HAPPY EVERY HOUR

Our Friendly Neighborhood Non-Alcoholic Beer

I went to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day in 3D with my son and cried in my glasses. Then I remembered the guy in the suit is sober, founded a non-alcoholic beer brand, and just dropped limited-edition Spidey cans sold at movie theaters. Your friendly neighborhood NA beer has arrived.

#ADDTOCART

I Can Buy Myself Flowers: The New Play-Doh for Adults Is the Sober Anniversary Gift We Didn’t Know We Needed

Hasbro just launched Blooms by Play-Doh, the first Play-Doh line made for adults. We tested two kits, and this hands-on flower crafting experience might be the perfect sober anniversary gift. Honest review inside.

SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

Sober Business Owners: Why Getting Sober Was the Best Entrepreneurship Training I Never Asked For

There's a raccoon named Jimothy in this episode. There's also a 10X business scale-up, the reason sober people make dangerous entrepreneurs, and the AI conversation everyone's tiptoeing around. Episode 7 is the sober business owners episode. If you've done the hardest thing already, press play.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• Sober Life Rocks

• Alcohol Free Life

• ODAAT Podcast

🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK

• 08/06 Virtual: Claude Anonymous AI Meeting | BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator Learn more here→

• 08/08 Los Angeles (CA): The Sober Show - Comedy Based on Your Drunken Stories Learn more here→

• 08/08 Hull (MA): Rock The Beach Sober Celebration! Learn more here→

• 08/15 Chicago (IL): Wide Awake Wellness Party Learn more here→

• 08/15 Duluth (MN): Let’s Get After It Booking Signing with Brian S Nicholson Learn more here→

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, strategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

#ADDTOCART

Six Years In, We Made You a Mixtape | The Sober Curator Celebrates Six Year Anniversary

Nobody makes mixtapes anymore. So for our sixth anniversary, we made you one. Seven mini zines, printed on paper, nestled into a real cassette tape case, mailed to your door every month for six months. Volume 001 ships August 20. BACKSTAGE Members get it for FREE (*paying for shipping only)

#ADDTOCART

Skims Vibes, Therapy Receipts: The Sister-Founded Brand That Stole the Show at OCDcon 2026

We went to OCDcon 2026 in Seattle expecting free pens and left obsessed with Presently, a brand built by two sisters with OCD who turned real therapy tools into bracelets, keychains, and mirror clings. Skims-level neutrals, CBT-backed phrases, zero toxic positivity. Here's why we're hyping them on purpose.

MOVIE NIGHT

Sobriety in the Shadow of the Skid Row Myth: What 1980s Addiction Movies Got Wrong

Three days before her 30th birthday, an astrologer asked Patti Clark a question that made her whole body burn with shame. The movies had taught her that alcoholics were derelicts, weaklings, or doomed outlaws. Then she walked into her first AA meeting in Tucson and found out Hollywood had it wrong.

#ADDTOCART

Skylar Fragrance Review: The Love Island Princess Wants You to Smell Like Dessert, and Honestly, She's Right

Skylar sent us two gourmand fragrances from the collection curated by Leah Kateb, the Love Island USA star turned Chief Creative Officer. We expected to love the cake one. We were wrong, and the twist involves being single forever.

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 Drunk Daddy by Trixie Rose: A “Bad Memoir” That’s Really Good Read more here→

• 👉 Endless Summer, Meet Endless Mango IPA By Best Day Brewing Read more here→

• 👉 Sister, Yessss: What Six Months in a Convent Taught Me About Sobriety Read more here→

• 👉 How Is This My Life? Finding Gratitude in the Beautiful and Ordinary Read more here→

• 👉 What My Dog and a Time Zone Business Faux Pas Taught Me About Boundaries Read more here→

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

Pathfinder Non-Alcoholic Spirit Review: Hemp-Based NA Spirit Tested

The Pathfinder is a fermented and distilled hemp-based liquid with the intense flavor and aromatic characteristics of a spirit, without the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages. This may just become your new favorite NA spirits alternative. This brand claims to be the destroyer of bad times, and I think they’re onto something. Plus, their branding taps my curiosity and makes me want to know more.

#QUITLIT

Is Matthew McConaughey Sober? What ‘Greenlights’ Reveals About His Drinking

“Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey is a memoir unlike any other, but then again I think we all knew we were in for a ride when Matthew McConaughey announced he was penning the memoir himself. The cosmic actor turned author has written a love letter to the adventure of his youth, which led to a chance casting that changed his life – how his without his charm and wit we would’ve never had this iconic moment in cinema:

Giphy

MOVIE NIGHT

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” Will Make You Want to Add Extra Layers To Your Waterproof Mascara

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is based on and inspired by a documentary from back in 2000. It depicts the real-life scandals and collapse of the multi-million-dollar ministry empire Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker built. Directed by Michael Showalter, this film stars Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, and Cherry Jones. If you watch this film for no reason other than to see how Jessica Chastain portrays aging with Tammy Faye’s character, it will be worth your time.

THE MINDFUL BINGE

“Running Point” Season 2 Review: 10 Episodes, Zero Regrets

There is this narrative floating around recovery spaces, and honestly everywhere, that says you are supposed to be productive every hour of every day. That rest is laziness. That checking out is relapse-adjacent. That if you are not optimizing, you are failing.

But sometimes, especially when you are living sober and managing the actual weight of your own clarity, you need a night where you do absolutely nothing except watch a fictional family destroy themselves on a basketball court while you float in warm water and smile. That is not numbing. That is resting.

Numbing wants you gone. Resting wants you back.

SOBER POP CULTURE

SmartLess Podcast: Every Episode with Sober Celebrity Guests

Unless you’re living under a podcast rock, you have likely listened to a few episodes of the SmartLess podcast featuring Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. Because of my love of curating, this post is dedicated to providing you with a curated list of episodes from SmartLess that feature celebrities in recovery from alcohol and drugs since the podcast launched back in the summer of 2020. Both Jason Bateman and Will Arnett publicly identify as being sober. Please note I cannot 100% confirm the following celebs are sober at the moment, and I am basing my information on sources found using Google. ICYMI, Googling is my cardio.

👉OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE ON TSC 📰

• 👉 JOIN BACKSTAGE - a private cultural membership for people in sobriety who are ready for more. Join here →

• 👉 Are you a Sober Business owner? Sign up for TSC Sober Rolodex here Join Sober Mainstreet → 

• 👉 Sober Curator TV Subscribe and follow on YouTube → 

• 👉 Sober Events Calendar Learn more here →

• 👉 Sober Retreats Calendar Learn more here →

SOBRIETY IN THE CITY

OCD Con 2026 Recap: Tiffany Jenkins Forgot Her Clothes, Found Her People, and Took Home the Illumination Award

Tiffany Jenkins flew across the country to accept the IOCDF's 2026 Illumination Award and forgot to pack her clothes. The Sober Curator was at OCD Con 2026 in Seattle for all of it: the movie question everyone wants answered, worry scripts and hot dogs, the psych ward story she tells with zero filter, and a mother from Georgia turning unimaginable loss into a movement at the intersection of OCD and addiction.

