April Pride: This podcast discusses cannabis, and is intended for audiences 21 and over.

April Pride: A lot of people when they get to their 30s or even sooner, start to notice that hangovers are not pleasant, and going to bars isn’t always pleasant. People are questioning whether it’s time to move away from that in their own lives, and to find something that works better for them that might even address some of the other issues that they’re having in their lives, like sleep problems, or anxiety, chronic pain, any number of things.

April Pride: Welcome back to How to Do the Pot. I’m April Pride, and I do the pot. This is the audio newsletter. if you’d rather read it, visit dothepot.com to subscribe to the email newsletter. You’ll see we have a new website with tons of information about all the weed questions women are asking, or maybe secretly asking or Googling. And if you like How to Do the Pot, please share it with someone, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps more people find our show.

April Pride: Have you seen the memes, or as my kids tell me, I have to call them the jokes, about passing the baton from your caffeine to your alcohol on the daily? We may not want to change our habits today or tomorrow, and probably not even next month, when the time comes to reduce our drink while maintaining our head, we have a term to describe a life with minimal alcohol and bearing amounts of cannabis: California sober. If your nights and mornings could use a little less booze, listen to our mini episode on California sober with journalist Katie Heaney from The Cut.

Katie Heaney: Most people don’t find that alcohol contributes to quality sleep. Certainly, some people use it in the very, very short term to get to sleep, but there’s strong evidence to suggest that it disrupts sleep, prevents people from sleeping in or sleeping continuously, and cannabis is an alternative that has been found to be successful or helpful to people dealing with insomnia or nightmares.

April Pride: And here’s our high five. As more states legalize, women are dropping alcohol in favor of cannabis. Why are women adopting the growing trend of being Cali sober? Number one: community. Create new ways and find existing ways to be social, sans alcohol. Number two: lifestyle. Discover ways to relax that are more sustainable. Number three: alcohol alternative. Less calories and fewer hangovers. I live in Washington State, I live in Seattle, and these are the brands that I would recommend: tincture from Fairwinds, a beverage from Mirth Provisions, and edibles from Pioneer Squares. Number four: reduced medications. Fewer side effects and real relief. Number five: sleep. Better quality sleep, and more rest without pills. We love Juna’s Nightcap, which ships nationwide with the promo code DOTHEPOT, for 20% off, and that is valid, including today.

April Pride: In every newsletter, we offer three cannabis strains we think you’ll like. This week. For smiles and tons of laughing, yup, there is a giggly pot, I’d recommend Rainbow Kush. It has a mild body high, focused mind, low THC for daytime use, and it helps to treat anxiety, stress, and depression. If you want to settle into a movie, again, Grand Daddy Purp. You have a relaxed body, it meets your dreamy mind, it’s great for nighttime use. Yes, I think we talked about this in our previous audio newsletter, definitely couch lock, and less is more. The best strain while being virtually social, ACDC. It’s a 1:20 THC to CBD ratio, which means it really induces no psychoactive effects. I often recommend it for people who claim they have social anxiety and need to have that first drink, just to get themselves into the crowd. It’s kind of like having, I say, a glass of champagne as you enter the party.

April Pride: Here are three podcasts that Ellen and I love, and want to share with you. Women belong in the House. The more I learn, the more I know that we cannot just say we hate politics, and all politicians suck. You’ve got to get involved. So Jenny Kaplan is the host of this podcast. They discuss societal challenges that have kept women from participating in politics in mass, and the impact it’s had on policy. Politics is not really a normal topic for me, but I’m trying. Ellen loves Recording Artists, from The Getty. Host Helen Molesworth asks, “What does it mean to be a woman, and an artist, and a partner, and a mother?” She explores the lives of six women artists, Alice Neel, Lee Krasner, Betye Saar, Helen Frankenthaler, Yoko Ono, and Eva Hesse. And if you’d like another podcast on weed, might we recommend Casually Baked, with host Johanna Nuding. It’s an insightful take on the California sober lifestyle.

April Pride: Thank you for listening to this audio newsletter and thanks to our brand partner, Juna. You’ll get 20% off Juna’s CBD products at juna-world.com with the promo code DOTHEPOT. Don’t forget to check out our new website, because I spent a lot of time designing it. I really appreciate it. It’s dothepot.com, and you’ll check out more tips, it’s where you can find past episodes of the podcast. You can also find us on Instagram @dothepot, and you can follow me @aprilpride. Thanks to my co-founder, Ellen Scanlon, Madi Fair, our marketing manager, and our producer, Nick Patri. I’m April Pride, and we’ll be back soon with more of How to Do the Pot.