.
What we did not expect was how many of those replies were people arguing with the premise. Some said the label fit them perfectly. Others said it did not fit at all, then described a drinking habit almost identical to the people who said it did. A few had never heard the term until they realised it described them.
Before going further: this article deliberately leaves out the comments from people describing alcohol dependence, and there were several. Those are real experiences, and they deserve better than being quoted by a hemp brand next to a product card. What follows is the lifestyle conversation, from people describing a preference rather than a problem.
Nobody Agrees What Cali Sober Means
The loose definition is simple enough: no alcohol, cannabis fine. In practice the thread could not settle on where the line sits, and one of the highest-voted replies came from somebody rejecting the label entirely.
“I’m not Cali sober I have 6-10 drinks a year in social settings. What I say is I drink and smoke flower socially only. I’m primarily rosin.”
u/Potential-Ant-6320, 48 upvotes
Underneath it, agreement from people in the same position.
“Same here. Maybe a couple beers at some bbq’s, but that’s it”
u/AdRadiant9379, 13 upvotes
Potential-Ant-6320 came back further down the chain and put numbers on it: wine with a good meal, cocktails at a wedding, four drinks by the middle of the year. That is a level of drinking most people would round down to nothing, and they still would not take the label.
“No. I still enjoy beer from time to time. It has its place”
u/Dire-Dog, 17 upvotes
Others drew the line differently, keeping the label while still drinking occasionally.
“Basically yes, but im not a recovering alcoholic thats sworn off alcohol completely. I’ll have a drink or 2 with years separating the next time I feel like having another.”
u/launchliftoff459, 10 upvotes
“I wouldn’t call myself California sober because I never really had a drinking problem and have no qualms about a beer or two hanging out by the water or a cocktail when I take my team out but it’ll often be weeks to months between such occasions.”
u/eugenesbluegenes, 1 upvotes
And at least one person qualified without knowing the term existed.
“I quit booze […] about ten years ago but still smoke every day. I’m ‘cali sober’ but I didn’t even know it until recently.”
u/Yung_Cheebzy, 13 upvotes
Read those together and a pattern appears. The label has less to do with how much someone drinks than with how they think about drinking. Two people with identical habits will disagree about whether it applies, and both of them are right, because there is nothing to be wrong about.
The People Who Said Yes
Plenty of replies did answer the question as asked, and the striking thing is how unremarkable most of them sounded.
“I am in a better headspace without alcohol”
u/alucardian_official, 9 upvotes
“The day I stopped drinking is the day I started smoking. Same with my wife. Best decision we have ever made. Will not ever drink again. I know a lot of people say that, but the benefits of not drinking are worth it to us.”
u/406mtguy, 8 upvotes
“I don’t even miss alcohol”
u/Safe_Assistance3227, 2 upvotes
Others were counting. The thread filled up with milestones offered without commentary: “9 days Cali Sober and loving it. I haven’t felt this good in 15 years” (u/the_well_read_neck_, 6 upvotes), “Me, 5 years without alcohol this July” (u/shaelynne, 3 upvotes), “Checking in. 3.5 years now” (u/WeedyMcWeedyFace420, 3 upvotes), “8 years no alcohol” (u/salty_in_the_south, 2 upvotes), and “10 years alcohol free” (u/simplyputonyou, 1 upvote).
Nine days and ten years sat in the same comment section without anyone ranking them.
What They Miss, Honestly
The most useful replies were the ones that did not perform certainty. Several people were precise about exactly what they gave up.
“[…] Good red wine is the only thing I miss but wifey allows me a sip when she gets something fabulous!”
u/ComfortableBedroom76, 1 upvotes
“Me! I dislike most things about alcohol but a cold corona on a hot summer day is really a good drink.”
u/ThatHcDude, 3 upvotes
“[…] I miss it a little, but probably not enough to go back.”
u/pawogub, 2 upvotes
None of those people sounded like they were about to relapse into a wine habit. They sounded like people describing a trade honestly, which is rarer in this conversation than it should be. The opposite view was well represented too, including one commenter reporting zero desire for alcohol after seven years.
The Pushback, and Where It Comes From
The term is contested outside the thread as well, and one commenter named the objection directly.
“[…] I am glad to hear so many drinkers going ‘Cali sober.’ Although I try not to advertise that because you do get some pushback from some alcoholics that it’s not sober enough. I’m doing the best I can.”
u/RumbleRavage, 2 upvotes
That criticism is worth stating plainly rather than skipping. In conventional recovery terms, sobriety means abstaining from everything intoxicating, so by that standard swapping alcohol for cannabis is not sobriety and calling it so can read as a claim someone has not earned. People in recovery programmes have reasons for holding that line, and this article is not going to argue with them.
What the thread showed is that most people using the term know this. They are describing a change in their drinking, not making a claim about recovery. Whether cannabis belongs in your definition of sober is a question for you and the people supporting you.
A separate commenter made the case for a middle position.
“Nope. I enjoy the combined buzz on occasion, but I don’t ever drink to the point of being drunk, nor do I spend the majority of my day stoned. Being able to balance your consumption is the key to enjoying both I feel.”
u/Birdius, 2 upvotes
How the Swap Actually Works
The practical detail in the thread was less about substance and more about slot. A drink at the end of the day is a ritual as much as a chemical, and the people who made this swap successfully tended to replace the ritual too.
“[…] I only smoke at night. More of an end of day thing, like a drink I guess.”
u/whentimerunsout, 1 upvotes
“Little over seven years. Zero desire for alcohol or whatever passes for drugs these days.”
u/kronik419, 2 upvotes
On format, the thread was thinner than you might expect. Most people simply said they smoke. One described smoking flower socially while using rosin the rest of the time, which was about as specific as anyone got, and nobody compared delivery methods against each other.
