Are you worried about maintaining your sobriety now that recreational pot has been legalized in California? It’s understandable that you might be worried about staying sober when pot is now legal and easy to get. But staying sober now that pot is legal in California won’t be much different than staying sober in a society where alcohol is legal and easy to get. You can use the same approach to staying sober whether the temptation is marijuana or alcohol. Here are some great tips to help you deal with the easy availability of pot in California and not compromise your sobriety:
Stay Away from It
If you are in recovery for an addiction to alcohol, you’re not going to go into a bar. So, if you’re in recovery for an addiction to drugs, don’t go to a state dispensary or anywhere near one. Since it’s not legal to smoke pot outside of a private residence, you won’t have to worry about the temptation of seeing people smoking pot all around you.
Staying away from a dispensary isn’t that hard, but what about if your friends want to try a little legal pot in their homes? That’s a tougher situation to avoid. But if you really are committed to recovery you will have to avoid it. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be friends with people who smoke pot. But it does mean you can’t attend house parties or other gatherings where they may be smoking pot. Tell them why you don’t feel like that would be healthy for you and they should understand. If you have to turn down invitations to house parties but still want to hang out with your friends ask them to go out to dinner or to some event in public at another time so you can still enjoy their company in a marijuana-free environment.
Ask for Help
Whether you’ve been sober for a day or 20 years, you know that addiction cravings can come up at any time. And now that people in private homes will be smoking marijuana more often you might find that the smell of pot wafting from houses and apartments makes you crave some pretty badly. When that happens, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Go to a meeting. Call your sponsor. Make an appointment with a counselor. It doesn’t mean that you’re weak or that your commitment to sobriety is slipping. It just means that you will have to learn new healthy ways to cope with the increased presence of marijuana now that recreational pot is legal in California. And there are lots of resources that are available to you to help you stay sober. Don’t hesitate to use them.
If you struggle with addiction or you have a loved one that needs to safely and comfortably detox in order to start the path to sober living call us today to find out more how Diamond House can help you or your loved one.
Content medically reviewed by Vicky Magobet, PMHNP-BC, on February 2nd, 2018.
