If you struggle with drug or alcohol addiction, you are not alone. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 48.5 million people had a substance use disorder in 2023.[1]
Once you complete an addiction treatment program, you’ll need to attend sober living. While total abstinence is considered the standard method of recovery, it might not be right for everyone. Some people need to partake in medical cannabis use to treat chronic pain or other conditions.
If you are using marijuana to manage a physical or mental health condition, you need to find a sober living program that permits cannabis use. This can be difficult, especially due to the stigma that surrounds the “Cali sober” lifestyle. Thankfully, there are sober living homes out there that understand the importance of medical marijuana.
When choosing a marijuana-friendly sober living program, you should look for one that offers reasonable house rules, the level of support you need, a safe environment, and randomized drug and alcohol testing to keep you accountable. At Patrick’s Purpose, we offer these services and more. When you pick our sober living program, you can rest assured that all of your needs will be met.
In this article, you will learn:
- Is using marijuana in recovery considered harm reduction?
- What conditions can medical cannabis treat?
- How should you choose a cannabis-friendly sober living program?
Is Marijuana Use in Recovery Considered Harm Reduction?
Drug and alcohol addiction can be hard to overcome. It can be even more difficult to commit to never using a mind-altering substance again. If you are having a hard time wrapping your head around total abstinence, you might find relief in the Cali sober lifestyle.
To explain, people who are “Cali sober” avoid all substances other than weed. They will use marijuana as a form of harm reduction, claiming it helps them deal with triggers and cravings while preventing them from relapsing on other drugs.
Additionally, some people who are Cali sober use marijuana to manage conditions like chronic pain. If you are using cannabis in recovery from addiction, you are engaging in a form of harm reduction.
What Does Medical Cannabis Treat?
If you are using marijuana in recovery, it is best only to use medical cannabis. If you were to buy weed off the street, you might be purchasing it from a drug dealer who offers you other substances. This can be a slippery slope, as you’ll be tempted to abuse other drugs.
Instead, you can receive a prescription for cannabis and purchase it from a store. This protects you from being reintroduced to other drugs.
Medical cannabis patients use weed to treat the following conditions:[2]
- Chronic pain from a variety of illnesses
- Controlling nausea and vomiting from cancer treatment
- Helping a person’s appetite who is going through illnesses like HIV/AIDS, cancer, or eating disorders
- Multiple sclerosis
- Crohn disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
If you are a medical cannabis patient, you might have a hard time finding a sober living home that permits cannabis use. Thankfully, Patrick’s purpose understands the importance of making space for those in recovery who need to use weed. We allow medical marijuana use at our sober living home and even offer support groups specifically for the Cali sober lifestyle.
How to Choose a Cannabis Friendly Sober Living Home
Many sober living homes prohibit the use of marijuana. However, some allow it among individuals who have a medical cannabis card. If you use medical cannabis in recovery, you need to choose a sober living program that offers the support you need.
When choosing a weed-friendly sober living home, look for:
House Rules
While you want a sober living home that allows medical cannabis use, it also needs to have rules to keep you safe and accountable. First, it is best to choose one that prohibits recreational use while allowing medical cannabis use. This ensures that everyone is using marijuana for the right reasons.
Other rules you should look for include:
- Requirements for keeping up with house chores
- Paying rent on time
- Attending house meetings regularly
- Requiring a certain number of sober support groups per week
- Asking you to keep a job or attend school in your free time
- Having a nightly curfew to ensure safety
- Prohibiting overnight guests to keep other residents safe
Ideal Level of Support
When choosing a sober living home, you must ensure it offers the level of support you need. For those partaking in medical cannabis use specifically, you should look for a sober living home that offers medical marijuana support groups. For example, at Patrick’s Purpose, we offer Go Green meetings to ensure those engaging in the Cali sober lifestyle have a community they can rely on.
Additionally, if you need services like vocational assistance or help obtaining government assistance like food stamps, choose a sober living home that offers recovery support for those skills. Receiving help with these skills will make it easier to maintain long-term sobriety and succeed in your daily life.
Clean and Safe Environment
When recovering from a substance use disorder, you need to make sure you are living in a clean and safe environment. Being around people engaging in the use of addictive substances will only harm your progress. Additionally, if the home is disorganized and unsanitary, you might be triggered to relapse.
Regular Drug and Alcohol Testing
If you are in recovery from addiction, you know how hard it can be to keep yourself accountable. When you are using medical cannabis, you need extra support to make sure you maintain your sobriety. Because marijuana alters your cognition and state of mind, you might be tempted to abuse other drugs.
When you choose a sober living home that completes regular drug and alcohol testing, you’ll receive significant benefits. For example, you’ll be less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol because you don’t want to fail your drug test. If you are a person who likes having rules in place, randomized substance abuse testing is necessary.
Get Connected to Recovery Residences That Allow Medical Marijuana Use
If you are using marijuana to treat chronic pain or other conditions, you need to find a sober living program that allows medical cannabis use. At Patrick’s Purpose, we help our clients maintain long-term sobriety while supporting them through their Cali-sober journey. Clients can engage in support groups like Go Green Meetings, receive peer support from fellow residents, and learn important life skills in our sober home.
Contact us today for more information on our marijuana-friendly sober living program.
References:
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Highlights for the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
- Medline Plus: Medical Marijuana