FROM THE DESK OF THE FOUNDER
Happy Hump Day friends,
Let's start with the plot twist. Amanda Chen got sober behind a bar, then moved to Oaxaca and built TOMONOTOMO, an agave spirit alternative made the slow way. Fire, copper, patience, zero shortcuts. Contributor Kim Parsley reviewed the Tobalá back in May and called it delicious. This week Amanda sat down with me for the podcast and told the whole story. It's a good one.
Then two books that refuse to behave. Laura Clery's What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Hotter is divorce, single motherhood, dating and staying sober when the script gets shredded. Megan A. Schikora's A Woman in Pink asks the question a lot of us dodge: when does saving someone become abandoning yourself?
And a confession for the group. Rooms full of people with serious sobriety are chain-vaping in the parking lot, and nobody says a word about it. We wrote the guide to quitting nicotine with the recovery muscles you already have. One minute at a time. You know the drill.
Events this week: sober comedy in NYC, Recovery Day at the Mariners in Seattle, a rally in San Antonio, a game show in NYC, and a sober Halloween drag show in Columbus. Who says sobriety is boring?
Now let’s get to it…
—Alysse Bryson, *AB That’s ME 💋/ Founder / Seattle, WA 🌃05.01.2006
SOBER CURATOR PODCAST
The Plot Twist: How a Sober Bartender Ended Up Behind a Copper Still in Oaxaca
Amanda Chen built TOMONOTOMO, an agave spirit made the traditional way. No shortcuts, no extracts. Fire, copper, and patience. Contributor Kim Parsley reviewed the Tobalá in Happy Every Hour back in May and it is delicious. This week, Amanda told us how she got from behind the bar to behind the still.
#QUITLIT
What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Hotter Is Funny, Fearless and Complicated
Laura Clery’s What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Hotter is a funny, vulnerable and occasionally uncomfortable account of divorce, single motherhood, dating and staying sober when life refuses to follow the script.
ADDICTION FICTION
Addiction Fiction Book Review: A Woman in Pink by Megan A. Schikora
Megan A. Schikora’s A Woman in Pink examines what happens when love, loyalty and the desire to save someone begin to look dangerously like self-abandonment.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
How to Quit Vaping When You're Already Sober (Yes, It Still Counts)
Rooms full of people with serious sobriety are chain-vaping in the parking lot, and nobody talks about it. Here's how to quit nicotine using the recovery muscles you already built, one minute at a time.
🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK
09/25 New York City (NY): No Drink Minimum Comedy | Bigvision 309 Social Club Learn more here→
09/26 Pittsburgh (PA): Creative Kaleidoscope: Sacred Stitches Learn more here→
09/26/26 San Antonio (TX): 2026 Big Texas Rally for Recovery – San Antonio Learn more here→
09/27 Seattle (WA): Recovery Day at the Mariners Learn more here→
09/28 VIRTUAL: Claude Anonymous | Weekly Monday AI Meeting for Sober Humans Who Are Sick of Feeling Behind Learn more here→
10/02 Seattle (WA): Harness New Heights: Go Over The Edge for Recovery Beyond Learn more here→
10/03 New York City (NY): Dopeycon: The Game Show Experience! Learn more here→
10/03 Columbus (OH): HAUNTING THE HOUSE DOWN II: Columbus’s Premier Sober (Halloween) Drag Show Learn more here→
See you Friday!
