1. Dry January

The mocktail world is bigger than you know.

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What I talked about
We Are Raising The Bar https://weareraisingthebar.com/
Free Spirits https://drinkfreespirits.com/
Amethyst Spirits https://amethystnaspirits.com/
Fre Wines https://www.frewines.com/
Athletic Brewing Company https://athleticbrewing.com/

Transcript

0:07

Hello and welcome to another episode of Rebecca in Progress where I, Rebecca, share my journey of like growth, creativity, and figuring it all out one step at a time. Uh, I did Dry January, we're gonna talk about it. If you do not know what Dry January is, simply put, it is a month long challenge where people stop drinking alcohol. Um. You do it for all different kinds of reasons. It's mostly like just like reset your habits and see how it impacts your life. Um, a lot of people do it to like improve their physical health. Like, better sleep and more energy. Um, a lot of people do it to, like, save money, maybe gain some mental clarity. Maybe you want to do it to, like, re evaluate your relationship with alcohol, explore healthier ways to socialize, and just, like, challenge the drinking culture around you, your own drinking culture, stuff like that. Uh, it's just, like, it's really about, like, personal growth, mental health, and just, like, starting the year with a new perspective. There's so many reasons why people do it. Um, now I want to preface really quickly, By saying, one, I'm Cali sober, which just means I'm still consuming cannabis, I'm just not drinking alcohol. Um, when I told my stepdad I was going sober for the month, he was like, why? What does that even mean? You smoke a lot of weed? Like, shut up, sir. Mind your business. I'm not drinking, okay? That's what I said. Um, and then, um, the second thing that I want to say is, I have a pretty good relationship with alcohol, and I really don't even drink very often. Um, I just kind of figured it would be like, interesting to do. Um, I didn't think me being sober for a month would be especially hard. I just thought it'd be interesting, uh, maybe some personal growth, maybe learn a little something about me, and also just, like, to kind of do a challenge. Let me tell you, it was very, very challenging. Very challenging! Um, Now my reasons for quitting are like boring and the main one is health and even that's like boring. It's not, like, I didn't have a doctor being like, you gotta cut back. Like, that wasn't it. It was just like, I'm 35 and my stomach hurts when I drink alcohol now. I just can't handle it the same way I used to. I feel like bloated and like heartburn and like worst of all stomach problems. It's mostly stomach problems. It's mostly my stomach hurts and my head hurts. I've started getting just like the worst hangovers recently. And that alone, not feeling a hangover again is enough reason, in my opinion, to quit drinking. That's all I needed. That's all one needs. If someone told me that's why they stopped drinking, I'd be like, yeah, good for you. Love that. Um, but like I said, I can't even handle it anymore. Like, when I was in college, oof, I used to drink a lot. I was having a fun time when I was in college. In my early 20s, it was really fun. For my best friend's 36th birthday, heh. So, November of this last year, of November 2024, we went out for tacos and margs because we are millennials and that's what we do. Tacos and margs. And I had one margarita. It was very strong. I took, like, the first sip and I was like, Oh, God. I guess I'm only gonna get one of those. And it was great. Oh, my God. It was such a good margarita. I also had to go lay down at home afterwards. I felt no even inkling of being drunk. But I felt ill. That's the best way to describe it. I felt ill after drinking that one single margarita. I just can't handle it. And then, because I don't handle it well as I used to, I also just like, don't get drunk anymore. I have no interest, truthfully, in getting drunk. It has to be a very special sort of occasion for me to be interested in getting drunk. Um, I don't, I also don't go out to bars very often. The parties I go to are just like, not there. The same sort of parties that I used to go to when I was in my 20s. Um, I just, I don't know. I just don't really need to. I'm not really interested in it. I've just kind of outgrown it. I don't even remember if I ever even got drunk in 2024. I was hungover for sure in 2024 on a couple occasions, but I was not, um, drunk at any point in time. And then, I don't know, this makes me sound old, but like, logistically, drinking is so much harder than it used to be. Like, if I'm just drinking at home, if I'm just like, on the reservation, I'm at my cousin's house down the road, whatever, you can whatever, I can get home. But like, if I'm going off res, God forbid I go to the city, how am I getting there? How long is it gonna take me to get there? What do I have to do the next day? Ugh, that sucks. I will get into the story further later on, but. Like, I went out to do something fun, and then I had something to do the next day, and like, I just got so little sleep, I was on the train forever, and I was just like, very agitated, and then the next day I was just like, agitated, and