We’re kicking off Dry July with a special collab that’s close to our hearts. This month’s box, Road Tripping, was co-created with Laura Silverman, founder of Zero Proof Nation and a longtime leader in the zero-proof space, who’s celebrating her 18-year soberversary.
Laura has been championing alcohol-free living long before the space even existed, so we asked her to share her most invaluable resources with us. Thank you, Laura!
How is my sobriety old enough to vote? Old enough to buy cigs (yuck!)? Old enough to be a college freshman? OLD ENOUGH TO BE A LEGAL ADULT?!
By the numbers:
6: Short but severe years of binge drinking alcohol (2001-2007). I developed what we now know is a moderate alcohol use disorder, but language for which didn’t exist at the time.
2: Hospitalizations for alcohol poisoning / monitoring – one in 2005 in Charlottesville, VA and one in 2007 in New York City; the latter was my rock bottom wake-up call.
7/14/07: The day I awoke from being passed out / blacked out in a hospital bed in New York City…
18: …Years since I’d decided enough was enough. I chose sobriety over inebriation that day, and I’ve made that same choice every day since.
Trust me, I’ve seen a lot in my 18 years as a booze-free badass. Not too long ago, there wasn’t the new sobriety that exists today. People thought in very black and white terms: it was either you could handle your booze and thus, were normal – or you couldn’t handle your alcohol and were an alcoholic. A handful of Quit Lit memoirs existed then (but that term hadn’t been born yet). There weren’t podcasts, blogs, and social media handles galore devoted to getting sober / soberish in a way that worked for YOU. There really weren’t online or in-person programs, recovery coaches, or retreats that weren’t somehow affiliated with the 12 steps. And there certainly wasn’t this boom of non-alcoholic beverage culture we’re in now (and literally the reason you’re reading my words).
I’ve seen this market, industry, and community grow up and glow up in real time, just as I have in my twenties, thirties, and now my early forties. So in honor of my 18 year soberversary, I’m breaking things down for you: tips to stay dry this July, sober/ish resources I love, and lessons I’ve learned on my own journey getting to this very place.
Tips to stay dry this July
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Subscribe to Raising the Bar, duh! Or buy a one-time box. Road Tripping is THE box to get. hair flip
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BYONAB - bring your own NA beverages to picnics, family reunions, BBQs, you name it. That way, you’ll be sure to have options – and chances are, someone there will be happy you brought something alcohol-free.
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Check out my global map for a global snapshot of where to buy NA (indie bottle shops and retailers) and how to party sober (booze-free bars and pop-ups). You can also download Buzzcutt and Better Without to help cover all the non-alc bases.
Some of my fave sober/ish / non-alc resources
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Sober/ish Instagram! Non-alc / mocktail creators like former RTB cover girls @soberishmom and @mocktailmom are fantastic; I love @onthemocks, @themindfulmocktail, @mocktailwiz, @lpdrinksdc (winner of Netflix’s Drink Masters and local to me in DC!), and @mocktailgirlie. Want booze-free fun? Follow @sans_bar, @thirdplacebarnyc, and @mindfuldrinkingfest as a start!
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Alt-sobriety / recovery resources like She Recovers, Ditched the Drink, Seek, Quit Lit!
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Newsletters! Positive Damage by Derek Brown, Beyond Liquid Courage by Tawny Lara, Mock the Toast by Jose Diaz, Dry Atlas by Victoria and Douglas Watters, and The Modern Substitute by Myles Faulkner are my absolute must-reads. Bonus: Magazines like Low No Drinker Magazine, Full Pour and AFTER Magazine.
Lessons I’ve learned on my sobriety journey
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Carve your own path. There’s no one right way to do things. Whether you decide to nix booze – for one month (Dry July, Dry January), 9 months (pregnancy), a year or more – or cut back, there are resources out there for you! Not having any sobriety resources that looked or felt like me was the #1 reason I launched The Sobriety Collective back in 2015. And then, as the non-alc industry grew, I wanted a one-stop resource hub – for ME, more than anyone else, and so I built Zero Proof Nation. How it’s expanded and grown is in direct relation to YOU, because there are more consumers like you who want non-alc now, and more brands, bottle shops, and social spaces / third places exist to cater to you. It’s a win / win!
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It’s OK to ask for help. Whatever you’re going through, you don’t have to do it by yourself. There is strength in reaching out to another human.
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Community, community, community. Somewhat related to #2, but powerful enough to merit its own number. Find your squad. Find the folks you can cheerlead for and who will root for you. And if what you want/need doesn’t exist, be the change you want to see in the world. Future you (and so many others along the way) will be grateful you took action.
Laura Silverman is your Raising the Bar Dry July Cover Girl – and an alcohol-free trailblazer. She’s been booze-free since 2007 (long before it was trendy), kicking off her sobriety at just 24. In 2019, Laura launched Zero Proof Nation (ZPN) – a platform and international resource hub devoted to highlighting non-alcoholic beverages and the culture driving their growth.She’s served on advisory boards, judged major NA awards like the World Alcohol-Free Awards in London, UK and Bottle Raiders’ upcoming Zero Proof Choice Awards; Laura’s also led workshops and guest lectures at spots like Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality Business. Named Leader & Innovator of the Year by Sans Bar Academy in 2023, she’s also being inducted into their NA Hall of Fame in 2025. Basically? She’s been repping this space hard for nearly two decades—and shows no signs of slowing down.
Connect with Laura:
IG: @wearesober / @zeroproofnation
Email: laura@zeroproofnation.com