Recovering alcoholics have the deck stacked against them on St. Patrick’s Day – a holiday associated with drinking every bit as much as Valentine’s Day is associated with love.
The awkwardness of being the only sober person at a party, feeling out of place (infinitely more so if you’re in recovery and introverted), having to answer “Why aren’t you drinking?” over and over. And then there’s the tension forced on you when someone insists with, “C’mon! It’s St. Patrick’s Day!” and pushes the issue with “Just one drink, that’s all.” As if it were that easy.
If you’re in recovery, you’ve been there. You get it. It sucks.
One option is to steer clear of St. Patrick’s Day parties altogether – and if you need that, honor that need, and do so. However, if that leaves you feeling deprived (a potential relapse trigger), or if you can’t get out of having to attend a party that day, or if anything at all makes sobriety slippery for you on that day, there’s an alternative to drinking that’s both St. Paddy’s friendly and sobriety friendly: cannabis.
Whether you’re “California sober” (more on that later) or traditionally sober (i.e., 100% abstinent), you have numerous cannabis options. Don’t believe it? Well, this article’s author is a traditionally sober recovering alcoholic who can vouch for it. Although tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the cannabinoid most associated with cannabis, it’s far from the only thing that comes from cannabis that can loosen you up in social settings.
So, after consulting your physician – and your sponsor, if you’ve got one – consider the following cannabis and cannabis-derived alternatives to booze. It’s time for recovering alcoholics to reclaim St. Patrick’s Day as a holiday to be celebrated instead of dreaded!
Cannabis wasn’t always synonymous with weed; it used to be a wholesome, all-American household item. What changed? Read our historical analysis in When Did Cannabis Become the Bad Guy?.
California Sober vs. Traditionally Sober
Being California sober is also known as being semi-sober. Traditionally, being sober requires refraining from consuming any mind-altering substances that cause impairment. Differing from that, being California sober requires refraining from consuming only the mind-altering substances that you, as an individual, can’t consume in moderation; the others are permitted.
For instance, someone who can’t consume alcohol without drinking to the point of drunkenness, but who can maintain control of their decisions while high on THC, might refuse alcohol but accept marijuana. Similarly, someone who’s in recovery from an opiate addiction, and who can stop drinking after one beer, might choose to drink moderately but abstain from taking any prescription pain medications. It’s really up to the person. The idea is to practice selective abstinence in alignment with self-knowledge and self-trust concerning vulnerabilities to self-destructive compulsive behavior.
Did you know that a person’s likelihood of developing an addiction is governed at least 50% by genetics? Learn more about what addiction is and what causes it in “Pot, Booze, Cigs, Sugar, Caffeine … Most Addictive? It Depends” /Image Credit : Dmitry Tishchenko/123RF.com
To be clear, Head Magazine is not championing one approach to sobriety over another. Rather, we appreciate that different people have different needs, and that cannabis can meet those needs. Our bodies are actually biologically structured to process cannabis. Every human has an endocannabinoid system, just like we have a respiratory system, muscular system and other systems. This system is designed specifically for cannabinoids. That’s what makes cannabis so uniquely versatile when it comes to someone’s consumption of it.
Even though cannabis is called a “drug” while it’s actually a plant, it’s received naturally in our bodies through a system biologically present specifically to work with that plant’s properties. Learn more in “Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Endocannabinoids.”/Photo by Juan Miguel Restrepo Barrera/pexels.com
Repeating what’s in the introduction, this article’s author is a traditionally sober recovering alcoholic. The author consumes hemp oil gummies and a cannabidiol (CBD)/cannabinol (CBN) tincture to treat insomnia and epileptic seizures, and has maintained strict sobriety since Jan. 20, 2018. So, you can trust that the information presented in this article very mindfully strikes a balance between the two takes on sobriety, advocating neither while supporting both.
St. Paddy’s Cannabis Options for the Traditionally Sober Recovering Alcoholic
If you don’t partake in any mind-altering substance and you want to be inconspicuous at a St. Patrick’s Day event where you’re surrounded by drinking, here are some ways to blend in – and have a good time! Of course, if you want to kick back at home to avoid triggers (totally understandable, by the way), but you still want to make the day different in its own way, you can enjoy these options too.