I had something to do that day. Um. And so, like, drinking makes it more complicated, like, if I had drank at this thing I was at, I would have been agitated and ill the next day when I was busy. Um, so logistically, it's just like, it's, it's harder, there's so many reasons why I don't drink, uh, why I wanted to not drink. But, alcohol's also like, super, super fun. I'm not even gonna lie. Drinking is fun, and activities where drinking is encouraged tend to be incredibly fun. I think for years now, I've gone weeks, maybe a month or two, without drinking, and I didn't even realize, um, But like, I'm sorry, but sometimes a drink is a vibe. Sometimes a drink is just part of the vibe and you gotta do it. Um, there's a clip that I wanted to put in But I decided to just quote it instead. So, it is, uh, Bert Keschler. I don't even know if I should say that guy's name. He's a comedian. You do not have to look him up if you don't know who he is. Like, he's funny, I guess, or whatever. But he's definitely, like, a drunk, weird man. And he was on a podcast, and they probably, like, asked him about his drinking. And this is what he said. I'm just gonna quote it. Um, he said, I will never quit drinking. I will always make sure I can keep my body healthy enough so I can always drink. I love seeing a sunrise with a cocktail, seeing a sunset with a cocktail, having friends walk into your house with a bottle of wine, getting on a plane. Can I get you something, sir? Double jack on the rocks. Extra rocks. I love the moment where someone says, maybe we should get a drink and you're not supposed to. That feeling, it's like a first kiss. You don't get that first kiss anymore when you're married. You do get to have first drinks though. At a brunch, someone goes, Should we get mimosas? And the waiter goes, Actually, we have bottomless mimosas. And you're like, oh my god, this is gonna be the best day ever. So he says that on the podcast. I don't know what podcast it is. I only ever saw the clip of it. I never looked into it. But he says that on the podcast. And the two hosts are like, Dude, you fuckin riled me up, man. I wanna have a drink. And like, even reading that, it does make me wanna have a drink. And he did rile He was good. He made it sound so fun. Um, and it is fun, except after every single one of those things, my stomach would hurt. It isn't worth it. I don't know. Uh, so, you know, I had reasons for, for wanting to do it, and I knew it was going to be hard. Um, but I figured I could do it and I can learn something, um, about myself. And if nothing else, I could create some content and I could make this podcast episode. Um, We could just talk about it and what I had to go through and what I learned. So here we go. Here's the episode. My experience with Drag January. Um, it was harder than I thought it was gonna be. Uh, because there's so much socialization. And I think that's probably a reason why you also do it in January. There's just like so much going on. Um, and I did so much socialization. And so much of that socialization involved, uh, fun drinks, people drinking. And, um, I was very annoyed. That I was sober on a number of days in January. I'm gonna tell you about some of those days in detail and why I was so annoyed. Um, it was harder than I thought it was gonna be, guys. Uh, January 3rd, so three days in. And it wasn't even the first time I got tempted. But on January 3rd, I went to a birthday dinner for one of my friends in New York City. Um, we went to this like really nice restaurant. Um, it was one of those restaurants where like all the entrees are 35. And those kind of restaurants always do have a really nice cocktail menu. And I know that cocktails is kind of part of the vibe of this restaurant and why you go to it. Um, you know, and there was a bunch of us and everybody ordered three cocktails and that's what you do. Um, Luckily, there was some mocktails on the menu, so I was able to, like, participate, and I got myself two 20 mocktails. And I must say, they were not worth the 20. They tasted okay, but not enough for 20. But they did allow me to, like, pretend that I was drinking with everyone else. Like, I wasn't just, like, sitting there with, like, a club soda or whatever. Like, I did have a fancy cup with a fancy drink in it, the same as everybody else. And so, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was still pretty annoying. But the most annoying part of it, actually there was two really annoying parts of it, and the first one was that me and my friends, uh, we share food and drink. That's how we do. So, you know, it is really annoying to sit there, and because you decided to do a silly challenge for no reason, just have to watch as people pass these drinks that you so desperately want to try past your face. It's not fair. Okay, I wanted to try the mushroom old fashioned. My friend said it was boring, but like, I wanted to try it. and then the second reason is because, like, at least one other person was doing Dry January, and they decided to put a hold on it for that day. And that's fine. Like, it's their reasons. We did talk about it. I didn't like, confront her. I wasn't like, why are you drinking? You said you weren't gonna drink this month. But like, you