I’m Shelley and my husband Greg and I are partners in life, music, and adventure. We met in college, bonding over our shared love of live music (thank you, Grateful Dead!). Greg’s a chef, which means he’s spent most of his life in restaurants where alcohol practically flows through the air vents. We were wine lovers and brewpub enthusiasts, planning entire vacations around alcohol. It was a huge part of who we were—so much so that never in a million years did I think I’d be running a business based on not drinking.

After my kids were born in the early 2000s, I got sucked into the whole mommy wine culture—like so many moms, wine became my go-to. It got me through the good times, the bad times, and, well, all the times. But after 30+ years of drinking, the charm started to fade. Maybe it was because my kids were off to college and I didn’t need to numb things as much. Maybe it was because I felt like garbage every day. The brain fog was real. My body hurt. I’d wake up swearing, “Today is the day. I’m done.” Only to crack open a bottle (or, let’s be honest, a box) of wine by evening. The thought of quitting? Terrifying. Would I lose my identity? Would people still like me? Would I even like myself? It was time to find out.

That was about five years ago. And while I’d love to say I quit cold turkey and have been sober ever since, yeah… that’s not what happened. I had a lot of Day 1s. Some long streaks (eight months was my best run). I’d start feeling good and think, “I’ve got this! I can totally moderate!” And—shocker—I couldn’t. Before I knew it, I was back at square one. Eventually, I had to face the truth: I’m an all-or-nothing kind of person. And for me, the only real choice was nothing.
At the same time, Greg was hitting a breaking point with work—stressful, toxic, and soaked in alcohol. He was ready for a change, too. So, we decided to take the plunge together.

We knew that if we were going to make sobriety stick, we needed legit options. So, we dove headfirst into the world of NA beer and—whoa—they’ve come a long way. Being able to crack open a beer without the hangover? Game. Changer. But when we went out, it was another story.

On trips to NYC and Boston, we were determined to hunt down the best bars with real NA options. Spoiler alert: it was way harder than expected. We found a few gems, but far too many places acted like “sober” meant drinking tap water with a side of sadness. The only options? Soda. Coffee. Maybe lemonade. And, of course, Heineken 0. Seriously? That’s the best you can do? Oh, and don’t even try and take a “sober vacation”. You will end up at a beach-side rehab center before you know what hit you…