A bi-weekly creative practice for sober and sober-curious women exploring identity, creativity, and life after alcohol. No art skills required.

Comprised of frontman Jason Williamson, with his modern mod haircut and thick East Midlands accent, and Andrew Fearn, the unassuming keeper of the lo-fi laptop beats, Sleaford Mods first gained serious traction here around 2014, even though the lyrical content was steeped in disgust over the UK’s austerity program, the government’s attempt to cut spending and public services after the country spiraled into massive debt.

You know exactly how the old script went. Friday hit, someone said “happy hour,” and suddenly it was 2 a.m., your phone was on 7 percent, and your dignity was on 0. The bar tab felt like a crime scene. The next morning, your only souvenir was anxiety and a blurry montage of choices you didn’t actually choose.

Now you’re sober, or sober-curious, and Friday still shows up demanding a storyline. Your social muscle memory yells shots, but your nervous system is quietly begging, please no. You’re not boring. You’re just in between scripts. The old one doesn’t fit, and the new one is still in drafts.

These 26 Gen-X movies are more than nostalgic comfort watches. From Groundhog Day and The Breakfast Club to Clueless and The Truman Show, these iconic ’80s and ’90s films offer fresh lessons about sobriety, reinvention, second chances, and sober comebacks.

Sober Spoon is a restaurant review platform built specifically for people who don’t drink. Or don’t drink caffeine. Or just don’t want to be hassled about either one when they’re trying to enjoy a Tuesday night dinner.

The premise is simple. Diners submit honest reviews highlighting restaurants that nail the sober experience. Mocktails that don’t taste like a sticky Sprite. Servers who don’t blink when you skip the wine pairing. Decaf options that aren’t an afterthought poured from a pot that’s been sitting since the lunch rush.

Honestly, I think we are entering what could become Analog Summer.

Not because people suddenly want to churn butter or live without WiFi. The longing feels more specific than that. People seem exhausted by how performative life has become. Exhausted by constant documentation. Exhausted by algorithmic living. Exhausted by the feeling that every experience asks to become content.

I finally watched F1 on the flight home from Nashville. My friend and fellow Sober Curator Contributor Amy Liz Harrison had just finished a whirlwind weekend at Dollywood celebrating our annual soberthdays. She was sitting right next to me on the plane, typing like a maniac (and chuckling to herself), writing up our trip recap for The Sober Curator, when I put it on.

About twenty minutes in, I turned to her and said: “He looks good.” (Imagine the word good, but with like 10 o's. = Gooooooooood)

Not in a tabloid way. Not in a “has he had work done” way. In a clear-eyed, genuinely present, something-shifted way. The kind of good that reads differently once you know what you’re looking at.

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

The DJ booth is tucked between the espresso machine and the pastry case. It's 10 AM on a Saturday, and house music pulses through the small coffee shop in LA's Echo Park. People are dancing—actually dancing—holding lattes instead of cocktails, wide awake instead of three drinks in. Someone's wearing pajama pants. A couple is doing a synchronized shimmy near the milk bar. The barista is head-bobbing while steaming milk.

This isn't a club. This isn't even nighttime. And yet, this is where community is being built in 2026.

The final whistle blows.
The crowd begins to leave.
Teammates pull off their pads.
The locker room slowly empties.

At some point, every athlete experiences a moment few people are prepared for.

The jersey comes off.

And the question hits harder than any lift in the gym.

Who am I now?

In the second installment of The Alignment, Daniel G. Garza explores the Root Chakra as the foundation of safety, stability, trust, and recovery. Learn how grounding practices can help you return to your body, your breath, and the present moment.

There is a specific kind of comfort that comes from finding out an actor you love has been sober since 1998. It is not exactly a “we did it Joe” moment, but it is close. You are watching them at Cannes, at the Met Gala, at the Oscars after-party, and you know they are not nursing a vodka soda for show. They are just there.

This list exists for that exact feeling.