know, we talked about it like a couple weeks later. Like, she brought it up. And, um, you know, so we talked about our reasons, and we had different reasons, and we had different ways that we were doing it. And like, that's fine. I don't care. I genuinely don't care what anybody else is doing with their sobriety. Do whatever you want. Um, It's just that I was doing something and then it just kind of made it harder that I was the only person doing it even though like at least one or two other people Said they were gonna do it. And then it was like really annoying because you know as these drinks are being passed around and i'm watching everybody have them It was like I just want a sip Like what if I just took a sip? I absolutely thought about it I thought about it before I thought about it during like what if I just had a sip of everybody's drink? I don't think that counts I didn't though Um, and it was hard, but I didn't do that. I didn't have a single drink, I just drank two 20 boring mocktails that I could have just got a ginger ale and been happier with. Um, and then another day, like two weeks after that, I went into New York City again. All of these stories are New York City stories, but this could have literally happened anywhere. But, like, two weeks later I went into the city, um, to a industry party, an art artist party. I would like to shout out First Nations Performing Arts for hiring me two years in a row to take photos of your New York City Winter Party. I have so much fun. I meet so many cool people. The music's always a vibe. The food is always a vibe. Please invite me back. I have so much fun. And I really like all the photos that I take for you guys. And there was a bar, cause it was a party. And, like, I was working, technically. Like, I mean not technically, I was working. I was working, um, but like, I could've had a drink. Like, I don't think they cared if I had like one drink. As long as I wasn't like plastered, I don't think they cared as long as I was getting my job done. Um, And then, you know, I also could have also just like grabbed one when I was done because I stopped taking photos and there was a DJ and I was just like dancing with my friends and having a really fun time and they were all drinking, um, and then, you know, it was just like one line for the bartender and the bartender had beer and water and your girl loves a beer, okay, I love a beer, dance into some oomps oomps music while like drinking a beer like a vodka soda, that's like so much fun. Um, but, at this event, they did have some non alcoholic options that were good. Um, they had these canned mocktails from this company called Free AF. Also, as usual, every brand that I talk about in detail, in name, I will link them in the show notes. But so, Free AF, um, had, Some cans there. I think they had like a mojito and Aperol spritz. Oh, no, it was spritz and They were really good. I really enjoyed them and it was really thoughtful of the events planners I think most likely was just Danielle. Danielle if that was your decision, I love you for that or if it was bartender's decision I don't know but like it was more thoughtful and more accommodating than a lot of the restaurants I have been in recently So, that was really nice. And then, a couple days later, I had to go back into the city. I live about two hours away from New York City. So, two days later, I had to go back into New York City, um, because me and some of my girls went to go see Giggly Squad live at Radio City Music Hall. Giggly Squad is like another podcast. It's very fun to listen to. It's just like two girls giggling, you know, kiki ing it up. But anyway, me and my girls went to go see Giggly Squad and we had dinner first, because that's what you do with your girls. And when you're out with your girls and you go have dinner before a show, you go to a fun restaurant, and it was a restaurant I had been to before, and I had the cocktails at this restaurant before, and I knew they are good cocktails. And uh, they did not have any mocktails on the menu. I did ask my waiter if there were any non alcoholic, um, options. And he was basically like, you could order whatever you want off of there and we'll just make it non alcoholic. But I do suggest this drink. So I ordered whatever drink he suggested to me. And I'm pretty sure it was just pineapple juice and orange juice and like, a Manichero cherry and a garnish. And it was 15. Not worth it. I mean it was tasty, but it was like, I'm drinking orange juice at a bar for 15 bucks. Um, and then we went to the show, and you know, when you go to a show you have a drink, and uh, that's just the way God and the Creator intended. You have a drink at a show, and instead of having my normal white claw, which is what I did like a month before when I went to Radio City to see a podcast, um, I had water. Boring. And then, um, later on we left the show and we went to a bar because that's also what you do with your friends. And at the bar I had a Shirley Temple. Which is not a complaint because I do love Shirley Temples. I had a lot of Shirley Temples over the last month. Um, but when I left and I was the first person to leave and it wasn't about like the bar or what we were doing. It was just because I had to like