Ernesto Londono
The New York Times
Originally posted 4 Feb 24
Here are two excerpts:
Notions of what constitutes sobriety and problematic substance use have grown more flexible in recent years as younger Americans have shunned alcohol in increasing numbers while embracing cannabis and psychedelics - a phenomenon that alarms some addiction experts.
Not long ago, sobriety was broadly understood to mean abstaining from all intoxicating substances, and the term was often associated with people who had overcome severe forms of addiction. These days, it is used more expansively, including by people who have quit drinking alcohol but consume what they deem moderate amounts of other substances, including marijuana and mushrooms.
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As some drugs come to be viewed as wellness boosters by those who use them, adherence to the full abstinence model favored by organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous is shifting. Some people call themselves "California sober," a term popularized in a 2021 song by the pop star Demi Lovato, who later disavowed the idea, saying on social media that "sober sober is the only way to be."
Approaches that might have once seemed ludicrous-like treating opioid addiction with psychedelics - have gained broader enthusiasm among doctors as drug overdoses kill tens of thousands of Americans each year.
"The abstinence-only model is very restrictive," said Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital who specializes in medical cannabis and is a recovering opioid addict. "We really have to meet people where they are and have a broader recovery tent."
It is impossible to know how many Americans consider themselves part of an increasingly malleable concept of sobriety, but there are indications of shifting views of acceptable substance use. Since 2000, alcohol use among younger Americans has declined significantly, according to a Gallup poll.
At the same time, the use of cannabis and psychedelics has risen as state laws and attitudes grow more permissive, even as both remain illegal under federal law.
A survey found that 44 percent of adults aged 19 to 30 said in 2022 that they had used cannabis in the past year, a record high. That year, 8 percent of adults in the same age range said they had used psychedelics, an increase from the 3 percent a decade earlier.
