California Sober has been generating a bit of hype lately—and we don’t mean Post Malone’s catchy number with Chris Stapleton. The phrase ‘California Sober’ means replacing alcohol with cannabis in social situations. Our co-founder, Hanna Brand, made the decision to quit alcohol and turn to cannabis, reflecting a growing trend where daily cannabis use has surpassed daily alcohol consumption for the first time.
In this open and honest Q&A, Hanna shares how cannabis helps her to unwind and enjoy social gatherings without the negative effects often associated with alcohol consumption, such as hangovers and decreased productivity, while helping her achieve her personal and professional goals. Her inspiring story is an example of how cannabis can be used responsibly as an alternative to alcohol.
If you’re thinking of starting your own journey to less alcohol, Hanna’s story is here to motivate and encourage you.
What motivated your decision to become California Sober? What was a specific turning point or a gradual realization?
“For me, it was a turning point. I made some life changes. I ended my relationship after four years and started realigning with what goals I have for myself personally, physically, emotionally, mentally and on a business level. I realized that the biggest hindrance over the past few years to attaining these goals was alcohol-related. I wasn’t necessarily overconsuming or having bad hangovers. I wasn’t blacking out. It was more so from a stance of having goals that I want to achieve. Removing alcohol is the easiest and fastest way to get there.
“I realized how easy it was for me to turn a stressful day at work or an emotional day into a glass—or bottle—of wine or a cocktail. Then, the next day, I feel sluggish and make excuses not to show up at the gym. With cannabis, I don’t get that anxiety. I don’t get kind of the adverse effects the next day,
“I’ve always enjoyed cannabis, but most of the time in the past, it’s paired hand in hand with alcohol. I also wanted to experience and learn more about the different strains we’re growing, their effects on my body and what I can use in social and relaxing settings. My favorite product is our Pucker Me Peach Gummies because they’re so easy and convenient and make you cruise with their effects.”
How has your social life changed since making the change? Have you found social situations that traditionally revolve around alcohol to be challenging?
“In the beginning, I told everyone it was ‘Sober October.’ Then I moved on to ‘No Drink November.’ Now I tell people I don’t know when—or if—I’ll drink again. It hasn’t changed too much for me socially.
“I’ve still been pushing myself to be even more social than I was beforehand because it’s easy for me to go and hang out for an hour or two or three; I have been going to the bars with friends while they’re drinking, and I’m just having mocktails. I’ve switched my brain from wanting to go to bars to drink to going out, being social and having a good time. I’m not worried about how long I stay. I’ll stay out if I’m having a good time talking to people and enjoying or dancing. It’s really easy.
“Instead of drinking, I’ll pop one of our Pucker Me Peach Gummies or bring some pre-rolls and use them socially. I like micro-dosing with gummies instead of getting overly high. They are great cruise gummies, so you feel social and energetic. We’ll often smoke after we’re done at the bars in the backyard of someone’s house and chat for another hour or two. That social connection is what’s filling my cup right now. It wasn’t the alcohol that I was looking for when I wanted to go to the bars; it was the social connection, and I made that switch pretty quickly. Now, I’m filling my cup with being around people and not with alcohol.
“Now, we’re in the holiday season, and a lot of drinking is tied to this time of year. Still, I think my family as a whole has been seeing me remove alcohol and has been inspired by it a bit. Overall, the Brand family’s alcohol consumption has decreased in the last three months. We’ll see how dry January goes.”
Award-winning Pucker Me Peach Gummies are loved for their effects.
In terms of health and wellness, what differences have you noticed since replacing alcohol with cannabis? Have there been any unexpected benefits or challenges?
“There have been a lot of differences. First of all, it’s made it easier to lose weight while I’m realigning my fitness journey by not drinking empty calories. I’m not over-consuming drinks or sugars or calories. On the other hand, I do get the munchies, so I am eating more calories at times, but it’s a lot easier to choose healthier snacks. I’m a snacky munchy girly. But I have dried mango or grass-fed jerky, which are more whole-food options, eating real foods, not processed foods.
“I also have a lot more energy now. People think it’s strange that I like to be at the bars till 1 am, and they’re like, ‘You can go home. You don’t have to stay for us.’ But I’m not sluggish; I’m not tired. I still wake up. I sleep in on the weekends to eight or nine o’clock, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I need to get out of bed. Now. I’ve been awake lying here for two hours, but I’m not hungover at all. So why am I still relaxing?'”
What have been your biggest challenges?
“There’s only been two times when I craved alcohol for maybe two or three minutes. Those were in social settings, at annual parties, and I just gave my time to have that emotion and not cave into it. One of them was a Halloween party, and we ended up smoking as a group, so that was nice and pulled me out of it very quickly.
“My biggest challenge is the constant conversation of people asking when I’ll be done. Initially, I said Sober October, then No Drink November, then Don’t Drink December. Now I’m into Dry January and people are still asking me how long I’m going for. I don’t have an answer. So that’s a little challenging. I’m proud of myself when I tell them how long I’ve been doing it and that there isn’t an end date; it’s just until I feel like it.
