[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to the Alcohol Tipping Point podcast. I'm your host, Deb Masner. I'm a registered nurse, health coach, and alcohol free badass. I have found that there's more than one way to address drinking. If you've ever asked yourself if drinking is taking more than it's giving, or if you found that you're drinking more than usual, you may have reached your own alcohol tipping point. The alcohol tipping point is a podcast for you to find tips, tools, and thoughts to change your drinking. Whether you're ready to quit forever or a week, this is the place for you. You are not stuck and you can change.
[00:00:35] Speaker B: Let's get started.
[00:00:44] Speaker A: Welcome back to the podcast. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate you. I want to take a sec to invite you to the next alcoholiday. It's a monthly dry group where I help people practice not drinking. This is for you. If you feel like you're struggling, if you feel like you're stuck, if you feel like you're broken, you're never going to get it. I want to just support you and arm you with lots of different tools to battle cravings.
Work on your thinking about drinking. Be more kind and compassionate to yourself as you're doing this. You know, drinking is a habit and it's probably something you've done for years or decades. Even so, it takes a while to unwind it. And that's why I'm so passionate about focusing on practicing, not drinking, working on progress, not perfection. I love the saying focus on the direction, not perfection. And I think it's important just to have these types of groups, programs that just give you a safe place that has no shame, no judgment. A safe place where you can just learn new tools and just start unwinding the habit so that it gets easier and easier for you to drink less or not at all. I would love to have you join the next alcoholiday. It starts the first of every month. As a podcast listener, you always get 20% off by using the code love love and it is hosted on a private platform. It is a HIPAA protected platform. It's really important to me as a nurse just to have privacy and a safe place for you. And what you get is daily emails, lessons, accountability. You get lots and lots of tools to battle cravings. You get a really detailed guidebook journal to help you out during those 30 days, 31 days, whatever the length of the month is. And then you get downloadable audio meditations. Just something to go to when you're feeling a craving. We also do weekly group chats, weekly group support calls led by me and another sober coach twice a week. And then there's also a private chat where you can just share with others, support others, and it's just a great place to practice not drinking. The cost is $89 us dollars. That is so it's less than $3 a day. Plus use that lo ve code to get your discount. And just a little background on me. I have been a registered nurse for 20 years. I'm a board certified health coach. I'm a smart recovery certified facilitator, an addiction certified mental health professional. I'm a mindfulness instructor. And then you all know I like to call myself an alcohol free badass. I've been alcohol free for almost four and a half years now, so I would love to see you in the next group. You can sign
[email protected] alcoholiday and join there. I also will link it in my show notes. Wherever you are with your drinking journey, just know that I am rooting for you, that you are not broken and you can change. Thanks so much.
[00:04:17] Speaker B: Welcome back to Alcohol Tipping Point podcast. Today special for Dry July, I have Hilary Scheinbaum. She is a journalist, the founder of Goingdry Co. And the author of the Dry challenge how to lose the booze for Dry January, Sober October, and any other alcohol free month. She is also releasing a new workbook this September, and it is called going a workbook, a practical guide to drinking less and living more. So look forward to that. And I'm just excited to welcome Hillary to the show to discuss how to kick ass at a dry July or whatever dry month you're doing, how to make it suck less and enjoy it, and just all that good stuff. So welcome, Hillary.
[00:05:09] Speaker C: Thank you. Thanks for having me. And that was just the best intro ever. So I appreciate that.
[00:05:16] Speaker B: Well, I love what you're doing, and I just want to hear a little bit more about you, like how you decided to do these dry months, like what your experience has been, where you're living. Just tell us about you.
