OC239 Jake Yoder on California Sober, Recovery, and Natural Highs

Today my guest is Jake Yoder, and we are discussing the fairly controversial topic of marijuana and recovery. Jake shares his experience with it, why he decided to stop and how he did it. We also talk about a spiritual experience he had, harm reduction, and how to have a natural high.   This topic is a particularly complex one. In 12-step programs, there is a heavy focus on counting "sober time" and a lot of talk about complete abstinence over everything. What sober means and what "everything" includes is debatable. However, I do want to point out that the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" is specifically focused on alcohol. There is another program called Marijuana Anonymous that is focused on marijuana. At the end of the day, you need to decide what's right for you.   For the record, I am clear that I do not know what's right for anyone else. I do believe in harm reduction, which is what I practiced when I stopped drinking, but I also know that using marajuana can be a slippery slope for people with addiction and dependency issues. There are medicinal benefits however for a certain group of people, it becomes another substance that is used to manage emotions in an unhealthy way. For me personally it was another way to numb out and it was stunting my healing because I have learned that I have to feel it to heal it.   There was a lot to say about this topic and I feel like we left out a few very key components to this discussion, but that leaves room for you to make your voice heard! If you have any thoughts to share on this topic, please leave a comment on the Facebook page, shoot me a DM on IG @arlinaallen or @odaatpodcast and I'll address them in a following episode.    As always, I would like to thank you for supporting the podcast with reviews on Apple, donations made through odaatchat.com to cover production costs and by sharing the episodes with your friends. Unity is a foundation principle to community and together we help alleviate the suffering of others. So with that, please enjoy this episode, with Jake!   Connect with Jake! Visit Website: https://www.naturalhighsrecovery.org/ Follow on Instagram @naturalhighsrecovery Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturalhighscommunity/ Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg     Lightning Round Answers:  Book recommendation:  Favorite Quote:  Self Care Practice: What I wish I knew:  Subscribe So You Don't Miss New Episodes!   Listen On:   https://apple.co/30g6ALF   https://odaatchat.libsyn.com/spotify   https://bit.ly/3n0taNQ     Watch Full Episodes!   https://bit.ly/2UpR5Lo