6 Months Cali-Sober; One Way Through

I see a lot of milestone shares on this sub, but I wanted to share mine because it is a bit different. Not all of us are the same, but our goals are the same; kicking the booze.

I started drinking when I was 25, when a friend committed suicide. We toasted to his life, and I never looked back on alcohol consumption. Bourbon was my poison of choice. I usually mixed it, but eventually started doing shots and neat pours. I eventually got into beer, starting with cider, then working my way into higher ABV IPA, stouts, and porters.

I believe I became a problem drinker when I started using alcohol to supplement my evenings while working late, at home. No one could observe me, and I often went to bed drunk, waking up with a mild hangover. I attributed my drinking to a Mad-Men, marketing and advertising lifestyle that I was living. I was in my late 20s and early 30s, and I felt like others had a much bigger problem than I had.

I started smoking marijuana when I was 34, while at a music festival with a former boss. Since it is illegal in my state, it took me a while to find a steady supply, but once I did, I ramped up my smoking, as well. Enter the cross-fade era from my mid-30s to early 40s.

In my early 40s, I was double-dipping most days; drinking at work, after work, and at home, then smoking in the evenings. I thought I had it under control, but I didn't. Drinking more alcohol would often lead me to smoking more. In my early 40s, I had a couple of noticeable black-outs that my wife was asking me questions about. I was good at hiding it, or so I thought, but I was falling into a pattern where I would get very angry and spiral to a dark place, then pass out. My wife was on to me.

Late-spring, last year, I had blacked out, again, and my wife brought it up again. I could see a different look in here eyes that time; she was actually worried for my health. And honestly, so was I.

I stopped and restarted a couple of times, trying to go cold-turkey on both booze and weed. Then I learned about the term Cali-sober, where you only partake of marijuana and drop the booze. Early June was my final day with booze, and while I have certainly lessened the amount that I smoke since those days, I am now happily Cali-sober at 6 months.

I used to feel bad about smoking still, but I no longer do. The phrase, "Choose your poison(s)," is one I truly live by now. Caffeine, alcohol, THC, and even doom scrolling (dopamine) are all variables to add to the mix. For me, alcohol and doom scrolling had to be left by the wayside.

I made it through the holidays by buying THC gummies, from a local, recreational state, and partaking before events. I even found some Delta-9 THC drinks at my old liquor store, so I brought those along too, and no one blinked an eye.

Here's to 6-months alcohol-sober. I would never have guessed I would make it this far. IWNDWYT!