[00:05:31] Speaker C: Yeah. So I'll try to summarize it as best as possible because it's kind of a long story, but essentially I in a former lifetime, was a red carpet reporter. And my work days would start at 05:00 p.m. and I would check in. I would, you know, do interviews on the red carpet with a list celebrities, everyone from Brad Pitt to Meryl Streep and most of the Kardashians and tons of real housewives, Selena Gomez, you name it. I've probably interviewed them. And from there, I would go to these events and then the actor parties where there were top shelf liquor and, you know, very expensive sparkling wines available for consumption. And even if I wasn't drinking every night or on the job, you know, the other parts of my life were very alcohol friendly. So I was in my twenties and dating and living in New York, where people don't drive. And also I was freelance writing for USA Today and Eaterdeh and am New York, which is a local paper. And I was contributing mostly on the topic of food and beverage. And so there were a lot of, you know, wine, beer spirit tastings that, you know, filled my calendar. So all of these things considered, alcohol was very, just present in my work life and in my social life. So. And, you know, networking events, etcetera. So, you know, it's a, it's so funny because going into this was in, you know, 2016. I did red carpets for almost five years. I'm going into this was in 2016. So going into 2017, the week before, I got dinner with a friend of mine, and we were talking about, you know, everything, just catching up about dating and life and work. And he asked me if I had any New Year's resolutions, and I said no, because my perspective is that you can start, you know, something new anytime. You don't have to wait until January 1. You can do it on a Monday or the next day or in five minutes. You can start whatever your goal is. And so he asked me if I had heard of this thing called dry January, which started in the UK, and I changed the subject. You know, I was uncomfortable because, and I said, like, you know, to myself at least, I was like, there's no way this could ever be for me. Like, I go to parties for my job, and I report on, you know, alcoholic beverages. That is my income. So anyway, lo and behold, a week later, I am at the New Year's party. I have a glass of champagne in one hand and my cell phone in the other, and I'm texting people before the ball drops and wishing them a happy new year. And so I texted my friend Al, and I said, happy New Year, and I initiated this dry January bet. And so the premise was, whoever went a month without alcohol would win dinner anywhere in New York City. And it is pretty expensive, you know, at those very, like, fancy restaurants. And the person who lost the bet would pay for it. And if we both lost, then, you know, we're not going to dinner at all. So I ended up making it all 31 days and my friend lost, and I won a really lovely dinner. And to this day, he has not bet me anything ever again. But during that month, I really learned a lot about the benefits of not drinking. And just. I felt so much more elevated mood wise, and I slept so much better, and my skin was much more clear. And, you know, it just as cliche as it sounds, just changed the trajectory of my career and my life, including, like, my dating life and my social life and my. And everything. And, you know, I. In the end, I say that we both won because I ended up dedicating my first book, the dry challenge, to Al. So that's really how this all started. It was. I was not intending to write a book about giving up alcohol for any period of time. I was not trying to make a career in this space, which, you know, back then didn't really exist. And it just took 31 days of, you know, a month and a random bet to really make such a major, major change. I'm not sober now, but I drink significantly less. And I've been doing, you know, dry January and many, many other months, um, alcohol free in between. So we're coming up on dry January number nine, this coming January. So. Yeah, I know that was a. That was a long story.
[00:10:30] Speaker B: No, that was so interesting. And I totally want to geek out on the red carpet thing, but. Yeah, too. I'm like, wow, that is so cool. But I just appreciate your perspective so much. I think that for people, I just. I'm such a proponent of helping people drink less or not at all. And I run these monthly alcoholidays, I call them. So helping people have a dry month, having a safe place to practice not drinking, and not having to put any label on it or declaration, like, I'm done forever, because that's a scary thought, too.
And so I just think it's good to have these months, these kinds of ways of thinking about drinking differently and then moving forward to what do you want your relationship with alcohol to be? Like, do you want to keep drinking, or are you done? And for me, I got to the point where I was like, I'm done. But I understand, like, a lot of people aren't there yet, so they need these kinds of months to reevaluate.
Awesome. Okay, so what. What do you think is most helpful about a dry month?
[00:11:47] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh. Where to begin?
I think the most significant difference for me was my quantity and my quality of sleep.
For years, I thought that, you know, I was a terrible sleeper due to my lifestyle, being very busy, being a freelance writer having, you know, the natural stresses that everybody has, but on top of it, living in a very congested city and also just running around all day trying to complete assignments and, you know, find work and doing all the hustling that I was doing. And, you know, I realized maybe like, a week and a half in that when I wasn't drinking, instead of sleeping four to 5 hours a night, which is ridiculous, I was sleeping, you know, seven to eight, and I just felt, obviously, more rest. Well rested. Well, just rested in general. And I think that anybody who has had a terrible night of sleep versus a wonderful one just immediately feels better mood wise. You know, you're not craving sugar or bad foods. There's just such a difference, you know? And when you feel better, like, everybody that you interact with is a much different, you know, happier experience, too. So I would say sleep was a huge one. I know that some people, you know, will give up alcohol if their goal is to potentially, like, lose weight or build muscle, and that was not a goal for me. So I actually replaced a lot of my alcoholic beverages with ice cream that first year.
