THE MINDFUL BINGE

Mary Cosby Just Taught a Masterclass in Compassion

“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” isn’t typically where viewers go looking for lessons in recovery. More often, it’s known for icy confrontations, quick-witted clapbacks and the drama of friendship fallouts. But in Season 6, Episode 2, the show paused long enough to capture something rare: a mother and son in the thick of an honest, tender conversation about addiction. 

SOBER SPOTLIGHT

Sober Spotlight: Andy McMillan of Heck Brewing 

I first encountered Andy McMillan in 2022, when he was running Portland’s now-defunct pop-up bar, Suckerpunch. Now he’s the successful founder of Heck Brewing, an NA beer brand based in Portland.  

But before all that, he was an event producer. He ran a festival called XOXO. “The origin story for all of this is that we had had a dedicated nonalcoholic bar program at the festival,” Andy told me. “But then that turned into me wanting to open a bar, that then turned into me wanting to open a brewery.” 

THIRSTY FOR WONDER

For the Spiritually Starved - The Wellspring: A 12 Month Celtic Recovery Journey

There is a kind of hunger that gnaws long before we name it. It’s not in the belly but in the marrow. A hollowness that grows each time the world asks us to settle for less than truth. 

Spiritual starvation comes in many forms. It comes when we are told to sit quietly in churches that preach love but practice exclusion. It comes when wellness culture reduces our worth to green juices, vision boards and a never-ending chase for self-improvement. It comes when the deeper questions — Why am I here? What is my life for? Where do I belong? — are dismissed as inconvenient or naïve. And it comes when we are forced to walk alone, convincing ourselves that silence is safer than speaking what we know in our bones. 

SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

The Sober Scoop: The Sweet Tooth That Shows Up When the Wine Goes Away  

Early recovery has a way of rearranging cravings. You swear off wine and suddenly you’re courting cake. Alysse calls it the “ice cream era,” that stretch when a pint becomes an emotional support item and church-basement trail mix is both a sacred offering and a hazard (inspect for cat hair, just saying). Megan puts language to it: alcohol — sweetened or not — often acts like a sugar delivery system. 

#QUITLIT

#QUITLIT Book Review: “UnSweetined” by Jodie Sweetin — A Full House Star’s Sobriety Story

If you grew up in the 90s, you probably remember Stephanie Tanner’s famous line: “How rude!” Jodie Sweetin was a fan favorite on “Full House,” but behind the laughter and catchphrases, her real life was far more complicated. In her memoir “UnSweetined” (first published in 2009, later republished), Jodie shares the truth about child stardom, addiction and her long road to recovery.

#WEDORECOVER

Sober Celeb of the Week: Lana del Rey

Lana Del Rey has openly spoken about her struggle with alcohol in her teenage years—she’s said she was drinking daily, even alone, before her parents sent her to a boarding school at age 14 to “get sober.” By the time she gave her 2012 GQ interview, she claimed to have been sober for nine years. While she hasn’t always made sobriety the centerpiece of her public persona, her journey toward healing and clarity has been woven subtly into her music, lyrics and interviews.

For anyone struggling, know that help is available: 📞 1-800-662-HELP (SAMHSA Helpline).

WHAT A TRIP!

Sober in Chicago: From Gangsters and Ghosts to Mocktails and the Temperance Movement

It always pisses me off when historians blame the temperance movement for the rise of organized crime. They say that Prohibition, that thwarted effort to ban alcohol, gave the Mafia its big opportunity to shine. But I blame addiction itself, not people who fight it. 

Spending a few days in Chicago — famous for Al Capone and his gang — made me ponder this weighty historical question. I hadn’t visited since I was a teenager, which was quite a few years ago. And the older I get, the more of a nature person I am. So I was surprised how much I loved America’s third largest city. It’s a vibrant place, and I caught it in perfect September weather, the streets teeming with people out for fun. 

WALK YOUR TALK

The Substance — But Make It Gucci

Think “The Substance,” but make it Gucci. Adaptogens and conscious-bliss elixirs— surprise! — someone uses these elixirs to spike the cocktails. (Friendly reminder: drugging people without consent = not chic.) The result? A cosmic come-apart that leaves you questioning what’s real, what’s chemical, and whether the aliens foreshadowed in those subtle visuals are already among us. (I’m looking at you, 3IAtlas.)

SPEAK OUT! SPEAK LOUD!

How Our Brains Change When We Give Up Booze

When I first gave up alcohol in 1988, it was because I was a mess. I almost lost my relationship, I was getting in trouble and doing some really stupid stuff, and I eventually wanted to get pregnant and be a good mother. 

When I gave up alcohol the second time, after my relapse, I wasn’t just getting in trouble — I realized that my body and especially my brain were suffering due to my alcohol consumption. So I did some research about what actually happens to our brains when we give up booze.   

SOBER POP CULTURE

🎲 Soberopoly™: The Game of Real-Life Rewards and Sparkly Recovery Wins

Move over, Monopoly — there’s a new game in town, and it comes with rhinestones, iced coffee, and emotional intelligence.

ICYMI, I recently wrote about some upcycled Monopoly canvas wall art pieces I scored at HomeGoods (because of course I did — I can quit whiskey, but not throw pillows). While researching how many themed versions of Monopoly exist (over 3,500 in case you were wondering) — from “Star Wars” to “Golden Girls” — I had a lightbulb moment: What would a Sober Curator version look like?

THE MINDFUL BINGE

Binge-Worthy Autumn: Sober Screens for the Season

There’s something about autumn that makes the glow of a TV screen feel like a ritual. Maybe it’s the earlier sunsets, maybe it’s the comfort of a blanket and a warm mug, maybe it’s just that fall makes us crave story.

MOVIE NIGHT

Finding Humanity in the Opioid Crisis: Do No Harm and Brother on Independent Lens

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when compassion meets storytelling, PBS and Independent Lens have your answer. The two short documentaries — “Do No Harm” and “Brother” — are part of filmmaker Joanna Rudnick’s Opioid Trilogy, a hauntingly beautiful exploration of addiction, recovery and the deep humanity often lost beneath headlines and statistics.

A STOIC SOBRIETY

AA Step 10: Maintaining Sobriety and Personal Growth 

Step 10 of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) gives us a break from the grueling effort of cleaning up our past to secure our future. A huge congratulations if you just finished Step 9. I know it was no walk in the park, but it was courageous work that needed to be done. Now let’s move on to Step 10: "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it."