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FROM THE DESK OF THE FOUNDER
Hi friend,
Every October, half the internet finds out what it feels like to hold a club soda at a party while someone named Brad explains his bourbon collection.
Welcome. The wifi is great here.
Contributors Kim Parsley and Justin Lamb have been standing at that party for years. They review every NA drink on this site. Justin has put more than a 150 NA beers through his liver’s retirement plan. Kim has a side hustle restoring vintage travel bars, which is the most on-brand thing I have ever typed.
This week they sat down for a Sober October episode that goes somewhere most “what to drink” lists refuse to: the breweries that launched loud and quietly disappeared, why Sober October works as a gateway drug, and what deserves a spot in your fridge this fall.
Watch it, listen to it, or read it. Then tell me your go-to fall NA pour. I am building a list and I want receipts.
Speaking of confessions: Hi, I’m Alysse, and I’m a Claudeaholic.
That is the opening line of Claude Anonymous, the sober AI meeting we held BACKSTAGE, and I said the rest of it on tape. The real gift of AI is not the output. It’s that the excuses got out of the way. The blank page. The eight years of “I’ll start next week.”
If you’ve wondered what kind of conversations happen behind the BACKSTAGE door, this is nine minutes of clips and your best glimpse yet. Yes, six hours of footage got cut down using AI. Come to the next meeting and we’ll show you how.
Also: there are ten days left in Sober October and the event calendar is stacked. Dolly-themed dance party in Manhattan. Chili cook-off in Garden Grove. The Offspring playing a recovery benefit at The Wiltern. A Halloween cruise to the Bahamas with 25 years of sober people who know how to do a costume contest.
You have no excuse to spend Halloween home alone with the candy bowl. Unless that’s the plan, in which case, respect. And if you decide to spend it home in bed, I’ve also thrown in a review of Silvery Restcool sheets that I now can’t live without.
Now let’s get to it…
—Alysse Bryson, *AB That’s ME 💋/ Founder / Seattle, WA 🌃05.01.2006
SOBER CURATOR PODCAST
Sober October Sips: What to Pour This Fall, According to the Two People Who Actually Know
🎧 Every October, half the internet learns what it's like to hold a club soda at a party. Contributor Kim Parsley and Senior Contributor Justin Lamb have been doing this for years, and they review every NA drink on this site. Sober October as a gateway drug, the breweries that didn't make it, and what to pour this fall. Read it, watch it, or listen to it and then let us know, what is your go-to NA drink for fall?
#ADDTOCART
Silvery Restcool Review: The Most Giftable Cooling Sheets I’ve Ever Tried (Mic Off, Verdict On)
Silvery gifted me their Restcool silver-infused cooling sheets. I unboxed them in 4K with the mic off, then walked them down the hall to my parents. Here’s what two people in their 80s had to say, plus the 100-night trial fine print.
BACKSTAGE WITH THE SOBER CURATOR
Hi, I’m Alysse, and I’m a Claudeaholic: Inside Claude Anonymous, the Sober AI Meeting at BACKSTAGE
That’s the real gift of AI, and I said so on tape: it’s not the output. It’s that the excuses got out of the way. The blank page. The eight years of “I’ll start next week.” If you’ve been curious what kind of conversations we’ve been having BACKSTAGE, this is your chance to get a glimpse of nine minutes of entertaining clips. And yes, the six hours of footage was edited using AI. Come to the meeting and we’ll show you how.
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🎃 Sober October Is Not Over. It Is Peaking.
Fifteen events, seven cities, one cruise ship, ten days. Pulled straight from the Sobriety in the City calendar.
NEW YORK + BOSTON
Thu, Oct. 22 | Befriend Your Scaries: An Exploratorium of Emotions | Sprout Society, Brooklyn | 6 to 9 p.m. ET | Halloween feelings workshop, cozy and weird in the best way
Fri, Oct. 23 | Sprout n’ Tell Showcase | Sprout Society, Brooklyn | 7 to 10 p.m. ET | Live music and storytelling in Bushwick
Wed, Oct. 28 | NYC Soberversary Celebration | No More Cafe, East Village | Bar Nun throws the anniversary party your group chat forgot to plan
Wed, Oct. 28 | Spooky Sips: Halloween Garnish Workshop | Boston Public Market | 6 to 7:30 p.m. ET | Ellevate teaches you to garnish like a Bravo bartender
Fri, Oct. 30 | No Drink Minimum Comedy | BigVision 309 Social Club, Midtown | 7:30 p.m. ET
Fri, Oct. 30 | HALLOQUEEN Dance Party | Gay & Sober at The Manhattan Mirage | 9 p.m. ET | Theme: a tribute to Dolly. $15 presale, $20 door. Go as Jolene.
Sat, Oct. 31 | Get Spooked with Society Sobriety | 8 p.m. ET | DJ, treats, costume energy
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (Saturday, Oct. 24 is a full circuit)
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Octsoberfest 2026 | Kiwanis Land Park, Garden Grove | Free food, live music, chili cook-off, kids welcome
4 to 9 p.m. | Sober Oktoberfest | Glendale | Prost, minus the regret
6:30 p.m. | Rock 2 Freedom Benefit Concert feat. The Offspring | The Wiltern, Los Angeles | Slave 2 Nothing’s sixth annual
7 to 10 p.m. | Recovery Out Loud | The Polished Pigeon, San Diego | Music and storytelling
EVERYWHERE ELSE
Thu, Oct. 29 | Fresh Start: Campfire Magic | Teetotal Initiative, Pittsburgh | 6 to 8 p.m. ET | S’mores and an actual fire
Thu, Oct. 29 | Sober Club Spooktakular | 7 to 9 p.m. PT | Costumes, games, prizes
Fri, Oct. 30 to Mon, Nov. 2 | 25th Annual Halloween Gratitude Cruise | Port Canaveral to Nassau | Sober Celebrations has been doing this since before smartphones
🧡 The Sober October Bingo Card: Cozy Fall Fun
Print it. Screenshot it. Play it against your sober friends. Nobody else on the internet made you a bingo card for this month, and we would like the credit. (Shout-out to Senior Contributor Anne Marie Cribbin! for her Sober October cleverness)
See you Friday!