[00:13:23] Speaker B: I support that.
[00:13:24] Speaker C: Yeah. Now I'm. I I turn to eat non alcoholic beverages more often. But I gotta tell you, like, just every interaction was different, you know, whether it was, like, going on dates or hanging out with friends or just being mindful about how I was spending my time, I think that, you know, especially, like, in your twenties, and I should say, for me, I would spend a lot of nights, like, very late nights, and I just. The time kind of escapes you when you're drinking. And when you're not drinking, you're just much more aware of your surroundings and really how you're spending your time in with film.
[00:14:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I think sleep, like you said, that was number one for you, getting such a quality sleep. You hear people say, like, wow, it's just so delicious. I never realized how sleep deprived I was till I gave up drinking. And I always say, like, honestly, like, 4 hours of alcohol free sleep is better than 10 hours of alcohol fueled sleep. Right. You just. I mean, it really does mess with your sleep and that mindfulness and that time, like, it's. It plays with time. When. When you give up drinking, whether you're done or it's just a break, like, all of a sudden, it's like, whoa, I have so much more time on my hands. How do I want to spend it? Who do I want to spend it with? What do I want to do? It's just really interesting.
[00:14:57] Speaker C: Yeah, it really is. So that was a big lesson to learn in the best way.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: Yeah. And you carried that forward with you, which I think is really cool.
[00:15:08] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. Definitely.
[00:15:11] Speaker B: Well, what are, like, some of your top tips for people? Like, this is coming out the very beginning of July, very beginning of the month. Like, what are some tips that you recommend so that you can have a successful dry month?
[00:15:25] Speaker C: So I'm gonna actually, I usually start off with a tip that, well, I'll tell you anyway, is to do it with a friend. I think that it's important to, you know, have somebody not only who understands, like, what you're going through and also who can support you and vice versa, but I think there are, there is strength in numbers, and there are so many activities that you can do with people that don't involve alcohol. So it's great to have somebody that you can plan activities with, you know, especially in July. I mean, it's summertime, so we all want to be outside, and sometimes that's the beach or that's, you know, going for a walk, or maybe it's water sports, if that's available to you. But I think that's a really important one because there will be a lot of naysayers and, you know, knowing that you have somebody that you can vent to or just, you know, chat with about the ups and downs is very helpful. The other thing that I was going to say, because it is July, and obviously July 4 is a pretty big drinking holiday, I will say that if you start on July 1 and you find yourself drinking on the fourth or during that weekend, I. Just because you have, you know, one drink or few does not mean that all is lost. You can pick it up on the fifth, the 6th, the 7th. You could start your dry month on the 7th. You know, you have to be easy on yourself because giving up alcohol, number one, is difficult. Alcohol is everywhere. And especially if you are not yet equipped with the tools to, you know, not drink a then you don't want to become overwhelmed and, and feel like, oh, I need to throw in the towel because I. I messed up. So just.
Just bear in mind that, you know, you can always start over. And it's important to be kind to yourself during those times, too, because it's not easy. That's, you know, that's the basis. The third thing I would say is to opt for non alcoholic beverages. So if you are somebody who, you know, wants to have a glass of something in your hand, I would definitely recommend. There's this new elixir called Duomo. D o apostrophe mo. And they have, like, 17 functional beverages within and three, like, amazingly delicious flavors. And it's in a can, so it's great. You can just, like, bring it anywhere on the go. There's a few bars in New York that actually carry it. And I. Some bottle shops, too. I would say if you're, like, going to a party, like, bring those options with you. So again, there's, you know, another brand, free spirits, that makes non alcoholic margaritas in a can. And they also have non alcoholic spirits. So if your friends like to, you know, concoct something or you want to make the non alcoholic version of what anybody else is drinking, I would absolutely recommend, you know, buying some of those and bringing them with you.
And another tip of mine also is this app called better without.