catch my train and my friends stayed for like a while after that. And I saw while I was on the train, and I was stone cold sober, well that's a lie, You know, I had not drank any alcohol, but I did have a vape pen in my pocket So, you know, I was mostly sober And I see on their Instagram stories That they ordered a round of shots after I left How dare you? I can picture Garena Garena being like, oh my god let's get shots And then Christine and Kat being like, yeah, let's do that. And like, first of all, how dare you? How dare you wait until I was gone to like, do a fun thing but also, thank you for waiting until I was gone because it was only 17 days into my sobriety and I don't know if I have the willpower to say no to my friends drinking tequila shots at a bar in New York City. Like, that's crazy. I don't think I have that willpower. And so I'm glad that they did it after I left, and I know that if I had taken a tequila shot, if I had gotten a drink, if I had a sip of my friend's espresso martinis, if I had had a beer, if I had a gin and tonic somewhere, if I had had that mushroom old fashioned at that stupid restaurant, I would have had a stomach ache. And I wouldn't have felt good the next day. And, you know what? I didn't have a stomachache and I felt pretty good the next day. And those were just like three examples of that month. There were so many other days when things happened. You know, when I went to a dinner, I went to a birthday party, and I went to some sort of gathering, and like something fun, and I didn't drink. It was hard to do all of those things, but I did them all and, um, because they were opportunities to, like, prove to myself that I have self control and that I could, like, resist my urges that, like, my human brain is stronger than my monkey brain and I could say, no, I'm not gonna have that drink even though it looks really fun. I'm gonna prioritize my health over, like, my fun ness. Um. And so, like, yeah, I was, like, really annoyed I couldn't drink all those times, but I was, like, also really proud of myself that I stuck to my word, I was really proud of myself, and I am still really proud of myself that I had this goal in mind, and that I completed the goal. Like, I did it, and I'm just, uh, how can you not be proud of yourself after that? And how I did it this last month? I drank a lot of Shirley Temples, first off. Um, the big thing It's drinking Shirley Temple's. A bartender will make you a Shirley Temple. They might be annoyed, but like, they'll do it. And I, it's not a complaint, because I've always loved Shirley Temple's. Like, always. Oh, and when I say I've always loved Shirley Temple's, I genuinely mean it. Um, when I was a kid, I, my grandfather, I'm like an only child of an only child, so my grandfather would take his only grandchild, me, an annoying little child, me, to these, to like his work parties or whatever, or like, I don't know, we just used to go to like, Parties. In the catering hall of a restaurant. And he would always be like, Go to the bar and get yourself a drink. And I'm like, six. And I'm like, what am I supposed to do? He's like, go get a Shirley Temple. And I grew up doing that with my grandfather and I always thought it was really fun. And I always liked the Shirley Temples. One, they're tasty. Two, they're like, Fun. Like, you get to participate in the drinking culture without having to drink, and I loved that even when I was a little kid, right? Like, you get a fun drink in a fun glass with a fun garnish. It's, it's fun, it's a vibe, it's a mood, and I love a vibe and a mood. I'm a vibe and a mood type of girl. And, um, but it was in Australia Temples, and I learned, one, in January, but also in the couple months leading up, um, Like I said, I cut back on alcohol a couple years ago, and I have been more aware of the options there are. I just, like, don't always look for them, and I don't always order them. But in January, I did look for all of them, and I ordered all of them. Late summer, 2024, I went to Portland, Oregon. And every, like, restaurant and bar and even, like, brewery that we went to had non alcoholic options. All of them. And they weren't just like, you know, here's the same drink without alcohol in it. They were, like, complex and thoughtfully made drinks. They were, you know, familiar drinks. Things that you were used to. But they had been made with the intention of it not having alcohol in it, so it had to have something else in it. Like, we went out to dinner one day, I don't remember the name of the restaurant, sorry, but like, I had a non alcoholic mojito, and um, so they left out the alcohol, but they also, and I'm sure there was more, but They also poured sesame oil down the straw, so you had this extra taste, and it took me like a couple sips. But then I was like, this is amazing, and I need to learn to make this. It's so good. It was, it was like a really, really good drink. And so like sometimes you go to a bar and a restaurant and they have stuff. They have these thoughtful drinks, or sometimes they might have like, a non alcoholic. liquor, or you can also buy those in stores. And so, um, I call them non alcoholic, but really it's a zero proof alcohol. Sometimes they're called like non alcoholic and sometimes they're called like alcohol free, but they're mostly called like zero proof alcohol Because it mimics the flavor and experience of a traditional alcohol spirit but it can't taste like little to no alcohol and they normally called zero proof because it's almost always 0. 