SOBER SPOTLIGHT

Sober Ghost Hunter: The Paranormal Files' Colin Browen on Recovery, Demons and Drunk Tanks

Colin Browen has spent a decade chasing ghosts for The Paranormal Files and narrating the worst crimes in America. Turns out the scariest thing he ever faced was his own addiction. Nearly three years sober, he tells The Sober Curator's Teresa Bergen about haunted pubs, drunk tanks, sleep paralysis and why the spirits got chattier once he put down the bottle.

BACKSTAGE REPLAY VAULT

What LEGO Can Teach Us About Sobriety, Recovery and the Power of Play

A box of LEGO bricks may not look like a recovery tool, but the lessons are surprisingly familiar: follow the instructions, take it one piece at a time, stay present and make room for play. Tamar Routly explores what a plastic brick from Denmark can teach us about building a sober life that actually holds.

SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

Sober Travel, Done Loud: Airport Hacks, Costume Trips + Your Invite to the Cover Story Retreat

Sober travel is the upgrade, not the consolation prize. Episode 6 has the airport hacks, the costume trips, and your invite to Cover Story, our first-ever retreat in Scottsdale.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• Sober Not Mature - Nominated for BEST PODCAST Sans Bar Academy Awards 2026 Listen here

• The Creative Sober Listen here

• The Mental Illness Happy Hour Listen here

🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK

• July 30: Sober Club – Disco Bingo | Costa Mesa, CA Learn more here→

• July 31: Rooftop Sober Rave | Eureka, CA Learn more here→

• August 1: Free Spirited Festival 2026 | Lafayette, IN Learn more here→ 

• August 1: Sober AF Entertainment: Colorado Rockies VS Kansas City Royals @ Coors Field | Denver, CO Learn more here→ 

• August 2: HER Podcast Launch Brings Healing, Humor and Purpose to Port Moody, Canada, BC Learn more here→

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, strategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

#QUITLIT

In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood: A Gen Xer's Survival Guide to Anxiety, Addiction, and Accidental Enlightenment

Senior Sober Curator Contributor Tony Harte reviews Jason Mayo’s In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood, a brutally honest, darkly funny and deeply relatable memoir about childhood trauma, addiction, relationships and the slow loss of control. More than a retelling of one man’s downward spiral, the book invites readers inside the thoughts and emotions behind it.

WHAT A TRIP!

Why I Keep Taking Transatlantic Cruises

After five transatlantic crossings, Mark Carlin understands why this slower style of travel works so well in long-term sobriety. With restorative sea days, steady routines, meaningful connections and less pressure to drink or spend, a transatlantic cruise offers something many vacations do not: the time and space to truly settle.

ENTERTAINMENT
"TOX" Is More Than Just a Film

When Kim Bellas screened the TOX trailer for 40 women at her Sober White Party in New York City, the room went silent. The founder of Sober Is the New Cool on Kerri Lynn Miller's 10-year journey to make a film about addiction, perfectionism, and the search for worthiness.

#QUITLIT

Bunnie Xo’s "Stripped Down" Memoir: Addiction, Sobriety and Reinvention

In Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, Bunnie Xo shares her journey through childhood trauma, sex work, meth addiction and survival—and the choices that helped her build a new life in sobriety. Sober Curator Contributor Carolyn Bunn reviews this candid memoir about recovery, resilience and proving that your past does not get to write your final chapter.

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 What Swiftie Liftie Teaches Us About Recovery and Belonging Read more here→

• 👉  Eve Goldberg and BigVision NYC: How a Mother's Love Built a Home for Young Adults in Recovery Read more here→

• 👉 Zero-Proof at the Calgary Stampede 2026: A Sober Field Report from the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth Read more here→

• 👉 Down the Way, But Dancing Anyway Read more here→

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

Summer Sipping – Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc

Just in time for the warmer months, I finally found a non-alcoholic white wine (no bubbles) that I like! I wasn’t asking for much, was I? I prefer dry white wine. I am not a fan of bubbles (except when they’re carbonating my beer). But I’ve had a heck of a time finding a wine that suited me. I added cardamom bitters to most alcohol-removed whites to balance out an unforgettable grape juice flavor. But I wasn’t going to give up. I was on a quest to find a suitable substitute as I enjoy the evening ritual of sipping a glass of wine with dinner, after dinner, or during a social outing with friends.  

#QUITLIT

Margo’s Got Money Troubles Review: A Sober Take on Rufi Thorpe’s Novel

Walking into a quaint, locally owned bookstore in Crested Butte, I stumbled upon Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. As a single mom and a writer myself, I am captivated by stories that delve deep into the struggles and triumphs of single motherhood and addiction. The artwork on the cover grabbed my attention, and the recap on the inside sleeve solidified my purchase. This book resonated with me on a profoundly personal level and inspired me to continue crafting my narrative.

MOVIE NIGHT

“Being Charlie” (2016) Review: A Sober Look at Addiction, Privilege, and the Cost of Denial

I somehow missed “Being Charlie” when it came out in 2016. That was a year of transition for me, the kind where survival takes precedence over curiosity. Looking back, I’m not surprised this movie slipped past me. I don’t think I was ready for it then. Meaning I wasn’t in a place where I could fully appreciate it.

THE MINDFUL BINGE (TV)

The Bear (Season One) – A Look at Addiction from An Al-Anon Perspective

I heard the hype on The Bear long before I tuned in. I think this was because of the strong association with Shameless, which I did not care for. The few episodes I watched felt hopeless and hit way too close to home when considering how lousy alcoholism can be. I could be completely off base, but what I saw of Shameless was disturbing and triggering, and I never went back for more. I was hesitant to dive into what could be another way-too-sad, sorry look at untreated addiction in action. I’m happy to say The Bear is nothing like that. It is a refreshing opposite of that.

SOBER POP CULTURE

Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode’s Inspiring Journey to Sobriety Since 1996

Music has always been great therapy, and the words created by Gahan’s journey over the decades of struggle and recovery reflect the healing. Keep in mind Martin Gore writes these words. Gore, his friend and bandmate, has lived this journey with Gahan. As we know, the journey is ours, but the passengers are the people who stand with us.

👉OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE ON TSC 📰

• 👉 JOIN BACKSTAGE - a private cultural membership for people in sobriety who are ready for more. Join here →

• 👉 Are you a Sober Business owner? Sign up for TSC Sober Rolodex here Join Sober Mainstreet → 

• 👉 Sober Curator TV Subscribe and follow on YouTube → 

• 👉 Sober Events Calendar Learn more here →

• 👉 Sober Retreats Calendar Learn more here →

RECOVERY PODCASTLAND

The Sobriety Podcast That Refuses to Lecture You: Meet Drunk-ish Host Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

Comedian Stefanie Wilder-Taylor built a sobriety podcast that refuses to lecture. Alysse Bryson sat down with her this week. Here’s why Drunk-ish deserves a spot in your podcast rotation, and a few story hooks we’re not giving away.

SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

She Lost a Record Deal to Tupac. Then She Built a Football Empire Sober.