You can actually, doesn't matter where you live or where you're traveling, you can put in your destination or your location, and you can find bars that serve non alcoholic beverages. So whether they have a non alcoholic cocktail menu or they have, you know, non alcoholic beers that you can just kind of already to drink, you know, options, I think that is a really useful tool, especially if, like, you're with people who are also drinking, because then you can get what you want and they can get what they want. And. Yeah, I feel like those are my most helpful tips. Yeah. I also think it's just important to plan ahead, like, whether that is envisioning what your day or night is going to look like, if you're going to a party or if you're going out, or if it means to kind of take the reins in your friend group and organize what activity you're doing to ensure that everyone is comfortable and it's an inclusive experience. I think that's important. And, yeah, the more you know what you're going into, the better that you can prepare.
[00:19:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Thank you. So you had, your tips were find a friend, do it with a friend. Be kind to yourself. If you do drink, just recognize. You can keep on going. You can start over. Be kind. I love that.
Have na beverages. Different options for you. Check out that app. Better without. That's cool. I'd never heard of that.
[00:20:05] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: And plan ahead.
[00:20:08] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:08] Speaker B: And what I like about your, your, all of those are really about kind of socializing.
[00:20:14] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:15] Speaker B: Interesting. So it's not like you're cutting off socializing or hanging out with your friends. You're still with them, but in a different way and maybe doing different things.
[00:20:25] Speaker C: Totally. Because I think in, at least from my perspective, in a vacuum, you know, there were a few days where I may have been like, oh, I don't know if I want to go out, but it was more so, like, I recognized that I didn't want to be in a position where people were over consuming, and I was kind of bored. Right. It wasn't necessarily out of the sense of like, oh, I think I'm gonna drink. Because I was, you know, socializing. I was still having fun, but I was able to pick and choose what I wanted to do. But I do think that for a lot of people, they decide to stay home due to, you know, peer pressure, like, and other elements. But, yeah, I'm all about just living your life as you would, just separating alcohol consumption from it.
[00:21:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And then how do you deal with the naysayers or the peer pressure, those.
[00:21:22] Speaker C: Kinds of challenges at this stage, almost nine years later, I think that people recognize that I'm not going to drink at a social function, and I also think that it is much more well accepted. Like, people are just more inclusive with their menus. And also, at least in New York, I shouldn't say everywhere, and sometimes not in New York either. But, you know, thankfully, that's changing. But in the earlier days, I had different responses for different people when I was on dates, I think that the men that I was seeing would actually become more supportive. When I mentioned that I had a bet going and that I needed to essentially beat my friend, and they would say, okay, like, we're gonna rally behind you, um, and, you know, we're going to support you so that you can win. Whereas I think sometimes if it was a close friend, even, which is crazy, back then, some people would say, you know, like, you're going to drink on February 1? Like, what's the point? And for me, I would say, like, I just want to see, like, if I do drink on tub dory first, then I'll drink with you. Great. Like, we have a date. But other than that, I would just say, like, let me see, like, you know, or if it was past a certain point, I would say, like, my sleep is so much better. I want to continue this. Or, like, I'm almost done with my challenge. Like, I'm feeling so accomplished. It just kind of would depend. And I think for people who maybe were acquaintances that I would meet at a bar or a party, and, you know, I just wouldn't bring it up. I would just be sipping my, you know, sparkling water that looks like a vodka soda and just not even engage in the conversation. So different strategies for different people. Different, you know, times of the month had different responses just depending on, you know, where I was in my challenge and. And how much I wanted to engage in that conversation with that specific person.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: Yeah, that makes sense. And I think it's like it's taking any stigma out of it and making it more of, like, about your health or. I love that it started on a bet and that kind of kept you going. And I get where people would be like, oh, yeah, let's help you win this bet. I think there have been some other kind of apps or challenges where you kind of use that kind of betting mindset or you put money towards your goal or things like that with weight loss. I know there's been some other kind of challenges related to that.
[00:24:04] Speaker C: Totally. And I think we talk a lot about the health benefits of giving up alcohol, but there are so many financial benefits, too. I think that people can also use that as motivation to pay off loans or to plantain, you know, really fun, unique vacation. Whereas instead of your spending. Instead of spending so many dollars on pricey cocktails, on transportation, on, you know, the munchy foods that you're eating afterwards and hangover cures the next morning, you can really pull that money and, you know, put it into savings or, you know, invest it or even just save up and, like, go live your life and do something fun. So, yeah, it's just. There's so many perks.