5 percent ABV, so it's less than 0%, but it's still technically alcohol, they just somehow took a bunch of the alcohol out of it. Um, and there's a lot of different brands out there. The first one that I got my hands on, and this is the first non alcoholic thing I've tried, and it set a very high bar for me, honestly, I got this zero proof bourbon from this company called Free Spirits, and it is just, it is bourbon. It tastes like, if you drink it straight, because obviously you have to try it straight, um, when you get the bottle, I tried it straight and it genuinely tasted like a really strong bourbon that had been watered down, but It tasted like bourbon and then also you got the feeling of like drinking bourbon like, you know When you drink some fire water and it heats your body up a little bit You did get that burn of the alcohol when you drink it But it didn't do anything to you. It just really tasted like alcohol and it was great. Had so many Moscow mules from it And I got that from a subscription box from this company called. We are rising the bar Or we are raising the bar. Probably we are raising the bar is probably the name of it Raising and rising, rising, rising are spelt differently. It's raising. It's, we are raising the bar. And, uh, basically it's a subscription service. Once a month, they send you a curated box. It includes one full size bottle of zero proof alcohol. And then also smaller samples of mixers and products. And then a recipe card to make three very specific Mocktails with the ingredients that you're given. It is cool. I've been introduced to a couple different brands. I'm in my second month of it. So, the first month I got the bourbon from Free Spirit. And then the second month I got, um, this stuff from a company called Amethyst. And Amethyst is a non alcoholic spirit, but it's like botanical. I guess it's like made out of flowers and stuff. I don't know. I think that's what botanical means. Um, and it is really good. It's like a It's a lemon cucumber serrano was the flavor I was given, but they have like grapefruit, basil and watermelon lime and all these different flavors. Um, and they taste really good and it is fun. And you're able to like make these drinks and it's become a thing with my friends where like I invite someone over. I'm like, Hey, you want to try these mocktails with me? And they're like, absolutely. That sounds like super fun. Um, and so. We are rising the bar super super fun. I don't know. I probably can't give you like a Discount code because those people don't know me but like you should definitely check it out. I think it's like 70 a month Um, I think I did the three month. I'm probably gonna do it for the year because I think it's really fun I think there's other brands I've tried, but like only tried a little bit of. One of my cousins is so in love with Lewis Hamilton, and Lewis Hamilton is a Formula 1 race car driver, and he has his own brand of zero proof tequila called Almayve. So I got it for my cousin, for Christmas, cause it was funny, cause he's in love with him. My straight. married male cousin, is so in love with Lewis Hamilton. And I bought him this tequila and, we tried it. We all had shots. Tasted like sugar water. It just tastes like agave. But, like, I also think probably if, you made a margarita with it, it'd be really, really good. I live in a winery area and one of the most well known popular, wineries, Wolfer has a non alcoholic version of their most favorite popular wine. Like a summer rosé. It's called Summer in a Bottle. And the non alcoholic version is called Spring in a Bottle, and a friend gave it to me. I haven't opened it yet, I haven't really had a reason, but I think I know when it's gonna be a good time to open that. And speaking of, like, non alcoholic wine there's a company called Free F. R. E., so it's a lot of free. Which, on the theme of like, alcohol free, of course they're all called free something. Um, but there's this chain called Free, and they sell it at my local grocery store, King Cullen. If you live in the area, you can get this stuff at King Cullen. Um, and they have lots of different, like, versions and flavors and types, but I've had a couple of them. I've had like the Chardonnay. Back in November, someone brought non alcoholic Chardonnay. From free to a friends giving I was at and it tasted amazing and that was probably one of the reasons why I decided to go on this journey because it's like oh There's options like that and she got that from King Cullen. That's so easy to find But it tastes really really good and a big fan of it. I have the Moscato. It tastes really good I have a friend who's sober and she said she's been using the champagne one to make mimosas and stuff for years And I'm I know that's what I'm gonna do the next time. I want to have mimosas at home Um And then beer, non alcoholic beer is a big one and I've known about this for years and it's been going on for years. Um, if you drink beer and you drink