This subject has been touched upon here before, and like many other topics, it seems to have more facets than can comfortably fit into just one post.

“California Sober” is a concept that recognizes human differences as acceptable, and not necessarily blameworthy. Some people just need a bit of chemical assistance to get through the day (or night), while others do not. Some can calibrate their intake to include only the small amount of a substance that reduces anxiety to a certain level, and stop there.

Let’s step back a bit. The Ludlow Library, created in 1970, is the world’s largest book collection exclusively concerned with the history and literature of psychoactive drugs. Fitz Hugh Ludlow (1836-1870) was the first American writer to produce a hefty body of work in this field, and other authors came forward to establish the specialized library.

Ludlow’s noteworthy 1860 work, The Hasheesh Eater, was the first full-length book about cannabis to be published in English. He also wrote the novella John Heartburn’s Tale, described by an unknown reviewer as a book whose attorney protagonist begins as an alcoholic, becomes an opium addict, and is cured by dosages of cannabis provided by the plot’s narrator.

In many cases, people let themselves get habituated because they believe it can and will improve their lives in some way. The trite argument still stands: Every human is addicted to food, a circumstance which we acknowledge and make the best of. To realize this basic fact renders a person more loving, more understanding, and more accepting of the self and of others. In the old days, this self-treatment program was much easier to establish and maintain, for reasons to be discussed on another day.

Meanwhile, those who are off their particular demonic substance, and sober except for marijuana, are frequently quite willing to talk about their somewhat controversial lifestyle. An example is writer, guitarist, vocalist, and stand-up comic Kelsey Hudgins of Austin, who, at his obesity peak, had weighed 367 pounds. The performer, who goes by the stage name @yonderwizzerd, addressed this topic during a 2022 podcast episode.

In the second month of that year, and down to 299 pounds, he confessed (with an unknown degree of sincerity) to being “scared to lose weight” because it might somehow interfere with his musical performance abilities. To tease him, the host implied that anyone who moves to Austin and then drops pounds must necessarily — because of its appetite-taming capability — be indulging in cocaine. To which the singer replied,

I actually have five years without cocaine this month. Six years without a cigarette today, and six years without an alcoholic beverage in two weeks. So this is a big month for me.

All this time, Hudgins had been on “just weed,” and he answered questions about the life conditions that had led to such drastic change. “I got (expletived) up real bad, dude,” then added, “You know what it’s like, man.” To which his interlocutor replied, “I do.” The musician went on to mention how his troubled past had included “drinking like three-quarters of a bottle of rumple a day,” referencing a brand of peppermint schnapps with freakishly high alcohol content.

No matter what others may think, it appears that any person who can make an individually-tailored version of “California sober” work for them is fortunate indeed.

Written by Pat Hartman. First published April 16, 2026.

Source:

“KILL TONY #546,” DeathSquad.TV, February 28, 2022.

Image Copyright: @yonderwizzerd, You.Tube.com, January 2, 2026.