[00:24:55] Speaker B: Yeah. The financial one is a big one, that's for sure. And it's the hidden cost, too, like you said. What do you think makes people give up and just be like, fuck it.
[00:25:06] Speaker C: When you're talking, oh, my gosh, there are so many reasons. I think, one being one, peer pressure. Two, I think a lot of it is habitual. You know, people come home from a long day of work, they want to pop open a bottle of wine, or they go to a happy hour with their friends, and it's just kind of part of their routine? I think another is just stress. Like life stresses. And again, it kind of goes back to maybe not the day to day, like habitual, like regimen of every day, like having something at the end of your day or that sort of thing. But I think that alcohol is a really unique substance because it's something that we use to celebrate. It's used to mourn loss or, you know, cope with stress in a lot of cases. And I think that people have just learned that that is their quote unquote solution. And so, you know, if something devastating happens during your dry month, and that's that could be something, you know, a trigger to turn to booze, and same thing with, like, you know, something really great happens, or we're just. We're just so programmed to say, like, let's get a bottle of champagne, and, like, you know, cheers to this. So I think there are a lot of reasons. You know, in my friend's case, when he lost, he was peer pressured by a girl at a bar. He met someone, and he was completely sober, and she was cute, and she was gonna leave with her friends, and he said, no, stay. I wanna, like, continue talking to you. And she said, well, I'm not gonna drink by myself, so it could be, you know, a number of reasons. I think everyone is different.
[00:26:48] Speaker B: Yeah. And then how do you keep the motivation going? How do you get back on track?
[00:26:56] Speaker C: Well, I think, for me, there were a few things going on that first year. Obviously, the bet was very motivating because I didn't want to drop $1,000 on a dinner as a freelance writer in New York City. Another was just as I started seeing results in real time after ten days, recognizing that my sleep was improving so much or my skin was clearing up. And at that time, I was also writing about beauty and beauty products and using all these different face creams and serums, and I was like, wow. All I had to do was, you know, stop drinking for two weeks. Great. I think, yeah. Seeing the results, I think also recognizing that as I was continuing on this journey, that every time I said no, I just felt, like, better and stronger about it. I think the first few times, you know, it's like talking about yourself in front of a group of people. The first time you might be nervous or you might feel like, wow, this is so outside myself. But after a while, you build that muscle and you realize I can say what I mean and that people will, you know, respect it, especially if you say it with, like, authority and, like, you're owning it, instead of saying, oh, no, I don't really think I should drink. If you say, like, I'm not drinking right now because I'm doing a dry month, you might get some pushback, as I did. But I. I think certainly people are more inclined to respect your decisions. So. Yeah, yeah.
[00:28:26] Speaker B: Well, and just out of curiosity, like, what with all, you know, like, about being alcohol free and whatnot, what makes you, like, go back to drinking?
[00:28:38] Speaker C: You know, it's a really interesting question. At this stage in my life, you know, I've gone, like, six plus months without a drink, and every now and then, I will want to have a little bit of wine. And I've noticed as I become a self proclaimed, like, non alcoholic beverage connoisseur, I find myself wanting to compare the foolproof version with the zero proof version or the alcohol removed version. And so that's one reason, is that I never want to get too far away from making a suggestion to somebody that me saying, like, this tastes like x, y, and z, and somebody else being like, you absolutely have no idea what you're talking about. So that's partly it. But also, you know, I think that maybe there will be a day where, you know, I never drink again, but as of now, like, at the most, I probably will have, like, a glass of wine or, like, a half a glass of wine, and that's enough. Like, I'm not, you know, I can kind of end it there and go on my merry way. So just depends.
[00:29:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I was just generally curious. I mean, I forever was, like, trying to find the secret pill, the secret magic to moderation.
And then for me, like, one was never enough. Like, I'd rather have none than one. And so once I could finally get to the point where I was like, you know what? I'm done. But, you know, I was in my forties. Yeah, and you're young. But I did do a lot of dry months, starting when I was in college. Well, actually, I guess I had graduated from college by then, but starting really young, I would do dry months, but then I'd go back to it, but then it just became unmanageable for me, and it just wasn't enough. Like, I'd never wanted one. Yeah. So I was just curious.