like Budweiser or Heineken or Corona or any of those like normal, like the big brands, all those big draft beer companies make non alcoholic versions of their beer now. Um, but then also smaller companies do it and there's one company that's kind of been leading the forefront I think of non alcoholic beer for a really long time and I've been a fan of for a really long time And it's called Athletic Brewing Company And when I say a long time, I mean, like, I've known about this company for, for years, years that I've been buying their beer. And the first time I ever saw their beer, ever had it, was at like a food festival with my friends, maybe, I don't know, like seven years ago or something. And I remember, we all tried it and we all thought it did really taste like beer. We thought it was a solid product, but my friends were also like, why would it? Someone do this, but this is also seven years ago. We were in our 20s So, you know, we're still partying we're in our 20s and some of them and people were just like I don't understand Why anybody would drink that? It seems like a waste of time And I was like, oh, no, I think i'm kind of into it though because like I can drink four of these so that I can drive home after this food festival um and like A beer is always just a perfect drink I'm, sorry Like a food festival is a perfect time to have a beer and it's perfect to cut the food in the heat a cold beer at a hot summer food festival outside is a perfect drink. So like athletic brewery has always been my jam They have so many different kinds of styles and stuff like that If you like ipa if you like a lager if you like a shandy if you like a I don't know What other kind of beer there is? but it, it's great and they sell it at every grocery store. Um, I mean, not grocery store, they just sell it where they sell beer, you know, it's always there. You've definitely seen it if you've bought beer in the last five, eight years. There's so many brands. I really want to try Proxies, which is a wine. Um, there's this company called like Elixir 3 or something like that. They're like more readily made. Drinks like non alcoholic drinks and they're just like in bottles and you could just like pour it into a bottle with some ice Um, I'm really interested in that. There's just there's a whole world of mocktails out there but realistically For me, it's been expensive trying them all and it's silly because I didn't have this expense before You know, I said in the beginning one reason that people Do dry January is to save some money they go out and they drink and they're like, you know Let me cut this out for a month. Let's see how much I actually spend drinking I wasn't spending any money drinking and now I am and I'm not even getting drunk. At most I'm a water drinker, realistically. I just drink a lot of water, so like, I didn't even, I wasn't even really buying soda. And now, I'm just like, buying alcohol alternatives and all these things and glasses and kits and tools and fancy sodas and stuff like that to make stuff. But like, I think maybe that's because I vaguely always wanted to do this, but I didn't want to do it for health reasons. Like, I would, I've always thought cocktails were cool. I think bartenders are cool. I would watch bartending videos and I would not do it because why would I learn to do that skill? Because if I drink it, it's just gonna make my stomach hurt. Um, so I kind of just put it off for a long time. But now that I have these non alcoholic options, I can kind of dive into that world that I never did before. I'm also 35, and I'm collecting hobbies like Pokemon at this point. You just gotta try stuff, alright? You just gotta treat yourself like a Sim. I'm treating myself like a Sim, and I'm just trying out new things all the time, and I'm like, working on my skill tree, and if you know, the Sims has bartending. You can teach your Sim to bartend, and so I'm teaching the Sim of Rebecca to bartend, basically. So now I can enjoy a drink at home and make this fun thing and not have to worry about, like, my health or anything like that. Um, because there's this ceremony and ritual with drinking that I love, that Burt Keschler loves, and he explained it so well. Um, but I wasn't participating in it as much as I would have wanted to because of the negative effects. But now I can, like, drink a glass of wine with dinner and not have a stomachache or headache, also. I can just kind of enjoy the taste of it, and it's really fun. Um, and then if you want to be cheap, and you, like, I, listen, it's expensive, like I said. If you're like, I would like to go sober without having to spend money, and I would still like to have a fun time, my favorite mocktail is the one mocktail that I came up with. It doesn't have a name. It's a strawberry lime poppy. and grenadine and a lime and that's the drink I make and it's so good it feels it feels like I'm drinking something fun. And then, returning to this point that I had made way earlier of being Cali sober, Obviously I think you could just smoke or take edibles instead. You can just do cannabis instead of alcohol and it will feel that need of, of mind altering, you know, substance. Um, but I think like if you want to have a drink in your hand, while