what i drink when i'm not drinking #1

Just talking to myself, nbd.

NOT DRINKING

How long have you been not drinking?

Today is my four year anniversary (WHAT IS TIME?)! Thanks so much, I couldn't have done it without me.

Where were you when you started not drinking?

I was living in Brooklyn, New York and working at a bar. When my two week "break" started I was not behind the bar (coincidence? I think not). I did return to bartending a month or so into my break and had the pleasure of adding a couple booze-free beverages to our bar menu, which made not drinking a lot easier. When regulars wanted to take a shot with me, I told them that I was still doing my booze break and I would take a shot of seltzer with them (hydration!). I left bartending in October 2020.

How do you stay not drinking?

Morning pages, movement, and surrounding myself with non-alcoholic beverages that are as fun and flirty as possible. My not drinking started with a two week break that has turned into four years, apparently. At the beginning of my sober journey (if you will, and I will), I was checking Reddit's stopdrinking community like it was my job and doing the daily check-ins (IWNDWYT = I Will Not Drink With You Today). I was also drinking my weight in seltzer water.

What are your favorite beverages?

Water, iced coffee/Americanos, kombucha, iced tea, Arnold Palmers, AriZona tall boys, Diet Coke, seltzer water +/- bitters. I also enjoy non-alcoholic beers and non-alcoholic spirits, either neat (depending) or in zero-proof drinks/mocktails. Also, I will try out whatever mocktail exists at the bar or restaurant I'm at if given the opportunity.

If applicable, what are your favorite specifically non-alcoholic beverages that you've had recently?

I am still very much thinking about this Cranberry Blood Orange sparkling beverage that they had on tap at Ground Kontrol in Portland last month. Busty Lush's She's Passionate Tropical Weisse is...simply divine but a bit hard to find in the wild. I picked it up randomly at BevMo and loved every single sip, and one of my friends started ordering it at the bottle shop she manages because she is an actual angel. I had the non-alcoholic amaro from Pathfinder on the rocks at a local bar recently and shed an actual tear of delight upon first sip, so definitely need to get my hands on a bottle of my own soon.

Athletic rebranded this slightly since I took this photo in 2022 but it stays delicious.

My favorite non alcoholic brewery that I have the most success with actually consistently finding out in the world is Athletic Brewing Company, with my favorite by far being their Atlética, which is a Mexican-style copper. Extra perfect with a lime or as a shower "beer", let me tell you. They've put out some other beverages that I haven't had the chance to try yet. I’m particularly interested in trying the Sour, Belgian Style White, and Radler, and hope to soon.

What are your daily drinkers? Read: What does your sipping look like on the average day?

Water, iced coffee, and, because of the inventory of the bar I frequent most: Heineken 0.0, Athletic's Run Wild IPA, and Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic White now that it's getting warmer.

What's it like to not drink where you are?

I'm in the PNW and more and more bars are adding non-alcoholic options to their menus on a daily basis it seems, blessed be.

If applicable: what's your go-to drink at a bar?

I'll ask if they have non-alcoholic beers if I can't see their stock or there is no menu if that’s what I’m feeling. If I'm not in a beer mood or they don't have any other non-alcoholic options (this is more and more rare, let me tell ya), I'll get a seltzer water +/- fruit juice or bitters or a Diet Coke (or whatever version of that they have on the gun).

JOYING

What are some sources of JOY JUICE for you?

Friendship, longer days, seeing the sun more regularly (missed you, hottie), thrifting, buying books I don't "need", snail mail (sending and receiving).

What have you been listening to lately? Recent favorites?

My most listened to albums so far this year are: Slow Pulp - Yard, Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven, Sprints - Letter to Self. I'm still listening to a lot of Caroline Rose, too, because the joy they bring me is on another level.

In the day to day I've been listening to....a lot.....of Russian and German house/electronic music, I think because the beats somehow blast my brain with joy? I don't know, man. And, along with that, I've been hyper fixating on the same tracks, which I will probably get sick of sometime soon. I’ve also been trying to stay on top of adding to this wild playlist on Spotify when I remember to. It’s songs that are either new to me or that I’d forgotten about, so basically just what I can’t stop listening to so far this year.

What have you been reading lately? Recent favorites?

I've picked up a very cute (....) habit recently of reading one million books simultaneously (it's actually around ten), but I have finished a few gems this year. The ones that I keep thinking about are The Hearing Test by Eliza Barry Callahan, Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, and The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes on by Franny Choi. Honorable mention to West: A Translation, which I read at the end of last year but what a mind meltingly amazing book of poetry. I am oversimplifying it by calling it a book of poetry because there’s also essays and more. I would highly recommend a read, especially if you are interested in America’s first transcontinental railroad.

What have you been watching recently? Recent favorites?

My favorite movies I've watched so far this year are C'mon C'mon, Nomadland (better late than never), Death Proof (same re: better late than never), Dune: Part Two (duh), and American Fiction. I continue to be pretty bad at watching anything but reruns of old favorites on TV, maybe that will change some day.

Thinking about...

This quote from a yoga class I took:

Does what I'm about to do take care of me?