But I think, you know, I think I needed. Well, I know I needed those dry months. I needed those day ones. I needed that kind of understanding the knowledge of what alcohol was doing for me personally, and then learning about it as well, just getting the education about it to where I could finally get to a point where I was done with it and feel free about it. Not that I, you know, it wasn't like, I can't drink. It's like, I don't drink. Like, I choose to be alcohol free. And that's a big difference. But I think also, going back to your point when you were talking about people doing their dry months and when they're talking to other people, like, I'm not drinking this month. Like, really owning your decision, even if you're just taking a break for the month or for the holiday. Like, hey, I've never done a sober. July 4. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna see what it's like.
Yeah, very cool.
[00:31:45] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:31:46] Speaker B: And then what would you say you've seen change, like, in society? Like, alcohol's the view of alcohol, and you're kind of in it. You're in the entertainment, the food and beverage industry. Like, what have you changed, seen change throughout the years?
[00:32:02] Speaker C: So before I get into that, I just also wanted to add, I think that it's important to note that dry months, dry challenges, and any kind of, you know, sober curious quest is not for people in recovery or seeking recovery or, you know, looking for a program. I think that it's definitely great for people who are looking to lessen their alcohol intake and maybe potentially give it up forever. But I just always want to say that my literature specifically for the dry challenge and going dry is really not, you know, I'm not a medical expert, so I cannot claim to solve any of those predicaments. So, as you were asking, though, I think that it has changed, like, so much. I think, oh, my God. When I started doing dry januarys, there were no non alcoholic menu items. If I wanted something that was non alcoholic, maybe the menu said orange juice or Diet Coke, I would have to go to a bartender, specifically ask them to make a recipe, sometimes give them a recipe. And I think that the tone was different back then. In 2017, I think that people really, it was believed that sobriety was black and white. You either were in recovery or you were, you know, socially drinking and perhaps functioning. Right.
I think that now people understand that there's a little bit of an in between, that just because you don't drink doesn't mean that you are in recovery or that you're pregnant or whatever else that people have asked me, you know, over the past nine years. I also think that there's just, like, a much bigger tolerance for people being respectful of other people's decisions to consume, which I didn't feel the first time, you know, in my. In my dry challenge. But, yeah, now there are so many non alcoholic beverage brands. You know, Gen Z doesn't drink as much as. As millennials, and certainly not as much as Gen X or the generations before them. And I think the tides are shifting. I shouldn't say turning, because I think that they already have shifted quite a bit. But I think that it's really hard to escape these days how binded to health and wellness that people are. And you can't deny the.
Almost like, you can't deny the evidence that alcohol is just not good for you. We used to see these magazine articles that said that red wine is good for you, or a little bit of this, or a little bit of that. And yeah, I think it's just. It's evident that it's not a health product. So it's more and more, I think, that people are looking to be their healthiest selves and people are really into longevity, and I think it just doesn't fit the bill for them anymore, on a personal level.
[00:35:25] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And it's such a good time to be sober curious, or to give up drinking altogether. And, yeah, it can be a health and wellness conversation. It doesn't have to be because you're broken or you're morally fall flawed or that you even have a drinking problem. Right?
Anyone can give up drinking.
[00:35:48] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. And for, you know, whatever reason or no reason at all. And I think, you know, it's really interesting, because I have worked with a number of restaurants and bars and hotels to make their menus more inclusive for people, regardless of what their drinking status is. And I think it's so important to have that option on the menu in plain sight that you can point to an order and say, I want this. Even though plenty of bars, plenty of restaurants, plenty of hotels can make those non alcoholic cocktails. I think just having the permission to ask and know that it's available is so important because if you walk into an italian restaurant and they, they have so many, you know, different pastas and. And entrees on the menu, and you're really craving an eggplant parm, but it's not there, you're not going to ask for it. It's just, you know, having that visibility. So, yeah, I think. And, you know, dry tripping is like a huge trend now in the travel sector. I was recently in Jackson Hole, and the four seasons there actually just added two non alcoholic lines by Giessen to their menu. And obviously, Jackson Hole is a great place to go dry tripping. They have the mountains and you can hike and climb, and you can go on safaris and see different wildlife all in their element. And especially if you're getting up, like, I got up, I think, at like five in the morning. No, five in the morning. 530 in the morning. I don't know. I was up really early to go see these things. Like, you have no business being hungover during those excursions. So, yeah, I think it's great. I mean, why in my mind, why pay for a vacation when you're gonna physically feel miserable, right? You wanna feel your best, you wanna feel energized. You wanna feel relaxed. And I think more and more people are recognizing that and participating in sober vacations.