In the 90s, Monica Madrid was one signature away from a record deal. Then the label signed Tupac instead. Most people would still be nursing that story over drinks. Monica got sober and did something better.

In the latest episode of The Sober Curator Podcast, Monica gets into how that setback rerouted her whole life, why gratitude is doing actual heavy lifting in her sobriety (not the Instagram-caption kind), and how she built Football is Sexy, a women's football media brand, on the other side of it all.

Come for the Tupac story. Stay for the blueprint.

BACKSTAGE with the Sober Curator - TONIGHT!

 

Sober LEGO Night Show & Tell + Build with Tamar Routly and Alysse Bryson

Listen. Sobriety did not give us less fun. It gave us better fun. And BACKSTAGE LEGO Night is exhibit A.

TONIGHT! Wednesday, July 22, from 6 to 7pm Pacific, AB is teaming up with Tamar Routly to host the most chaotic, joyful, slightly competitive hour of the BACKSTAGE summer schedule. Think Zoom-meets-show-and-tell-meets-game-night, but every prop is made of plastic bricks and every prize is also made of plastic bricks. Because of course it is.

Here is the plan:

Show and tell. Bring your prized LEGO build to the camera and tell us why it lives rent-free in your home. The Hogwarts Castle you spent three weekends on. The Millennium Falcon your kid built before they left for college. The Botanical Collection orchid you bought on a Tuesday because you needed a Tuesday win. We want to see it.

Work in progress. Got a set you are currently building? Pull it out. Show us the chaos. Tell us where you are stuck. The collective wisdom of the BACKSTAGE Lounge will gladly judge your sorting system.

LEGO Trivia. Tamar and AB are running a fast-paced trivia round on LEGO history, weird sets, and pop culture LEGO moments. Easy questions, hard questions, and at least one question that will have everyone googling under the table.

Prizes. The prizes are LEGO sets. Obviously. We are not insulting your intelligence with a gift card.

This is BACKSTAGE at its best. Hands busy, brain off, surrounded by sober people who get it. No drinking. No pretending. No agenda except to actually enjoy a Wednesday night.

This is a closed BACKSTAGE event. Members only. RSVP to receive your Zoom link via email. The replay drops in the BACKSTAGE Replay Vault for anyone who can’t attend live. Not a member yet? JOIN BACKSTAGE HERE.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• The Mindshift Podcast and Things Get Real (and Also Slightly Muppet-Adjacent) Listen Here

• People-Pleasing, Boundaries, and Sobriety: What Catherine Gray Teaches About “Little Addictions” Listen Here

• Functional Medicine & Disfunctional Podcasters | Sober Not Mature Listen Here

🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK

• July 25: Sound Bath “Float” | Watertown, MN

• July 26: Spirit-Free Sunday Funday by Sober Sisters Events | Charlotte, NC

• July 31: Let’s Get After It Book Signing with Brian S Nicholson | Duluth, MN

• Aug 2 - 10: Sober Cruising – Sail from Barcelona | International

• Aug 7 - 9: Women In Sobriety Retreat | North Bend, WA

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, strategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

#QUITLIT

I’m The Sober Curator, and I Just Found "Ask a Sober Oldster" and "The Small Bow"

Somehow it took me years to find The Small Bow, A.J. Daulerio's recovery newsletter, podcast, and daily meeting community. Or its crossover column with Oldster Magazine, "Ask a Sober Oldster," now 35 installments deep. Consider this your formal introduction.

SOBER SPORTS

The Performance Trap: When a Legal Supplement Becomes an Addiction

Sober Curator Sports Contributor Justin Kinney started using kratom for energy, focus, and better workouts, but what looked like a legal performance edge became a dependence he never saw coming.

THE MINDFUL BINGE

Nashville’s Final Seasons Were About Grief, Collapse, and Rebuilding a Life

In the final installment of this Nashville series, Senior Sober Curator Contributor Lane Kennedy looks at Seasons 5 and 6 through the lens of grief, recovery, nervous system collapse, and the long work of rebuilding a life. From Juliette Barnes’ treatment and spiritual searching to Will Lexington’s body dysmorphia, Deacon Claybourne’s physical consequences of alcoholism, and the emotional aftershock of Rayna Jaymes’ death, Lane explores how Nashville becomes less about fame and more about survival, identity, and staying emotionally alive after everything falls apart.

SOBER CELEBRITY

Laurie Woolever Spent Two Decades Assisting the Most Famous Men in Food. Getting Sober Was the Only Job She Did for Herself.

Laurie Woolever spent fifteen-plus years as the right hand to two of food media's most complicated men, Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain, while quietly falling apart behind the scenes. Her New York Times bestselling memoir, Care and Feeding, finally tells the story she couldn't tell then. Closing in on nine years sober, she's proof the most interesting thing about her was never the famous men on her resume.

BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life 

WED JULY 22 | 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern

Sober LEGO Night Show & Tell + Build with Tamar Routly and Alysse Bryson

Listen. Sobriety did not give us less fun. It gave us better fun. And BACKSTAGE LEGO Night is exhibit A.

On Wednesday, July 22, from 6 to 7pm Pacific, AB is teaming up with Tamar Routly to host the most chaotic, joyful, slightly competitive hour of the BACKSTAGE summer schedule. Think Zoom-meets-show-and-tell-meets-game-night, but every prop is made of plastic bricks and every prize is also made of plastic bricks. Because of course it is.

Here is the plan:

Show and tell. Bring your prized LEGO build to the camera and tell us why it lives rent-free in your home. The Hogwarts Castle you spent three weekends on. The Millennium Falcon your kid built before they left for college. The Botanical Collection orchid you bought on a Tuesday because you needed a Tuesday win. We want to see it.

Work in progress. Got a set you are currently building? Pull it out. Show us the chaos. Tell us where you are stuck. The collective wisdom of the BACKSTAGE Lounge will gladly judge your sorting system.

LEGO Trivia. Tamar and AB are running a fast-paced trivia round on LEGO history, weird sets, and pop culture LEGO moments. Easy questions, hard questions, and at least one question that will have everyone googling under the table.

Prizes. The prizes are LEGO sets. Obviously. We are not insulting your intelligence with a gift card.

This is BACKSTAGE at its best. Hands busy, brain off, surrounded by sober people who get it. No drinking. No pretending. No agenda except to actually enjoy a Wednesday night.

This is a closed BACKSTAGE event. Members only. RSVP to receive your Zoom link via email. The replay drops in the BACKSTAGE Replay Vault for anyone who can’t attend live.

Not a member? You are missing both. BACKSTAGE is our private culture club. Live events, member essays, brand drops, and a community of people deep into the long game.  Join BACKSTAGE → Only $19/mo or $199/year (*includes two months free)

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 Stories That Save Us: How Recovery, Faith, and Shared Experience Rewrite Addiction’s Script Read more here→

• 👉 HAPPY EVERY HOUR: Meet the Dirty Shirley’s Overcaffeinated Sober Cousin  Read more here→

• 👉 #ADDTOCART: I Dog-Sat for Four Days and Came Home with a $500 Ice Habit Read more here→

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

A Toast to TÖST: The Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Beverage Redefining Sophistication

In the ever-evolving world of non-alcoholic beverages, TÖST has carved out a space that feels celebratory without the buzz. Their sparkling drinks—crafted from white tea, ginger, white cranberry, and elderberry—promise a sophisticated alternative to traditional sparkling wines, and they largely deliver, with just enough panache to make teetotaling feel like an indulgence rather than a compromise.

