I just crossed 1,100 days sober*, yet I don’t talk about sobriety much. Why not?
The short answer is I’m not qualified. The longer answer is that there are plenty of people talking about it who have a range of experience that a spectrum of people looking to make a change can identify with. I’d rather focus on increasing access to what helped me.
My sobriety story is simple; in 2019 I thought “what if there was a non-alcoholic craft beer I could also drink?” So, I googled and found some, Gruvi, Wellbeing, Partake, and maybe one more. Then the algorithm found me Athletic, which to be honest I thought was a joke. No way could that be good. Then I finally tried it and was pleasantly surprised that I was very wrong, it was excellent. Then I found others, including offerings from local craft breweries, and built what is now Reducaholic in 2022-23.
Images from left: 1) My dog, Mia, on the patio at a brewery. 2) Excellent NA Beer and brewery food at Toolshed Brewing in Canada after a 24-hour bike race both racing and slinging NA brews. 3)Humid running early morning after a night of NA beers on my way to Free Spirited Festival
However, I still wasn’t sober and didn’t think I needed to be. I started taking dry months in 2022, failed in some attempts (Dry July in 2023 was a spectacular failure) but succeeded in most (Dry January during a tough period with my main work while in Nepal was a big help personally and professionally). I loved NA Beer but I also loved craft beer, I didn’t want to stop going to breweries, but those trips would go from one beer to three every time.
No matter how much I denied it, craft beer was negatively impacting myself, my relationships, and probably my health. It was in July 2023 that I had a physical and when I received my results in late August, I decided to take a 3-month break at the end of August 2023. That has continued for 3 years and I’ve been completely fine. Why? Because I built this website, this map, and more and found NA craft beer everywhere. Now more breweries, including small local ones, are making great NA beers allowing me and my dog to continue our taproom visits without the alcohol.
Images from Left: 1) Local Brew Grub (Fried Pickles) and an excellent NA Version of Eddyline’s flagship IPA, Crank Yanker, on their patio after a trail run. 2) Mia, hanging out during her 5th visit to Generation NA, this time with the who’s who of the space, 3) Draft NA IPA from CRFT (Village Brewery) in Calgary.
For me, NA Beer was the tool. Same for other people I know, not just for sobriety, but for real moderation – going from 10+ drinks a week to 2-3, or less. I’m not saying it is for everyone, but it can and should be part of a toolbox. I recognize there are risks of offering it to someone in recovery and I’m not arguing for that. What I want to see is continued improvement, growth, and acceptance of craft NA Beverages so “why are you not drinking?” becomes “Oh what is that you’re drinking” out of genuine curiosity and a desire to try.
The day something tasty is available for everyone and we stop judging people for what that is, could be the day we finally start to get a handle on the negative effects of alcohol and truly moderate as a society. That’s my belief and that is what I am building toward in my own niche.
*Cali Sober, or whatever it’s called, I indulge in small amounts of THC beverages and work with a few companies who promote them. I do believe that they are part of a “harm reduction” pathway, but that’s my personal belief. Prohibition is definitely not the answer and cannabis should be legal everywhere.