Just to clarify a few things about addition medicine and terms used here. First, “california sober” means weed only. no alcohol. I think prescribed meds like if one has adhd is OK too on this informal “program.”
There is also a growing chorus in the field of addiction medicine suggesting a move away from complete abstinence as the end goal in favor of what’s called “
harm reduction.” My own psychiatrist is board certified in addiction medicine and favors this approach. We use it for me for weed & shopping addictions. It’s basically asking “what’s the problem you’re having due to your anddiction? and is there a way to solve it that isn’t
stop using all addictive substances forever?”
An example of “harm reduction” would be like after my alcoholic mother got a DUI, she decided not to drive at night anymore bc that’s when she drinks.
Now, I’m not sure I agree with this approach… it def doesn’t work for all people or all situations, and I think you’d need to have an addiction specialist overseeing this process which Nick probably didn’t. My mom doesn’t have a doc either & simply abstaining from
driving at night of course did not solve her alcohol issues. But, it’s a start! A competent practitioner (like my doc) could help her see other problems stemming from her use that she needs to minimize, rather than simply preventing a catastrophe like a DUI.
Maybe Nick was trying to use lesser substances (like weed) to stave off cravings for harder drugs (like meth)… kind of similar to how a lot of ppl in Narcotics Anonymous take up smoking cigarettes— it helps their brain to be addicted to
something in place of the more harmful thing. My friend traded heroin for cigarettes on the advice of her NA group.
all JMO & experience!