#QUITLIT

“From Here To The Great Unknown” by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

In a world teeming with celebrity memoirs, “From Here to the Great Unknown” emerges as a luminous beacon of raw emotion and personal truth. Co-authored by Lisa Marie Presley and her daughter Riley Keough, this memoir offers an intimate glimpse into the life of Elvis Presley’s only child. For fans, book lovers, and those interested in addiction recovery and quitlit, Lisa Marie’s story is captivating and heartbreaking.

MOVIE NIGHT

“Song Sung Blue” Movie Review: A Story of Love, Loss and No Matter What

Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, follows Mike and Claire—better known onstage as Lightning and Thunder—two people well into adulthood who are quietly reckoning with the lives they ended up with and the lives they once imagined. Mike is a Vietnam veteran, decades sober, who has long since put the bottle down but still wrestles with the question of who he is beyond his past. Claire is searching for meaning of her own, navigating unfulfilled dreams and the aftermath of a life-altering tragedy that reshapes not only her body, but her sense of self.

THE MINDFUL BINGE

“Loudermilk” – He Puts The S.O.B. In Sober

Loudermilk’s strong performance from Ron Livingston, along with the perfect cast of alcoholic dysfunctional characters, makes this endearing dark comedy about a rock critic turned recovering alcoholic one to watch. Apparently, I’ve been living under a sober rock. I recently discovered this binge-worthy series on Amazon Prime Video, which already has three seasons under its sober belt.

SOBER POP CULTURE

30 Quotes on Sobriety from Sober Celebrities

Sobriety can be a challenging and difficult road, and it’s one that many celebrities have had to navigate in the public eye. However, through their struggles and triumphs, they have become a source of inspiration for those seeking to overcome addiction and regain control of their lives. From insightful reflections on the power of sobriety to poignant messages of hope and resilience, sober celebrity motivation quotes offer a wealth of wisdom and encouragement for anyone looking to make positive changes in their life.

In this list, we’ve gathered some of the most inspiring quotes from sober celebrities, each one offering a unique perspective on the journey towards recovery and personal growth.

👉OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE ON TSC 📰

• 👉 JOIN BACKSTAGE - a private cultural membership for people in sobriety who are ready for more. Join here →

• 👉 Are you a Sober Business owner? Sign up for TSC Sober Rolodex Join Sober Mainstreet → 

• 👉 Sober Curator TV Subscribe and follow on YouTube → 

• 👉 Sober Events Calendar Learn more here →

• 👉 Sober Retreats Calendar Learn more here →

RECOVERY PODCASTLAND

Recovery Podcastland: Sunsets Are The New Happy Hour with Kristin Horstman

Alysse Bryson review Sunsets Are The New Happy Hour, Kristin Horstman’s weekly podcast on gray area drinking and nervous system regulation. A friend’s show, a fair read, and a recommendation for anyone curious, new or bored at year twelve.

MOVIE NIGHT

I Saw “Union County” Before It Was a Sundance Film. I’m Not Surprised It Earned a Standing Ovation.

I saw “Union County” as a 15-minute short back in 2020, before Will Poulter and Noah Centineo ever signed on. Now it’s a Sundance feature opening August 14, and it still gets rural recovery right.

SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

The Movies Taught Us How to Drink. A Notre Dame Professor Has the Receipts.

A Notre Dame professor has spent six years asking his students one question: why do you drink like that? What he found didn't come from the bar. It came from every movie and TV show we grew up watching. Ted Mandell joins us for a Backstage conversation that gets Sarah, Anne Marie, Tamar and me genuinely fired up, and you are going to want to hear all of it.

BACKSTAGE with the Sober Curator - TONIGHT!

An Evening with Cara Benson — An Armsfull of Birds

Cara Benson did not come to love the easy way. She crawled through New York City subway tunnels as a heroin addict, partnered with an abusive man, and waitressed in a polyester uniform at Friendly’s while sobriety closed in on her one stubborn night at a time. Then she got sober. Started walking the woods of upstate New York. Met Jon, the man who would become her great love. And after years of building a life with him, she lost him to suicide.

This book is what came next.

An Armsfull of Birds: A Personal Field Guide to Love, Loss, and Commitment is structured like nothing else in the recovery memoir space. Each chapter is named for a bird, and each bird carries a piece of Cara’s story. American Goldfinches mark the night she met Jon. Crested Caracaras score her last gasp of drinking. Common Starlings show up the moment she crashes into sobriety and into the woods. By the final chapters, she’s grieving Jon and tracking grackles, ravens, and the ruby-throated hummingbirds that visit her former-church home in the Hudson Valley.

It’s a recovery story. It’s a love story. It’s a climate memoir. It’s the kind of book that gets endorsed by Jenny Lawson AND Bill McKibben, which almost never happens.

TONIGHT at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET, Cara is joining BACKSTAGE for an intimate one-hour conversation. We’re going to talk about:

• The decade-plus path from heroin and alcohol to a sober life she actually wanted

• Meeting Jon, choosing commitment after addiction, and what “second chance lovers” actually means at midlife

• Surviving her partner’s suicide while staying sober

• Why she retreated into birding and nature as a way to process grief

• How writing a memoir cracked her wide open and what it taught her about telling the truth

Bring your questions. Bring your coffee. Bring tissue.

This is a closed BACKSTAGE event. Members only. RSVP to receive your Zoom link via email. The replay will live in the BACKSTAGE Replay Vault for members who cannot attend live.

Not a member yet? JOIN BACKSTAGE

About Cara: Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Orion, Sierra Magazine, Boston Review, and Best American Poetry. An Armsfull of Birds is published by Health Communications, Inc. and hits shelves May 19, 2026. She lives in a former church on the ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans in upstate New York.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• Eternally Amy with Amy Liz Harrison Listen here

• Soberful with Veronica Valli and Chip Summers Listen here

• The Creative Sober with Mei McIntosh Listen here

🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK

• July 17: Laughter Is My Rehab: The Recovery Edition | Suffolk, VA

• July 18: Daybreaker – Let’s Be Friends Tour | NYC, NY

• July 22: Sober LEGO Night Show & Tell + Build | Virtual

• July 25: Sound Bath “Float” | Watertown, MN

• July 26: Spirit-Free Sunday Funday by Sober Sisters Events | Charlotte, NC

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, strategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

#ADDTOCART

Soberminds Brings Streetwear Energy to Sober Apparel

Some sober merch whispers. Soberminds screams, in the best way. Meet the graffiti artist and founder building a sober streetwear brand out of loss, grit, and a crown hoodie you’ll actually want to wear.

