A follower shared her perspective. Wanted to share and hear your thoughts..
Spill It to BravoandCocktails.com:
I would like to stay anonymous please
I wanted to give my two cents. Maybe warranted maybe not.
I’ve been in AA for 25 years. I’ve worked in recovery for substance abuse for 18 years.
California sober is a myth.
Smoking weed, drinking alcohol, its all considered the same. Quitting your chosen vices is a HUGE feat that should be celebrated. However, if you are still using other substances, legal or not, that isn’t living a truly sober lifestyle.
Addiction is a gateway. Often one will be replaced by another and all have a negative impact on someone with an addictive personality.
I just wanted to give my input after watching Summer House.
Carl is sober from his vices. But he is not sober.
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I’m “cali sober” and disagree that one vice is a gateway to another… we could ask this person if they shop too much or eat too much ice cream too. We all have things that give us dopamine hits, doesn’t mean everything is a slippery slope to destructive behaviour. Carl is doing incredibly well and should be so proud of himself for getting off the ❄️ and booze – especially living the life he lives.
Amen @kimberley
What Kimberley above said! But also, perhaps Lindsey has a drinking problem if her personality changes every time she drinks.
Love when sober people try to make everyone fit their version of sober 🫠
I agree. Great that Carl is off the hard stuff but unrealistic to think that smoking weed counts as sober.
Disagree with this 100%
Never seen someone be high on weed & angry – like an angry drunk.
I don’t get the weed-warriors and everyone that holds it to a higher standard than drinking. You may not get “angry” smoking weed, but many abuse it the same way some abuse alcohol. Just as with alcohol, I wouldn’t want someone smoking and driving or even watching my children. I realize not everyone is the same, but I say that from experience with my ex.
Here’s the thing. It’s his choice and being sober from your vices after being out control while on them is preferable I would think. Carl seems quite aware enough that he may recognize if/when smoking weed or consuming a THC product becomes a vice for him. Again it is his choice and I think we can all agree him not on his vices and smoking weed is the better (maybe not best) situation.
I feel she is more upset with the hypocrisy from him. She’s a “bad drunk” but yet he’s claiming to be “sober” and use his platform to help others get clean while he in fact is not sober. Sober from his past drug choice-yes. But not completely sober. So for him to call her out on her drinking (which she’s does since day 1) seems a bit hypocritical to me. Changing your drug choice doesn’t make you sober and I don’t believe he should be educating sobriety unless he’s 100% clean from everything. Which he’s admitted he isn’t. Just bc weed may not be a gateway drug to him doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be to another potential person he’s helping.
Not an addict, but disagree. Where does it stop? Is caffeine considered a dangerous substance that sober people should steer clear of. I have family in a 12-step program and understand this is the official stance BUT feel like weed is a gray area now that there are so many genuine medical uses for it. I dunno. I’m on the fence on this one.
I fully agree that Carl has the right to make his own choices, and it’s important that we respect that. The aim of the original post is to raise awareness, especially for those who may be struggling with alcohol or drug addiction. It’s crucial to acknowledge that sobriety cannot be achieved while still using other drugs, particularly for individuals dealing with addiction. This is intended to provide support and guidance to anyone who may be feeling confused or misguided about sobriety and substance use because they see people on TV like Carl claiming they are sober.
What @kimberly said 100000%
What people forget is you become a dry drunk and are very angry and moody for a long time if not forever. So I know everyone wants to hate on Lindsay but I promise you she’s not lying. I’m sure he has been mean and angry a lot. It’s very hard to live with. The reality is he needed to be with someone who doesn’t drink. When my step dad quit drinking, my mom didn’t drink for a decade. Lindsay thought it was ok for her because he said it was, but it’s not. You can completely tell he has zero tolerance with her drinking. I do agree that you are not sober if you are smoking pot. I don’t have a problem with it. But it’s still a drug even if it’s legal and he has issues with every drug he listed a zillion on WWHL
Only Carl can decide if he’s sober or not. It is incredibly disappointing to see someone who is in recovery and who works in the recovery field question anyone else’s sobriety. It’s a very personal decision to live your life one day at a time. Carl doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. Carl just has to wake up every day and decide he will not drink.
She has serious abandonment issues because of her mother. My friend’s ex is the same way-they are still friends-my friend will say she’s going to do something with her son or a different friend and the ex says “ you were supposed to see me” or “you abandoned me on Christmas (when my friend went to visit her daughter and the ex was working most of the day and they didn’t have plans).The ex distorts situations exactly like Lindsay did. Regardless of the sober or not sober issues, it’s very clear that Carl was not saying anything negative to her.
Cigarettes, sugar…all addictive substances and notorious vices for recovering alcoholic – so much so it’s a joke among them (my mom has been sober 27 years). It is wrong to say that for everyone weed is a gateway because you wouldn’t say the same thing about nicotine. This is the OPs personal opinion – it is not the “word” of AA.
This is just not accurate. Some people who struggle with addiction fall into unhealthy habits no matter the substance, sure, but to say it’s the case for everyone is a generalization no one should be making. So many people struggling with SUDs are put off by 12 step programs because of the abstinence only aspect. Basically this is a nuanced topic but many people who struggle with addiction to a particular substance can, in fact, live a healthy lifestyle in which they are not totally sober. Totally sober is a pretty stupid standard, at any rate. You don’t have to be proudly caffeine free and cigarettes are way worse for you than a little weed or a glass of wine here and there. I work in the field and one of my closest friends is a former heroin addict who now is the GM of a wine bar, drinks in moderation, and smokes weed regularly. I know for a lot of people, especially in the traditional 12 step recovery world, all the gray areas I’m talking about don’t make sense but it’s just not at all a black and white thing. Nuance, nuance, nuance.
This take is so tired and has been disproven. Every person’s addiction journey is different and you can’t hold people to your standards of sobriety. Nothing in life is black and white and we need to stop trying to fit everything into all or nothing mindsets. That’s just not real life.
If he was on an antidepressant or antianxiety that would be ok and he would be sober. Weed is the same thing for many people. Who is anyone here to judge. Carl is thriving and doing so much good.
People still defending lindsay
Not everyone’s recovery is going to look the exact same. Most people in AA believe that unless you follow the exact 12 steps, you cannot maintain a sober lifestyle. I don’t consider myself sober, but I do say that I don’t drink because it’s extremely rare and when I do it’s very little. I live in a state where it’s considered weird or frowned upon to not drink…it’s the social culture. I 100% had a drinking/drug problem, and my dad was an alcoholic. Now I just smoke weed. It’s therapeutic. I’m not affected at all like I am with alcohol. I can drive, work, etc. just fine. It’s completely different and you can’t really compare them. Weed isn’t for everyone; not everyone reacts the same but if it’s works for someone – who cares. You cannot become physically addicted to weed the way you can with alcohol or drugs. Seizures are extremely common when withdrawing from alcohol. People have to stop acting like weed is a drug. It’s a plant not a manufactured drug. I’d rather smoke weed or take an edible than my $2 Xanax prescription. Most people I know do it occasionally, even the older generation.
My friend almost died because she was hit by a car and the driver was high on weed. If you are stoned toy are NOT sober. Stay home and fucking realize that you are not sober. Looks like this comment section loves their weed but doesn’t like a thought that they may be addicted to it.