Sober Link-Up – May

A monthly roundup from the alcohol-free Substack community

Welcome! This is our monthly roundup of reads and resources from the alcohol-free Substack community.

We publish twice-weekly posts at Sober App Substack and welcome new and returning contributors. Reach out for submission guidelines.

Now, on to the links.

Below, you’ll find accounts of people questioning the stories they inherited about alcohol—stories shaped by family, culture, and the belief that drinking was just part of life. Some writers reflect on early sobriety, while others share how things feel two, three, or many years in.

You’ll also find pieces about how and why not to drink, along with reflections on what happens next: building self-confidence, learning to be with discomfort, finding community, navigating midlife without alcohol, planning a sober summer, and discovering that quitting drinking is just the beginning.

Join the conversation by sharing your favorite alcohol-free writers and resources in the comments. If you’re sober, feel free to include a link to your own publication or website—we celebrate all paths to getting and staying alcohol free.

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On the path

• Everyone Under the Influence, Paul Crenshaw

• I Was In A Relationship With Alcohol Before I Ever Took A Drink, Alexi At Home

• This Wasn’t Part of the Plan, Pages In Recovery

• When freedom stopped feeling so free, Alice Matagora

• What getting sober from alcohol taught me about facing what I tried to hide, Molly Gorney

• How Getting Sober Made Room for Self-Confidence, Lauren Aldrich

• I’m a threenager!! Kaitlyn Elizabeth

• the uncomfortable art of not ruining my life, Tendani Mulaudzi

• “It’s literally piss, but I’m here for it,” or, on potty training my toddler sober, Kristen Crocker

• Starting Over in My Late Fifties, Carolyn Clark

Living alcohol free

• How Not To Drink, Dr Paul Chadwick

• The Haunted Non-Drinker, Niall Davison

• What if alcohol is making midlife harder? Rewriting Sober

• Midlife Women, Wine, and the 3am Wake-Up, Ashley Kelsch

• How To: Epic Sober Summer, Kristen Bear

• An Ode to the Sober Glow, Little Edits Atelier

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Do you have any sober reads, resources, or recommendations to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

And before you go, would you take a second to tap that little heart? It lets others know there’s something helpful here and grows our sober community.

We know that sharing about recovery and sobriety can feel vulnerable. Like in recovery groups, we ask that commenters in this space refrain from giving unsolicited advice or spreading hate and division. Thank you for helping us foster a kind and inclusive community.

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Dr. Dana Leigh Lyons, DTCM is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine offering heart-sourced guidance on body-mind-spirit wellness. She manages Sober App Substack and writes PERFECT HUNGER, a newsletter devoted to living a more beautiful, nourishing life.

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If you’re sober and interested in contributing to Sober.com, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to our newsletter manager and editor here for submission guidelines.