SOBER POP CULTURE

Stephen King Has Been Sober for Almost 40 Years, and He Barely Remembers Writing Cujo

Stephen King has been sober for almost 40 years, and he still doesn't remember writing an entire novel. Here's the garbage bag intervention that started it, the fear that got proven wrong, and the 40-plus books that came after.

MOVIE NIGHT

Hollywood’s ’80s Addiction Tropes: A Sober Review of The Morning After, Ironweed, Barfly, and Drugstore Cowboy

The '80s brought us more than just big hair; it gave us movies that dared to show addiction without the glam. But did they really get it right? Dive into a sober rewatch and discover what these films missed.

BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life 

WED JUL 15 | 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern

An Evening with Cara Benson — An Armsfull of Birds 

Cara Benson did not come to love the easy way. She survived heroin addiction, an abusive relationship, and the slow, stubborn climb into sobriety. Then she built a new life in upstate New York, met Jon, the man who would become her great love, and later lost him to suicide.

This book is what came next.

An Armsfull of Birds: A Personal Field Guide to Love, Loss, and Commitment is unlike anything else in the recovery memoir space. Each chapter is named for a bird, and each bird carries part of Cara’s story — from early sobriety and the night she met Jon to the grief, nature, and birding that helped her keep going after his death.

It’s a recovery story. It’s a love story. It’s a climate memoir. It’s the kind of book that gets endorsed by Jenny Lawson AND Bill McKibben, which almost never happens.

Cara is joining BACKSTAGE for an intimate one-hour conversation about sobriety, love after addiction, surviving her partner’s suicide, birding as grief work, and what writing a memoir taught her about telling the truth.

Bring your questions. Bring your coffee. Bring tissue.

Not a member? You are missing both. BACKSTAGE is our private culture club. Live events, member essays, brand drops, and a community of people deep into the long game.  Join BACKSTAGE → Only $19/mo or $199/year (*includes two months free)

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 We Were Always This Lit: Celtic Midsummer, Emotional Sobriety, and the Light We Forget to Count Read more here→

• 👉 Machine Gun Kelly in Scranton: What One Concert Taught Me About Sober Community and Belonging Read more here→

• 👉 Nashville Seasons 3 and 4 Reveal What Happens When Emotional Capacity Begins to Collapse Read more here→

• 👉 Best Day Brewing Gives the Best Way to Enjoy a Pilsner Read more here→

• 👉This Is What It’s Like to Be a Sober Curator Read more here→

LIFESTYLE

I Showed Up to the Wedding Sober. The Groom Trusted Me to Get His Daughter Home.

Sober Curator contributor Julianne Griffin, The Sober Swiftie, shares a personal reflection on attending weddings sober and discovering that alcohol-free does not mean missing out. From choosing an outfit that made her feel confident to dancing all night and becoming the trusted adult asked to get the groom’s daughter home safely, this piece reframes sober wedding season as a chance to show up fully, clearly, and with self-respect.

#ADDTOCART

Sober People Still Carry a Drink Everywhere. WanderFull Just Made It Chic.

Quitting drinking doesn't mean quitting the accessory habit. It just changes what's in your hand. Here's why WanderFull's crossbody bags finally built something for the "still carrying a drink everywhere" life.

SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

This Is What It's Like to Be a Sober Curator

You know the feeling when you walk into a room and immediately know: these are my people. On Episode 3, I asked our contributors one simple question, why The Sober Curator, and what came back was funnier, messier, and more honest than I expected. 10+ Sober Curators in one episode = 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

BACKSTAGE with the Sober Curator - TONIGHT!

iPhone Content Creation Tips with Behind Your Scenes Founder Sheena Kalsa

You have a story worth telling. You have a phone in your hand. Now let’s make the two of them work together.

TONIGHT at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET, BACKSTAGE welcomes Sheena Kalso of Behind Your Scenes for a practical, hands-on Edutainment Night dedicated to helping you shoot better content on your iPhone. No fancy equipment. No production team. Just your phone, the right settings, and one hour with someone who actually knows what she’s doing.

Sheena works with speakers, coaches, and leaders who know they should be showing up more on social media but aren’t sure how to make content that actually feels like them. Her approach is practical, real, and completely doable without a film crew.

By the end of this session you will know:

• The exact camera settings to update on your iPhone right now

• How to shoot video that looks and feels like you

• What makes a Reel or TikTok actually worth watching

• How to stop overthinking it and just hit record

Come with your phone charged and ready. This one is interactive.

Not a member yet? Only $19/mo or $199/annually (include two free months) Join here and be part of this exclusive online culture club.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• Sober Life Rocks Listen here

• Seltzer Squad Listen here

• Sober is Dope Listen here

🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK

• July 11: Daybreaker – Let’s Be Friends Tour | Chicago

• July 11: Joy in the Journey Recovery Comedy Night | Odessa, TX

• July 13: Sober Curious: A Musical Cabaret | NYC

• July 14: Speak Now with Swift Steps featuring Laura McKowen from The Luckiest Club | Virtual

• July 15: An Evening with Cara Benson — An Armsfull of Birds | BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator Virtual

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, strategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

THE MINDFUL BINGE

Nashville Was Never Really About Country Music

In Part 1 of her three-part series, Senior Sober Curator contributor Lane Kennedy revisits Nashville and discovers that the show was never simply about country music. Through Deacon Claybourne’s sobriety, Rayna Jaymes’ complicated love, Juliette Barnes’ family history, and the pressure cooker of the music industry, Lane explores how Nashville portrays addiction, relapse risk, inherited pain, recovery maintenance, and what happens when love is real but capacity is gone.

MUSIC

What "I Can See You" by Taylor Swift, and a Brain Scan, Finally Confirmed to Me About Craving

Sober Curator contributor Julianne Griffin, known as The Sober Swiftie, reflects on the emotional power of Taylor Swift’s “I Can See You” through the lens of recovery, visibility, and belonging. This piece explores what it means to feel seen, supported, and reminded that even when sobriety feels lonely, you do not stand in the hallway alone.

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

The Cult of the Cold Drink: Why Watertok, Mocktails, and Iced Coffee Rituals Are Taking Over Summer

Senior Sober Curator contributor Anne Marie Cribbin takes a smart, funny look at the internet’s summer obsession with cold drinks, from Watertok and flavored waters to zero-effort mocktails, iced coffee rituals, and craft non-alcoholic drink creators. More than a trend, these drinks offer a small daily ritual that feels refreshing, personal, and entirely hangover-free.

BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life 

WED JULY 08 | 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern

Edutainment Night: iPhone Content Creation with Sheena Kalso

You have a story worth telling. You have a phone in your hand. Now let’s make the two of them work together.

On July 8, BACKSTAGE welcomes Sheena Kalso of Behind Your Scenes for a practical, hands-on Edutainment Night dedicated to helping you shoot better content on your iPhone. No fancy equipment. No production team. Just your phone, the right settings, and one hour with someone who actually knows what she’s doing.

Sheena works with speakers, coaches, and leaders who know they should be showing up more on social media but aren’t sure how to make content that actually feels like them. Her approach is practical, real, and completely doable without a film crew.