your friends have a drink in your hand, because that is something different. It does feel different because I have spent the last year or two just Going and smoking a J While my friends are drinking beer And it, it's fun but it's different It's not the same, you don't, you don't get the same Participation feel because you're off doing something else Um, and so there are options there's A lot of different brands do like Canned cannabis drinks my favorite one Is this brand called K N C A N N Uh, they sell it at the dispensary That I go to, Little Beach Harvest owned solely by the Shinnecock Nation So if you're ever out at Shinnecock, go to Little Beach Harvest. But, so they sell a couple different, brands of cannabis drinks. The one that I like the most is Canned. It's really tasty, they have a couple different flavors. And they're micro dosed, so they're like, you know, 2. just depending on what size can you get. And that's good because you can kind of go drink to drink with your friends. Especially now, I'm in my thirties and I don't think my friends are drinking the same way they did either, but you know, you have a cookout at your house and everybody's is gonna drink two or three beers. I can drink two or three cans along with them. The only issue with can is that it's very expensive and I don't think it's really cost effective. Um, but it does create like a fun little vibe. In addition to that, though, I did recently get my hands on, um, these flavorless beverage, like, THCs. They're just little droplets that you put in your drink and they don't taste like anything and they're from this company called Heirloom. Um, I actually haven't tried it yet. I just, I saw them and I was like, I'm gonna buy those and I'm gonna take those places. But I haven't been out since I bought them. But the next time I go to New York City to be with my friends and hang out, I know we're gonna go to a bar. I'm also, in addition to bringing my vape, I'm also gonna bring the heirloom and just put a little THC in my Shirley Temple. I don't have a name for a Cannabis Shirley Temple, but if you can think of a name of a Cannabis Shirley Temple, let me know. Say it in the comments or something. Like, one with alcohol is called a Dirty Shirley. What do you call a Cannabis Shirley Temple? I don't know. and then the million dollar question. The obvious next question and how I wrap this podcast up is am I going to be sober going forward? I don't know, I guess. I don't know. It's mid February and I still haven't had a alcoholic drink. So there's that. I don't really miss it. You know, I've had less headaches. I've had less stomach aches. But my wallet's hurting a little bit, so I don't really know. As of right now, I have no real intention of drinking a beer. I didn't, you know, it wasn't February 1st. I didn't, it wasn't like, oh my God, excited to have another drink. It was just like another day for me. It was whatever, because I already wasn't drinking that much anyway, so I don't really know. Um, I don't want to say I'm sober because I just don't know, but like, you know, if one of my friends gets in the group chat and is like, Hey, this new place opened up, you wanna go get bottomless mimosas? I don't know if I can say no to that. And then, you know, the next time I go to a new city, I might get a local beer to try it out because that's how I travel. That's what I like to do. I think it makes you a good tourist to consume the local food and drink. I'm not gonna call myself sober right now, Because I don't know what's gonna happen, But, I'm gonna maybe call it mindful drinking, for now. Maybe the next time I have a perfect opportunity to have a drink, and I'm gonna tell you my perfect opportunity to have a drink, because I think this is the thing that would like make or break my sobriety, is me and my friends, my SBU crew, we finally get that trip to the Caribbean, right? We're at the Caribbean. We're on the beach. It's a sunset. And wherever we're at, whatever resort we're at, has just the perfect mojito for the sunset. That's my perfect opportunity to have a drink. But maybe I'll say no. Like, I don't know, you know? But I do know, like, the next time I go out to eat, I'm probably not gonna get alcohol. Like, I know that much. Like, if I just, like, go to a restaurant, like, whatever. Whatever, I'm not gonna drink then and I know that. Um, so basically I think like if you're, if you're thinking about sobriety, if you want to challenge, if you just like want to see what you can do, do it. Try to be sober for a month. See what you learn. See how it affects you. See how you react. Do it. Um, and if you've already done Dry January, Let's talk about it, if you're thinking about it. Let's talk about it. I also really, really want to know what do sober people order in bars? Uh, you heard me, I drink so many Shirley Temples. But also, like, should I just be getting a soda? But also, crayon and soda and lime? That's gotta be good, right? Is that what people order who are sober? What do you order? I want to know. Okay, so follow me on Instagram, rbexx, on Blue Sky. Rebecca Phoenix and then tell me what you do. Um, and then subscribe on your preferred podcast player and thank you for listening and we will talk again soon. Thanks.