So what follows is our framing rather than theirs. If you are replacing a drink, a THC vape behaves most like one in a single respect: it arrives within minutes and tapers on a schedule you can plan around. Edibles run slower and last a good deal longer, which suits an evening with nowhere to be. Flower and concentrates sit closest to what people in the thread actually described.
One difference deserves flagging, because nobody in the thread raised it and it matters more than any of this. Alcohol leaves your system in hours. THC does not, and every THC product we sell will show up on a drug test for days or weeks afterwards. If you are tested for anything, this swap carries a consequence that drinking never did.
Where TribeTokes Fits
If you are making this swap, here is what we make that fits the occasions people described, along with the thing you need to know before you buy any of it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Nobody fully agrees, and that turned out to be the most interesting thing about the r/trees thread we pulled from. The loosest definition is giving up alcohol while still using cannabis. Beyond that the community splits hard. Some people apply it only if you have cut alcohol completely. Others use it while still having a few drinks a year at weddings or barbecues. One commenter said they qualified without realising the term existed, and several rejected the label outright despite drinking rarely, on the grounds that they never had a problem with alcohol to begin with. One of the higher-voted replies in the thread was somebody explaining why the label did not fit them. There is no governing body here and no agreed threshold. It is a self-applied description of a drinking habit, and people draw the line in different places.
That depends entirely on who you ask, and the thread showed the disagreement rather than settling it. In conventional recovery terms, sobriety means abstaining from all intoxicating substances, so by that standard using cannabis is not sobriety. Plenty of people using the Cali sober label know this and use it anyway, as shorthand for a drinking habit they have changed rather than a claim about recovery. One commenter mentioned getting pushback from people who felt the term was not sober enough, and answered that they were doing what they could. That tension is real and the article does not pretend to resolve it. If you are in a recovery programme, whether cannabis fits your definition of sobriety is a question for your programme and the people supporting you, not for a hemp brand.
Reasons in the thread were practical rather than dramatic, and often barely stated at all. A striking number of replies were a single line: a count of years, a check-in, no explanation offered. Among those who did elaborate, one said they were in a better headspace without alcohol. Another described the switch as the decision they were most glad about, and mentioned their partner had made it alongside them. A third framed it as a straight comparison: one substance left them feeling bad, the other did not, so they picked. What is notable is how ordinary most of it sounded. These were not accounts of transformation. They were people describing a preference that shifted and then noticing they had not been back.
Mostly they described replacing the ritual rather than the substance alone. One commenter said they smoke only at night and compared it directly to having a drink, which is the clearest version of the pattern anyone offered. Beyond that the thread was vague: most people simply said they smoke, one mentioned flower socially with rosin otherwise, and nobody compared delivery methods against each other. If you are choosing between them, the practical differences are timing and duration rather than anything the community settled. Inhaled formats arrive in minutes and taper predictably. Edibles arrive slowly and last a good deal longer. Anyone making this swap should know that every THC product carries drug test consequences lasting days or weeks, which alcohol does not.
Some do, and the more candid replies were specific about what. One said good red wine was the only thing they missed and had the occasional sip. Another said they disliked most things about alcohol but still thought a cold beer on a hot day was a genuinely good drink. A third said they missed it a little, though not enough to go back. None of them sounded uncertain. They were being accurate about a trade-off rather than performing certainty about it. The thread also contained plenty of the opposite: several said they did not miss alcohol at all, and one described zero desire for it after seven years. Both versions appear to be honest. Which one applies to you is not something anyone else can predict.
No. Cannabis is not a treatment for alcohol dependence, alcohol use disorder, or any addiction, and nothing in this article should be read as suggesting otherwise. Swapping one substance for another is not the same as addressing a dependence, and someone with a genuine drinking problem needs proper support rather than a different intoxicant. That support exists and it works: in the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free and confidential, available 24/7 in English and Spanish on 1-800-662-4357. The people quoted in this article are describing a lifestyle preference, and comments involving dependence were deliberately left out of it. If alcohol has a grip on your life, please talk to a doctor or a support service rather than making this decision from a Reddit thread or a hemp company’s website.
Yes. Every product recommended in this article contains THC and will produce a positive result on a standard drug test. This is the single biggest practical difference between the swap described here and simply drinking less, and it deserves more attention than it usually gets. Drug tests do not detect THC directly. They detect THC metabolites, which your body produces after any form of THC and which can stay detectable for days or weeks after use depending on frequency, body composition, and the sensitivity of the test. Alcohol clears in hours; THC does not. If your job, licence, or custody arrangement depends on passing a test, this swap carries a risk that drinking never did. Our THC-free CBD range is the alternative, and every batch has a published certificate of analysis.
The thread never settled on a format, so what follows is our recommendation rather than the community’s. Our THCa Live Resin Vape Cartridge comes in twelve strains and takes effect within minutes, which makes it the closest thing we make to something you pour and sit down with. The Delta 8 THC Live Resin Gummies are the gentler option and our most reviewed product overall, which suits anyone who wants something slower and more predictable. For a middle setting, a hybrid cart like Birthday Cake balances the two ends. Every product carries a published lab report, and subscribe and save takes 15% off a first order. All of them contain THC and all of them will show on a drug test.
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The Reddit comments quoted in this article are the opinions and personal experiences of their individual authors and do not constitute medical advice or claims about TribeTokes products. Cannabis is not a treatment for alcohol dependence, alcohol use disorder, or any addiction, and TribeTokes products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Products containing Delta 9 THC, Delta 8 THC, THCa, or HHC will produce a positive result on standard drug tests. Never combine cannabis with alcohol before driving, and do not drive after using any THC product. Must be 21 or older to purchase. If alcohol is a problem in your life, the SAMHSA National Helpline offers free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish on 1-800-662-4357.