By the end of this session you will know:

• The exact camera settings to update on your iPhone right now

• How to shoot video that looks and feels like you

• What makes a Reel or TikTok actually worth watching

• How to stop overthinking it and just hit record

Come with your phone charged and ready. This one is interactive.

Not a member? You are missing both. BACKSTAGE is our private culture club. Live events, member essays, brand drops, and a community of people deep into the long game.  Join BACKSTAGE → Only $19/mo or $199/year (*includes two months free)

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 Be Your Excellent Self: The Four Pillars of Stoicism in Recovery Read more here→

• 👉 I Rescued Myself: A Sober Poem About Courage, Reinvention, and Becoming Your Own Hero Read more here→

• 👉 The Big Book Found Its Way Home Read more here→

• 👉 Giesen 0% Is Bringing Non-Alcoholic Wine to Daybreaker's Daytime Dance Tour All Summer Read more here→

THE SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

Season 2 of The Sober Curator Podcast Is Live — And We’ve Been Waiting for This

The Sober Curator has always been about living sober, not just getting there. Season 2 leans into that harder than ever. Alysse Bryson and Tamar Routly are back in front of the mic, and this season they’re going places Season 1 only teased.

Mindful binging is in the mix — engaging with TV, film, and books through a sober lens, with all the context and none of the denial. Euphoria came up early. It’s going to be a whole conversation.

THE SOBER CURATOR PODCAST

Backstage With The Sober Curator: The Club You Didn’t Know You Needed

Most sober spaces ask you to show up and talk about the hard part. Backstage with The Sober Curator asks you to show up and actually have fun. Media Nights, Studio Nights, Edutainment Nights, and a community of people who get exactly what you’re building.

Ever wonder what’s beyond the typical sober meeting? Backstage with The Sober Curator is what’s beyond it. This isn’t a support group with better branding. It’s a membership community where creativity, entertainment, and zero-proof living collide — and it’s exactly the kind of room Alysse built The Sober Curator to create in the first place.

SOBRIETY IN THE CITY - ENTER TO WIN

Ashley McBryde Is Bringing Redemption Bar to Canada and We Are Absolutely Here For It

Ashley McBryde's NA-forward Redemption Bar is crossing the border this July with its first-ever Canadian pop-up at Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Prince Edward Island. For anyone who has ever loved live music and dreaded the drinking culture surrounding it, this one is for you.

Want to win a pair of tickets?

Head over to The Sober Curator YouTube channel, subscribe and comment on one of our two new episodes from Season Two that just dropped and be entered to win a pair of GA passes. The winner will be selected at 9am Pacific on Monday, July 6th, 2026.

“This giveaway is not sponsored or administered by YouTube."

#ADDTOCART

Shop The Sober Curator - We’ve Got Merch!

Season 2 of The Sober Curator podcast has fun new sober swag that looks like a pop culture infused sticker collection, but on your body. (Or suitcase, tumbler, or pickleball paddles). We’ve also got merch for those of you recognizing your latest addiction with AI - Let Go and Let Claude #IYKYK.

#ADDTOCART

This Lipstick Keyboard Is the Most Sober-Brained Desk Purchase I Have Made All Year

My desk has a sexy red Rachel Zoe lipstick lamp, a monitor covered in stickers from people I love, a Diet Coke, and a keyboard in a shade that makes me genuinely happy before I have typed a single word. I did not plan any of this. I just kept choosing things that felt like me. Turns out that is the whole strategy.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• Live Through Love -  Listen Here

• The Sober Cruise -  Listen Here

• The Middle of It - Listen Here

🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK

• VIRTUAL - July 08 - BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator: Edutainment Night | iPhone Content Creation with Sheena Kalso - Learn more here

• IRL Odessa, TX - July 11 - Joy in the Journey Recovery Comedy Night - Learn more here

• VIRTUAL - July 13 - Claude Addicts Anonymous: The Standing Meeting | BACKSTAGE Members Only Perks - Learn more here

• IRL NYC CITY - Multiple Dates: Sober Curious: A Musical Cabaret - Learn more here

• VIRTUAL - July 14 - Speak Now with Swift Steps featuring Laura McKowen from The Luckiest Club – Learn more here

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, sstrategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

#ADDTOCART

Cyclone Pods Review: A Former Smoker Tests Nicotine-Free Vapes

Former Marlboro Menthol Lights smoker. Twenty years sober. And apparently still capable of being ambushed by a Hulu documentary and a ghost craving I thought I'd buried a decade ago. Here is what happened when Cyclone Pods showed up at exactly the right moment.

#QUITLIT

Famesick by Lena Dunham: A Review for the Curious and the Recovering

Senior Sober Curator contributor Anne Marie Cribbin reviews Lena Dunham’s Famesick, a memoir that explores addiction, chronic pain, rehab, fame, and the uneven process of telling the truth about your own life. Honest, complicated, and occasionally frustrating, the book offers a recovery-adjacent story for curious readers more than a traditional sobriety memoir.

TRAVEL

26 Airports with Alcohol-Free Calm Spaces That Support Sober and Neurodivergent Travelers

Senior Sober Curator Amy Liz Harrison explores the reality of modern air travel for sober and neurodivergent passengers and highlights 26 U.S. airports with meditation rooms, chapels, sensory rooms, and quiet spaces. While dedicated sober airport lounges do not exist yet, these alcohol-free spaces offer travelers a place to breathe, regulate, pray, journal, text a sponsor, or simply step away from the chaos of terminal bars and boarding-group mayhem.

BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life 

WED JULY 08 | 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern

BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator: Edutainment Night | iPhone Content Creation with Sheena Kalso

You have a story worth telling. You have a phone in your hand. Now let’s make the two of them work together.

On July 8, BACKSTAGE welcomes Sheena Kalso of Behind Your Scenes for a practical, hands-on Edutainment Night dedicated to helping you shoot better content on your iPhone. No fancy equipment. No production team. Just your phone, the right settings, and one hour with someone who actually knows what she’s doing.

Sheena works with speakers, coaches, and leaders who know they should be showing up more on social media but aren’t sure how to make content that actually feels like them. Her approach is practical, real, and completely doable without a film crew.

By the end of this session you will know:

• The exact camera settings to update on your iPhone right now

• How to shoot video that looks and feels like you

• What makes a Reel or TikTok actually worth watching

• How to stop overthinking it and just hit record

Come with your phone charged and ready. This one is interactive.

Not a member? You are missing both. BACKSTAGE is our private culture club. Live events, member essays, brand drops, and a community of people deep into the long game.  Join BACKSTAGE → Only $19/mo or $199/year (*includes two months free)

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 Know Thyself: The Ancient Command That Recovery Has Always Been Asking You to Follow Read more here→

• 👉 Why NA Beer, NA Wine, and Zero-Proof Cocktails Are Getting Better Read more here→

• 👉"The Bright Years" by Sarah Damoff: A Review Through the ACoA Lens Read more here→

• 👉 Visiting Shipshewana, Indiana: A Sober Travel Guide to Amish Country Read more here→

• 👉 "One Last Hit" by Austin Rampt: A Quitlit Review Read more here→

SOBER POP CULTURE

The Big Book Is Going to Auction. And It's Going to Cost You.

