SOBER POP CULTURE

It’s a Family Tradition… Multi-Generational Alcoholism

As I was reading an article about Sir Anthony Hopkins talking about his memoir and specifically his addiction in The Guardian this morning, I thought about a line he used:

“Drinking was a family tradition … ”

And boy could I relate! First of all, I couldn’t help but hear Hank Williams Jr.'s song in my head about his own family tradition, referring to his father, Hank Williams Sr.’s, alcoholism and addiction to pain killers, which eventually led to his death at the age of 29. That song was popular when I worked summers in Ketchum, Idaho. I remember singing along to that song and dancing like a wild woman, drunk out of my mind. I sang it out loud because it felt so true. My own mother had died of alcoholism when I was 16 years old. And my sister and I were stumbling along, following the family tradition. 

#QUITLIT

Book Review: “The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough” by William G. Borchert 

William G. Borchert’s “The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough” tells the real, painful and hopeful story of Lois Wilson — wife, caregiver, survivor — and her life alongside Bill Wilson, the man who helped found Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). This biography doesn’t shy away from showing how hard it can be for someone who loves a person with an addiction, and how love by itself sometimes falls short. 

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

Years Beers Company: Original Pils & Classic Pale from John Mulaney

When I think of breweries making a buzz in the NA world, Years Beer immediately hits the radar, with operations spanning from Chicago, Illinois, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Co-owned by none other than the hilarious and heartfelt  John Mulaney, Years brings a fresh honesty to the conversation around sobriety. His openness about recovery and the humor he brings to heavy topics have made him something of a patron saint for the sober-curious crowd — and, frankly, for me too. It’s refreshing to see that same sense of authenticity pour over into the brewery’s work. 

SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

Drink Soirée: The Glam Revolution of Sober Living with Margaret Josephs & Lexi Barbuto

When The Real Margaret Josephs tells you she’s “always been the designated driver—and the life of the party,” you know she means it. Alongside her best friend and business partner Lexi Barbuto, she’s rewriting what it means to celebrate with Soirée—a luxury non-alcoholic drink brand that’s part beverage, part movement.

Soirée isn’t just a pretty can—it’s a vibe. Vintage prints, glamorous design, and flavor profiles that whisper Palm Springs and confidence. Think cucumber-mint lychee, watermelon-basil, or the new Café Spritz launching for Dry January. Each sip says: you belong here, no explanations needed.

#QUITLIT

Book Review - Co-Crazy: One Psychologist’s Recovery From Codependency and Addiction | By Dr. Sarah Michaud

I loved this book!  It captures the absolutely insane nature of co-dependency.  This book is for anyone who has ever dealt with the crazy-making behavior of their own or a loved one’s co-dependency.  This isn’t just a book; it is an experience not to be missed.

Dr. Michaud’s writing is both lyrical and raw, capturing the nuances of the human spirit. I felt like I was sitting over a cup of tea with her, while she shared her own story and the tools she has used herself and offered to the people she has worked with.

#WEDORECOVER

Sober Celeb of the Week: Kirsten Dunst

This week’s Sober Sip Sober Celeb Spotlight shines on Kirsten Dunst, who has been sober since 2008, when she checked herself into treatment—not for drugs or alcohol, but for depression and the emotional toll of life in Hollywood. She’s shared that she had been “repressing all this anger,” and that therapy and medication were key in helping her heal and reconnect with herself. Doing the inner work became a transformative, grounding experience that allowed her to return to acting with a healthier perspective and stronger sense of self. By speaking openly about her mental health journey and correcting harmful rumors about her rehab stay, Dunst continues to break stigma and remind us that asking for help is an act of strength, not shame.

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

WELLNESS AS A WAY OF LIFE

Hey Ladies! Find Peace: Journey to Reconnect With Your Core Self 

There are so many parts of our body that we can connect with as our core selves, as science can now confirm that our heart has its own intelligence, our gut (instinct), and our minds, of course — and I want you to consider the magic that is really the center of all creation — the womb.  

WHAT A TRIP!

What Is Sober Curious Travel? 

You don’t have to be in recovery to feel over the drinking culture that pervades our society. You’re probably fairly familiar with this exact moment: Someone passes you a drink you never asked for. You take it to be polite, and before you know it, the night you didn’t plan turns into a morning you regret.  

In another version of the same day, you politely refuse the glass, sleep well, wake up clear and bushy-eyed, and end up watching the sunrise from a mountain trail. 

ADDICTION FICTION

Addiction Fiction Book Review: Daisy Jones & the Six

Daisy Jones & the Six isn’t told like most novels. Taylor Jenkins Reid structures the story as an oral history, weaving together interviews, transcripts, and recollections of a fictional 1970s rock band. The result is ragged, fast-paced, and startlingly alive. It feels less like reading and more like being invited backstage, listening to people argue about what really happened, and realizing that memory is always fractured.  

THIRSTY FOR WONDER

Sober, But Make It Whimsical

Some days, the work of recovery feels like tending a garden. There’s pruning, watering, composting what’s no longer alive. And some days? You have to lie down right in the dirt and laugh.

MASTERING MENTAL FITNESS

Try, Try Again: How Mindfulness & New Hobbies Can Support Sobriety and Alcohol Recovery

Every now and then, I have a peek through the reviews of my book, READY. SET. LIFE, to see if any have emerged from new readers.

This week, one hit me hard. “... the mind opening insights,” it read, “into how I … WILL be better in everything I do, [while] knowing that it WILL still be tough are enough for me at the moment to try.” The reviewer noted his/her own situation as a “recovering alcoholic” and, while the book isn't solely aimed at those who have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, the poignancy of this person's experiences brought a tear to my eye.

SOBER VIRTUAL EVENTS

Sobriety Is the New Epic – Why Sobriety Is the Greatest Adventure of My Life

There’s something I wish someone had told me early in my sobriety journey:
Letting go of alcohol is only step one.
Learning how to live again is the real transformation.

It wasn’t the alcohol I missed — it was feeling alive. The spontaneous fun. The deep belly laughs. The sense of connection and adventure. For a while, I wondered if that part of life was gone for good. I didn’t want to just exist in sobriety; I wanted to come alive in it.

But here’s the thing no one really teaches you — how to build a life that feels exciting, purposeful, and full without alcohol. That’s where Sobriety Is the New Epic comes in.