Trigger warning: Substance abuse, addiction
Hi, I’m Jay and I’m an alcoholic. I don’t attend meetings. I don’t believe in giving control over myself to an unknown higher power. Not to say that the traditional approach to sobriety is flawed, but it just doesn’t fit my vibe. I also don’t view myself as ‘sober.’ I ingest mood-altering substances like tetrahydrocannabinol, psilocybin, and caffeine. There’s also a list of mood-altering substances that I choose not to ingest, including methamphetamines, crack, opiates, and - as of April 25th of 2023 - alcohol. I haven’t been perfect, but I made the choice.
I don’t hate booze. Actually I like it a lot. Way too much. It was a major part of my life for over a decade. In my 20s, I traveled all over the United States and to over a dozen countries with a fraternity of other seemingly invincible young men and women in the Marine Corps. We were totally committed to mission accomplishment on the clock and partying off of it. I was stationed in a small desert town in Arizona that had a nightlife way more vibrant than its population density should support. Thank the Marines. We had a 5-night-a-week schedule: Toppers Tuesday, Crazy Earl’s on Wednesday, Jimmie Dee's Thursday, Ron’s Place Friday and Saturday (with the dope ass taco truck parked right out front). Mix in Top of the Kress, Platinum’s coin night, and Red’s Birdcage at times, too. If that wasn’t enough, Uncle Sam saw fit to send us on all-expense-paid trips to awesome cities for air shows or cross country training flights. The only expense we bore was the bar tab and maybe a meal or two while courting a fun local for the night. It was a wild decade, THC was not an option, and the culture vehemently supported reckless binge drinking - whether the upper echelons of the Marine Corps wishes to recognize it or not. There were rampant DUI’s, domestic violence, drunk-on-duty issues, overweight issues, alcohol poisoning, horrific accidental injuries, you name it. Looking back, I wonder how much more combat effective we would've been as a fighting force if THC use was embraced rather than pilloried and the culture surrounding alcohol misuse was less acceptable. Also - how much money did I spend during those years to have temporary fun? Incredible.
Fast forward to my life after the Marine Corps. I’ve been able to use THC and other substances without fear of the UCMJ but the habit of alcohol abuse persisted. I escaped major alcohol-related trouble while on active duty but afterward I collected a DUI of my own, I wasn’t the father of the year, and the hangovers started getting worse and making me incredibly lazy. It stopped being fun. But I still crave the social aspect that adults in our society have centered around drinking. I enjoy going out, dancing, generally acting a fool. My favorite spots to go to are the grimiest, most ratchet locales and to soak it all in. I also at times crave a drink at the end of a particularly tiring or stressful day. Luckily, I’ve fully Embraced Nature and have options that didn’t exist just a few years ago.
There are so many delivery methods for THC and psilocybin. We could do an entire blog series by highlighting each one. But if you’re here, you probably already know your preferred delivery method. I’m old skool. I like to smoke flower out of a pipe or roll J’s. But those methods aren’t great analogues for alcohol and its associated social aspects. Instead, I want to discuss options like nanoemulsified additives, hemp-infused ready-made drinks, and mocktails.
Oil-based THC tinctures have been around for quite some time. Whether taken sublingually or infused into edibles, they are a traditional alternative to smoking cannabis. Unfortunately, these fat-based oils take one to two hours to be processed through the liver and do not mix well with beverages. Remember, oil sits atop water instead of mixing with it. I’ve tried to make drinks with it and always wind up with an uneasy film feeling on my lips and in my mouth. Not a great solution. Enter nanoemulsification. Cannabis manufacturers now have the technology to create flavored, water-soluble THC drops that mix extremely well with juice, NA beer, mocktails, or even simply water and only take about 20 minutes to hit. My personal favorite is the Select Squeeze line produced by Curaleaf. The bottles make dosing 5mg of THC at a time super easy. Here are some of my favorite drinks:
- Pink Tampico, Orange Juice, 10mg of Strawberry Lemonade Squeeze
- Corona NA and 5mg of Lime Squeeze
- Spiritless Old Fashioned with 10mg of Hint of Sweet Squeeze
- Publix Sweet Tea with 10mg of Peach Tea Squeeze
- For a day at the beach, pool, or waterpark - 20mg of any Squeeze Flavor into a full water bottle. Pack a couple and get right all day.
Virgin mocktails are becoming more and more popular. I believe as more people Embrace Nature, more have decided that alcohol is a mood-altering substance they do not wish to ingest. It’s amazing and I love the direction we’re headed. Nanoemulsified THC drops are a must for me on a night out. I can order a mocktail (some purposely taste like booze, some do not) and mix in my own additive, and then just like a hard drink, I start to feel different after 15-30 minutes. I used to like drinking beer but lets face it - just about every juice tastes better than just about every beer. I don’t feel like I’m missing out there.
After the Farm Bill passed in 2018, entrepreneurs have been able to produce and market substances that are derived from the hemp plant and contain either Delta-8 or Delta-9 THC. We won’t dive too deep into the differences between the two here; however, I personally feel the perfectly legal (depending on state) hemp-derived Delta-9 THC has the same mood-altering feelings as any other strain you can buy from your local dispo. There’s an entire industry built around these derivatives and they’ve opened the door for a lot of creative minds to create amazing products. I even have a friend that produces THC cotton candy, lemonade, and beef jerky (shout out to Florida Boys Company)!
Here in the Tampa Bay area, we have several new infused bars that have opened and only serve THC and/or CBD-infused drinks. You can belly right up to the bar, order a drink, mingle with friends, catch a buzz, and drink zero booze. It really is a great alternative for a Calisober social life. Further, these bars have popped up in great locations in areas that are peppered with traditional bars and nightclubs. They typically offer both ready-made packaged beverages as well as bar-mixed beverages with personalized levels of THC, frozen mocktails, and shroom-infused products. I think these spots will improve more and more as time progresses and they become more popular. Hell, maybe we’ll open up a Stoned Earth location one day.
I’ve struggled with alcohol abuse for a long, long time. I’ve made terrible choices. I don’t have those issues with nature. Every day I recommit to not only Embracing the Power of Nature but also helping others in their own journeys. We want to advocate for the positive change we’re seeing around us - we want a Stoned Earth.