[00:37:50] Speaker B: I love that. I'd never heard dry tripping. I was like, oh. Because, yeah, traveling, for me, was one of the. One of my biggest triggers to, like, go back to drinking. And now you know that I'm having sober vacations now that I'm dry tripping.
[00:38:09] Speaker C: You're gonna use this a lot now.
[00:38:11] Speaker B: Better, right? They're so much better. And just thinking about how many vacations I was being wasted, being hungover, like, oh, my gosh. Yeah, yeah. Very cool.
[00:38:26] Speaker C: Yeah, you want to experience your vacations to the fullest, and flying is just so dehydrating to begin with. So if you're adding alcohol to that combination, like, forget it, your body is going to be hurting.
[00:38:42] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Very cool. Well, tell us about going dry co. What is that?
[00:38:49] Speaker C: So, going dry Co. Is a non alcoholic event and menu curation platform. So I have taken it upon myself to throw a number of non alcoholic events, mostly in New York City, but I've also done them in LA and Charleston, Atlanta, where some of them are private and open to just journalists and influencers to educate them about non alcoholic options and kind of just share a non alcoholic beverage, but also an activity. So, like, we've done stuff with Berry's bootcamp and f 45 training, if you're familiar, both workout studios, and we've also had, you know, rooftop soirees at a place called unlisted in the Lower east side. And we just try to make these events, and by we, I mean me, fun for everyone so that they will, you know, recognize they can socialize and they can, you know, network and make friends and. And have a great time without booze. So, yeah, awesome.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: That's awesome. And then you have. Tell us about the books. You have the one you have now and then the workbook that's coming out.
[00:40:03] Speaker C: Yeah. So the dry challenge was, my first book came out in December of 2020, and it was all about, it is all about how to do dry month. It's about the benefits that you feel physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and really tips on how to do it and why they work.
Going dry is coming out September 3, and it's a workbook. And instead of me telling people this is how it's done, here is my advice. It is instead more about the reader so they can take notes. There are more than 70 prompts and exercises that are interactive so people can, you know, carry it around or fill it in once a day or once you know, a week and really reflect on their experiences as they are going dry.
[00:40:51] Speaker B: Awesome. Yay. Well, thank you. Thank you for being part of this movement and helping people, writing those books, having those events, just making it more fun, making dry months suck less, right?
[00:41:06] Speaker C: No, but, like, actually making them so much more fun and better.
Absolutely.
[00:41:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:41:13] Speaker C: I just, like, man, I look back on, you know, before all this, and I'm like, how did I have the time and the day and the energy? And I didn't, like, I didn't. So.
[00:41:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And I think it, you know, really a focus on not what you're giving.
[00:41:29] Speaker C: Up, but what you're gaining a million percent.
[00:41:33] Speaker B: Awesome. Well, it was so nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to that new workbook coming out and any, like, future collabs or any way I can help you or we can help each other because this is a movement and it's awesome.
[00:41:49] Speaker C: Definitely. I will definitely be in touch. And, yeah, I'm excited.
[00:41:53] Speaker B: Awesome. Well, thank you so much.
[00:41:56] Speaker C: Thank you. This was great.
[00:41:59] Speaker A: Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Alcohol Tipping Point podcast.
[00:42:04] Speaker B: Please share and review the show so.
[00:42:06] Speaker A: You can help other people, too. I want you to know I'm always here for you. So please reach out and talk to me on Instagram at alcoholtippingpoint and check out my website, alcoholtippingpoint.com, for free resources and help. No matter where you are on your drinking journey, I want to encourage you to just keep practicing, keep going. I promise you are not alone and.
[00:42:28] Speaker B: You are worth it.
[00:42:30] Speaker A: Every day you practice not drinking is a day you can learn from. I hope you can use these tips we talked about for the rest of your week. And until then, talk to you next time.