(Head Magazine does not receive any kickbacks for recommending these products; nor do we receive anything if our readers purchase them.)
CBD-Infused Sparkling Water
Add some class to the beverage table with fancy club soda that has stress-reducing CBD in it. For a St. Patrick’s Day party, get the green cans with the lemon lime flavor sold by Daytrip.
CBD-Infused St. Paddy’s Milkshake
Something festive and alcohol free but relaxing and fun is the CBD-infused shamrock milkshake. You can either round up a dozen milkshakes from the local drive thru or make your own at the party using the “copycat” recipe from Maintitlement. Then, just add primo THC-free CBD oils that treat stress and promote wellness. Medical News Today recommends:
- Bluebird Botanicals THC-Free CBD Oil
- CBDistillery ahhh distilled THC-Free CBD Oil, 1,000 mg
- Extract Labs CBD Isolate Oil Daily Support
- Joy Organics Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil, Unflavored
- Lazarus Naturals THC Free Isolate Tincture
- Medterra Daily Relief CBD Oil
Photo by Roman Odintsov/ pexels.com
Low-THC Cannabis Strains
If smoking/vaping is your thing, you can do that without getting high too. You just need to choose a cannabis strain that has negligibly low THC, with a large CBD percentage.
Rose Collective recommends the following:
- ACDC
- Charlotte’s Web
- Pennywise
- Remedy
- Ringo’s Gift
- Sour Space Candy
- Sour Tsunami
Royal Queen Seeds recommends the following:
- Purplematic CBD
- Royal CBG Automatic
- Solomatic CBD
- Stress Killer Automatic
- Tatanka Pure CBD
Photo by Vibe By California/.pexels.com
St. Paddy’s Cannabis Options for the California Sober Recovering Alcoholic
If you don’t drink and are physician-approved (and sponsor-approved, if applicable) to get high, here are some ways to wear, eat and drink green on St. Patrick’s Day.
Beverages for the High Council
The options abound for cannabis drinks!
- Cann Social Tonics
- Flora Hemp Spirits
- Little Strong Drink
- Psychedelic Water
- ReCreate
- Cann
- Cantrip
- Dixie
- Evergreen Herbal
- Everie
- Hi5
- House of Saka
- Houseplant
- Keef
- Levia
- Magic Number
- Mellow Vibes
- Mighty Kind
- Mollo by Truss Beverage Co.
- Ray’s Lemonade
- SIP Elixirs
- Tonik
- Wellspring Field’s
- Wynk 😉
Didn’t know you could drink weed? There’s so much you need to catch up on! We’ve got you covered in “Raise Your Glass High: The Future of THC Beverages.”/Photo by Justin Aikin on Unsplash
Homemade Desserts
If you’re going to a private party and can bring your own snacks, why not bring enough to share with everyone? Use these simple recipes from The Mercury News for cannabis-infused Irish cream, cannabis guacamole (not Irish, true, but it’s green) and cannabis mint chocolate brownies.
Photo credit: Steph Laing, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cannabis Strains with High THC Concentrations
For St. Patrick’s Day in particular, Leafly recommends the following strains:
- Acapulco Gold
- Afternoon Delight #44
- Bellini vape
- Crumbled Lime
- Gold Ca$h Gold
- Koala Crack
- Northern Fire
- Onion Ring
- Pac-Man
- Pot Roast
- Rainbow Driver
- Sour Diesel
- Zealousy
- Zeclair Breeding project
Photo by RDNE Stock project:/.pexels.com
Conclusion
Drinking has taken the fun out of St. Patrick’s Day for recovering alcoholics for far too long. Let’s take back the celebration and let the good times roll with the right cannabis product for your sobriety journey – one day at a time.
The information in this article and any included images are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations or your health, you should always consult an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.
Kathleen Hearons is a writer, editor, linguist and voice over actor from Los Angeles. She specializes in creative writing and research-intensive analysis and reporting.
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