If you know what the Big Book is to you, you already felt something when you read that it is going to auction at Christie’s on July 1. The original 167-page working manuscript, with Bill Wilson’s handwriting in the margins, is estimated at $1 to $2 million. The Irsay family is selling it last. Intentionally.

CURATED CRAFTS

Bedazzling My Big Book: Because Recovery Deserves Rhinestones

Let’s be real—my recovery is already extra, so it only made sense that my Big Book got a little extra too. I mean, if I’m going to keep this book by my bedside, in my bag, or on display for late-night spiritual crises (or early-morning step work panic), she might as well shimmer. Enter: the Bedazzled Big Book project—equal parts glitter therapy and higher power glam.

Want to give your big book, or any book really, a glow-up too? Friend, let me walk you through the rhinestone revolution. Maybe someday, Christie’s will want to auction this Big Book off. LOL

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

Nouvie De-Alcoholized Sparkling White Wine is the First NA Pour That Took Me Back

Some non-alcoholic wines taste like compromise. Nouvie does not. Sober Curator Contributor Sarah Alamo reviews the woman-founded, de-alcoholized sparkling white wine that passed the former wine snob test, earned three 10/10 ratings, and finally gave her the ritual of white wine without the wreckage.

BACKSTAGE with the Sober Curator 

Claude Anonymous: Meeting of the AI Minds

Every other week, we meet BACKSTAGE to talk all things AI - Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT and the full tech stack we’re addicted to. Free for members.

Not a member yet? Only $19/mo or $199/annually (include two free months) Join here and be part of this exclusive online culture club.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• “Blink” — Jake Haendel’s Journey from Addiction and Locked-In Syndrome to Advocacy  -  Listen Here

• Dopey Podcast -  Listen Here

• Hello Someday - Listen Here

SAVE THE DATE! The Sober Curator Podcast Season Two is launching July 1

🥳 FEATURED EVENTS OF THE WEEK

• June 25: GSM+ 2026 The Year of LOVE, NYC, NY - Learn more here

• June 26: Night of Recovery, Scranton, PA - Learn more here

• June 26: Dopey Short Film Festival, NYC, NY - Learn more here

• June 27: Sober + Proud: Zero-Proof Pride Crawl - THREE CITIES: Austin, Dallas, and Houston

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, sstrategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

ENTERTAINMENT

The 20 Best Sobriety Substacks to Follow in 2026

Good recovery writing has found a new home on Substack, where more than 200 newsletters now explore sobriety, recovery, sober living, creativity, relationships, money, identity, and life after alcohol. This curated list highlights 20 sobriety and recovery Substacks worth following in 2026, from big-name sober writers to storytellers, lifestyle voices, community builders, and beautifully specific people writing the truth one inbox at a time.

LIFESTYLE

Sober Business Travel: How to Thrive on Work Trips

In this Beyond the Happy Hour column, Sober Curator Contributor Sarah Alamo reflects on learning how to thrive during sober business travel, starting with her first work trip to Las Vegas at 23 days sober. From asking hotels to remove the minibar to finding steady footing on the first night, choosing great meals, exploring new cities, and staying sharp at client dinners, she reminds readers that sober work trips can become fuller, clearer, and far more enjoyable than expected.

THIRSTY FOR WONDER

Put Down the ACOTAR and Get Salty: 5 Ways Seaweed Can Enhance Your Recovery This Summer

Anne Marie invites readers to celebrate the summer solstice sober with five salty, soulful rituals inspired by Celtic seaweed traditions. From Irish moss baths and beachside presence practices to playful seaweed crowns and quiet moments by the water, this piece connects ancient coastal wisdom with modern recovery, reminding us that healing does not always have to be polished — sometimes it just needs salt, light, and a little willingness to get weird.

#ADDTOCART

Aura House Review: Pet-Safe Diffuser for Alcohol-Free Living

There is a specific kind of grown-ass sober adult who pays serious attention to how her house smells. Not in a Yankee Candle, gingerbread-cookie, seasonal-Bath-and-Body-Works way. In a "my home is now the most important room I exist in, and I want it to feel like a place I would never want to leave" way.

If that is you, I have notes on Aura House.

BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life

🎟️ BACKSTAGE This week’s member-only events. Here's what you're missing.

MON JUNE 29 | 4 PM Pacific / 7 PM Eastern

Claude Addicts Anonymous: The Standing Meeting

We started a support group for those of us that who have developed a new addiction for figuring out all the ways we can use AI to make our lives easier. Come prepared to learn one new thing and/or share with the group something new you discovered. There are no dumb questions, only dumb prompts.

WED JULY 08 | 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern

BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator: Edutainment Night | iPhone Content Creation with Sheena Kalso

You have a story worth telling. You have a phone in your hand. Now let’s make the two of them work together.

On July 8, BACKSTAGE welcomes Sheena Kalso of Behind Your Scenes for a practical, hands-on Edutainment Night dedicated to helping you shoot better content on your iPhone. No fancy equipment. No production team. Just your phone, the right settings, and one hour with someone who actually knows what she’s doing.

Sheena works with speakers, coaches, and leaders who know they should be showing up more on social media but aren’t sure how to make content that actually feels like them. Her approach is practical, real, and completely doable without a film crew.

By the end of this session you will know:

• The exact camera settings to update on your iPhone right now

• How to shoot video that looks and feels like you

• What makes a Reel or TikTok actually worth watching

• How to stop overthinking it and just hit record

Come with your phone charged and ready. This one is interactive.

Not a member? You are missing both. BACKSTAGE is our private culture club. Live events, member essays, brand drops, and a community of people deep into the long game.  Join BACKSTAGE → Only $19/mo or $199/year (*includes two months free)

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 Sober Is the New Cool White Party Brings Women Together for Connection, Wellness, and Hope Read more here→

• 👉 The Alignment: Grounding, the Root Chakra, and Returning to Yourself in Recovery Read more here→

THE MINDFUL BINGE

The Nervous System Loves a Rerun

In the final installment of Recovery & Regulation: Watching Grey’s Anatomy Through Sober Eyes, Lane Kennedy explores why familiar shows can feel calming during stress, illness, and recovery. Through the lens of nervous system regulation, she reflects on how predictability, emotional continuity, and beloved characters can help the body feel safe enough to soften, settle, and stay present.

SOBER LIFESTYLE

From Hiding My Sobriety to Watching the World Catch Up: A 35-Year Journey

From hiding her sobriety in 1988 to watching the world embrace alcohol-free living, Patti's been on the front lines of a cultural shift. What started as an embarrassing secret has become the hottest lifestyle trend—and she's got the inside scoop on how we got here.

BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life

WED JUNE 17 · 6 PM PT · Style Your Next Chapter: Dress for the Life You’re Building

What happens when your outside starts to match the person you’re becoming on the inside? In this Backstage with The Sober Curator conversation, stylist and entrepreneur Tannya Bernadette, Founder & CEO of The Closet Edit, will explore how personal style can help you step into your next chapter with more confidence, clarity, and intention.