“I’m going to Europe later in January for two and a half weeks, so will I drink? How is that going to change my relationship with alcohol again? Is it going to go back to where it was? Or am I going to keep healthy habits and it’s going to stay reduced? I’ll be without the comfort of using cannabis in my back pocket because I’m not bringing any with me. Maybe I can get some when I’m in Amsterdam, but for now, that’s my challenge.”
How do you approach dosing and consumption of cannabis to achieve the desired effects without over-indulging?
“At the beginning of my journey, I consumed more cannabis, but I’ve mellowed out a bit. As I mentioned, I like to micro-dose our gummies; sometimes, I even start with just a half gummy, which is a very microdose, 2.5 THC, half CBD. You can always dose up but you can’t dose down! Start with a half gummy, add another half gummy an hour or two later and then another half gummy; it’s not as sharp as an up and down. It’s a mellow getting high, kind of staying there, mellow dropping down, which I like. I don’t like to abruptly, all of a sudden, be high.
“Smoking cannabis has been similar. I’m less likely to over-indulge because I’m not also under the influence of alcohol, which is when I get my Superwoman abilities. I start to think that because I grow cannabis and sell a lot of it, I can handle anything and should be able to smoke and stand outside for 30 minutes with my buddies and talk. Then I’ll get way too high. I go low and slow a little easier and find that balance these days.”
Has this experience been a learning curve?
“I also like getting slightly high, but not fully there, dropping back down to sober, smoking a little bit more again, and dropping back down again. I always feel like I’m in control of my high and that it’s not in control of me. But that wasn’t so much a learning curve. I knew that it was just with alcohol; I had those Superwoman abilities and thought I could handle it all. Sometimes, the parietal cortex doesn’t fully work.”
Are you consuming more or less cannabis now that you’ve been giving up alcohol?
“I’m still roughly consuming around the same amount as when I was drinking. Maybe I had an uptick initially, but it’s a couple of times a week. I don’t smoke every night. I’m not someone that’s super functioning when I’m high. I don’t like to use it if I have projects or things that I need to focus on. I like it for creative, social and relaxation reasons.”
Hanna with her father and fellow Autumn Brands co-founder and CEO, Hans Brand.
Do you have any tools that you would recommend?
“I will plug one app in here, the Reframe app. I’m still on it today. I enjoy it. It is all about quitting or cutting back on alcohol so you can choose your journey. Every day, you have a three to five-minute reading, and it’s all educational. The first phase is what’s happening in your body, in your mind, and your hormones; about taking out alcohol right now, it’s like, what are some coping mechanisms and craving strategies? Some people experience a high euphoria from quitting alcohol. But then that goes away, and people can be triggered from that going away. It also has forums and groups where people can talk to others who are going through similar situations or changes.
“The app also counts your drinks, whether you want to put in there how many drinks you had in the night or put in that you didn’t drink. It’s a nice way to keep a tally of where you’re at. If you go on this journey, recording what you’re doing is important. Keeping yourself accountable and proud of your achievements is much easier. I was 90 days on December 30, and it’s the longest I have gone without drinking alcohol, probably since my senior year of high school, so in 10 years. I’ve always taken 30-60 days off here and there. After my birthday in January, I take January 22 through February, but it’s a little different this year.”
What advice would you give to someone considering going California Sober?
“Everyone’s on their own journey. For me, the biggest thing is learning about my hedonic level. Alcohol over-inflates your body’s balanced happiness from serotonin and dopamine levels upwards, so doing activities like pottery, running and other things you enjoy will produce the same amount of serotonin and dopamine.
“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is how much joy and happiness I have from things that I’ve already been doing before I stopped drinking and finding more joy in those good feelings from doing those same things without alcohol in my life. It’s a lot easier to obtain that feeling of happiness without alcohol. Cannabis doesn’t have the same effects for me. Returning to your NET neutrality takes about six months, which is wild, but I believe it. I’m only at three months, halfway to six, and already feeling those effects.
“Also, if you have a list of goals that you want to accomplish, a lot of times, you put alcohol on the top of that list, and then figure out how alcohol hinders you from those goals. Maybe it’s time to set it aside for the time being and then reintroduce it later. What are your driving forces for what you want to do in this life, and how you’re going to get there? Is alcohol hindering you too much? Can you use cannabis in ways to enjoy social settings and different things that you get out of alcohol without getting the repercussions, the grogginess and the brain fog that alcohol provides? Are there any particular resources or strategies you found helpful during your transition?
“I’m on my expedited path to meet my goals. I think this is going to change my relationship with alcohol for the future of my life and how I drink and socialize and have it as part of my life. Because it feels too damn good right now to give up all this for a glass of wine. The balance of my hormones and feelings and emotions and everything feels good right now, and there’s no alcohol in my life. So I’m going to keep it that way.”