The Denver Post’s John Wenzel reports on the rise of “Colorado sober,” a trend where people ditch alcohol but keep cannabis and sometimes psychedelics in the mix. In his Oct. 15, 2025 feature for The Know, Wenzel profiles users who say weed and microdosed psilocybin feel healthier than drinking, and he surveys the growing ecosystem around it, from licensed psilocybin healing centers to cannabis lounges and marketing campaigns.
Wenzel includes advocates who frame the movement as intentional consumption for wellness, not partying, and notes critics who warn that branding drugs as part of a “sober” lifestyle can mislead teens and gloss over real risks to developing brains. The piece situates the trend in a broader shift away from alcohol among younger Americans and a Colorado policy landscape that now includes legal recreational cannabis and a regulated path for supervised psilocybin services.
The Bullet Point Brief
- The term “Colorado sober” means no alcohol, but yes to cannabis and sometimes psychedelics, often in microdoses.
- Supporters tout fewer next-day effects than booze and describe plant medicines as part of a wellness routine.
- Colorado has begun licensing psilocybin healing centers; cannabis lounges and marketing lean into the trend.
- Critics argue the label “sober” is misleading and risky for youth who hear mixed messages about safety.
- The cultural shift tracks with Gen Z drinking less, but it also raises big questions about health, clarity, and community norms.
My Bottom Line
I get the libertarian shrug. You sip a bourbon. Someone else takes a toke. If no one harms anyone, fine. But step back and look at Colorado. The vibe has changed. We have normalized a chemical workaround and slapped a wellness sticker on it. “Colorado sober” reads like a permission slip written by a marketing department. It is not sobriety. It is a rebrand.
The Post’s reporting captures the pitch. Weed and mushrooms feel smoother than alcohol. People talk about microdosing and intention. They call it health, balance, exploration. Some even celebrate kicking antidepressants by leaning into psilocybin. I hear the stories. I also hear from parents, pastors, teachers, and small business owners who see a different reality. Attention spans are shorter. Anxiety is louder. Community is thinner. Faith is quieter. We are numbing, not healing.
Conservatives believe freedom works best alongside discipline. Discipline says hard things out loud. If your lifestyle requires a substance to take the edge off every day, that is not wellness. That is dependency with good PR. If your movement needs to redefine sober so it can include getting high, that is not clarity. That is drift.
Call me old fashioned, but sobriety used to mean clear eyes and a clear head. If alcohol is a problem, say no to alcohol. If pot and psychedelics are medicine, they belong in the medical lane with guardrails, not in a lifestyle trend built on vibes and ad campaigns. And please spare our kids the mixed messages. When adults brand mind-altering chemicals as part of a “sober” identity, teenagers hear harmless. The experts quoted in the story warn that young brains are still developing. They are right. Colorado already struggles with youth mental health. We do not need to blur signals.
There is also a spiritual hole we do not like to name. Colorado has more boutique belief systems than ski runs, yet God’s presence in daily life feels smaller. People are restless. Substances rush in to fill the gap. The result is a counterfeit peace that fades when the dose does. Communities that prosper do not float from high to high. They root themselves in purpose, family, faith, work, and service. That is the wellness we need.
So here is my bottom line. Adults, be free, but be honest. Do not launder intoxication through wellness jargon. Do not sell kids on the idea that mood management comes in a gummy. And do not confuse acceptance with virtue. Acceptance without standards is a slow surrender. Colorado can do better. Less self-medication. More meaning. Less marketing. More responsibility. Maybe even more churches full on Sunday and fewer lounges full on Friday. That is not judgment. That is a hand up out of a cultural rut we keep calling progress.
If you want a plan, try this. First, put youth health first with clear messaging that sober means sober. Second, keep psychedelics in tightly controlled medical settings, not lifestyle branding. Third, stop subsidizing the vibe economy with policy choices that ignore consequences. Fourth, revive the basics that actually heal hearts and neighborhoods. Family. Faith. Work. Service. Purpose. Harder? Yes. Better? Absolutely.
Source: The Denver Post