For many people, sobriety comes with an identity shift. You’re no longer dressing for the life you’ve outgrown, the roles you were performing, or the version of yourself that was just trying to get through the day. You’re building something new. Tannya will share how style can become a tool for self-trust, personal presence, and showing up for the life you actually want.

This conversation is for anyone who is reinventing themselves, stepping into bigger rooms, or ready to align how they show up with where they’re headed next.

This event is FREE to BACKSTAGE Members

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

Best Non-Alcoholic Beers of 2026: The Sober Curator's Definitive Guide

Senior Sober Curator Contributor Justin Lamb has reviewed more than 130 non-alcoholic beers for The Sober Curator since 2021. These are his ten best of 2026, spanning Double IPAs, pilsners, hazy NEIPAs, nitro stouts, and a peanut butter milk dark that deserves its own fan club. Find your perfect pour, then take the quiz to make it official. (Pssst…there’s also a “Which NA Beer are You” Quiz)

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉"Ours" | Sober Poetry at The Sober Curator Read more here→

• 👉 Euphoria Grows Up, but Nobody Gets Better: A Sober Take on the Final Season Read more here→

• 👉 Sober Pride Gift Guide 2026 Read more here→

🎟️BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator

Media Night | Drunk on Film with Ted Mandell

BACKSTAGE welcomes Ted Mandell from the University of Notre Dame, co-creator of Drunk on Film, one of the most talked-about university courses in the country. The class analyzes how alcohol consumption is portrayed in movies and advertising, and examines the psychology behind why we were sold the idea that drinking is glamorous, hilarious, rebellious, and essential to a good time. BACKSTAGE members RSVP for free HERE.

THE MINDFUL BINGE

Euphoria Grows Up, but Nobody Gets Better: A Sober Take on the Final Season

Sober Curator Contributor Sarah Alaimo reviews the third and final season of Euphoria through a sober lens, unpacking its five-year time jump, Rue’s darker trajectory, Ali’s grounded recovery wisdom, and the show’s clearest argument yet: everyone is addicted to something.

SOBRIETY IN THE CITY

Giesen 0% Brings Non-Alcoholic Wine to Pride House LA/West Hollywood for World Cup Kickoff Weekend

Giesen 0% is bringing non-alcoholic wine spritzes to Pride House LA/West Hollywood’s World Cup kickoff weekend, celebrating Pride Month, LGBTQ+ athletes, and mindful drinking in one major cultural moment.

🎧 FEATURED PODCASTS OF THE WEEK

• “The Pete Davidson Show” Netflix Review: A Sober Take on Pete and MGK’s Garage Hang Listen Here

• Brené Brown Just Quietly Hit 30 Years Sober. Then She Said the Thing Nobody Says About Joy. Listen Here

• A Sober Girls Guide Listen Here

THE SOBER CURATOR x PODCAST IMPACT STUDIOS COLLAB

Where stories find their voice.

Have a podcast idea living rent-free in your head? We help sober creators, recovery voices, and mission-driven business owners turn that idea into an actual show — one with structure, strategy, and enough support to make it past episode three without needing a nap, a meltdown, or a full rebrand.

Learn more.

Are You a Sober Business Owner?

The Sober Curator Rolodex is a curated directory of sober-owned and alcohol-free businesses across wellness, creativity, hospitality, and professional services. Consider it sober main street. If you built something without alcohol at the center, this is your invitation to be seen.

LIFESTYLE

I Nap Five Days a Week. These Cooling Sheets Made Me Insufferable About It.

Meet someone who's turned afternoon napping into a full production—and discovered the cooling sheets that made her hobby even more addictive. If you've ever wondered how to master the art of the perfect midday recharge (especially in sobriety), this is your guide.

SOBER TRAVEL

Sober in Pensacola: Beaches, Diving, Parks, and Alcohol-Free Travel on Florida’s Gulf Coast

Teresa Bergen takes readers on an alcohol-free trip through Pensacola, Florida, from shore diving and dolphin tours to parks, historic forts, beach walks, vegan dining, cat cafés, and sober-friendly surprises. Even with its beach-town party energy, Pensacola offers plenty for nondrinkers who prefer their fun in, on, or under the water.

SOBER UNBUZZED FEED

26 Badass (Slightly Unhinged) Ways AI Can Add to Your Recovery in 2026

Amy Liz Harrison explores 26 funny, practical, and slightly unhinged ways AI can support sober life in 2026. From mood mapping, relapse-prevention planning, sober travel, boundary scripts, sleep routines, and emotional regulation to gratitude tools that do not sound like a throw pillow, this piece looks at how AI can become a helpful recovery sidekick — without replacing meetings, therapy, sponsors, community, or spiritual work.

BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life

🎟️ BACKSTAGE This week’s member-only events. Here's what you're missing.

WED JUNE 10 | 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern

BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator: Media Night | Drunk on Film with Ted Mandell

On June 10, BACKSTAGE welcomes Ted Mandell from the University of Notre Dame, co-creator of Drunk on Film, one of the most talked-about university courses in the country. The class analyzes how alcohol consumption is portrayed in movies and advertising, and examines the psychology behind why we were sold the idea that drinking is glamorous, hilarious, rebellious, and essential to a good time.

MON JUNE 15 | 12 PM Pacific / 3 PM Eastern

Claude Addicts Anonymous: The Standing Meeting | BACKSTAGE Members Only Perks

It turns out one 12-step manifesto and one tee drop was not going to be enough. We have to actually meet. Talk about it. Hold each other accountable for things like "promised to close my laptop at 7 p.m." and "did not." This space is for you if you are dabbling in learning AI and want to hangout with other AI nerds and talk tips + tricks. 

Not a member? You are missing both. BACKSTAGE is our private culture club. Live events, member essays, brand drops, and a community of people deep into the long game.  Join BACKSTAGE → Only $19/mo or $199/year (*includes two months free)

SOBER SPORTS

When Did Alcohol Become Part of Youth Sports?

Justin reflects on the growing normalization of alcohol at youth sporting events, from coolers near the dugout to parents joking about needing drinks to survive tournament weekends. Through the lens of recovery, he asks what children absorb when adult socializing, stress, and celebration around kids’ sports become so closely tied to drinking — and whether the culture deserves a closer look.

HAPPY EVERY HOUR

Kavayn Review: I Tried Kava for the First Time, and Here's the Honest Truth

I've been alcohol-free for twenty years, so anything promising a "buzz" gets the side-eye. Then Kavayn showed up. Here's what noble kava actually tastes like, the iced coffee hack I didn't see coming, and the question every sober reader asks first: does kava even count?

ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰

• 👉 Drink Responsibly by S. Cook | Sober Poetry Read more here→

• 👉 How to Celebrate Midsummer Sober: A Guide to Nordic Traditions Without Alcohol Read more here→

• 👉 Clued In Issue #4: Sober Pop Culture Showdown Crossword Puzzle Play it here→

•  👉 Sober Search | June 2026: Sober Pop Culture Showdown Play it here→

• 👉 Sober Pride Gift Guide 2026 #ADDTOCART here →