Thriving Alcohol-Free with Mocktail Mom

EP 129 | From Sober Curious To Confidently Dry With Brooklyn Of Dry Social

• Deb, Mocktail Mom • Season 2 • Episode 129

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In this episode, Deb Podlogar chats with Brooklyn Fahey of Dry Social about the journey to living alcohol-free. 

They discuss the importance of mocktails, Brooklyn's personal experiences with alcohol, and the pressures of drinking culture, especially in college. 

Brooklyn shares her story of cutting back on alcohol, the creation of her Instagram account Dry Social, and how she navigates social situations without drinking. 

The conversation emphasizes the evolving landscape of alcohol-free options and the importance of being true to oneself in social settings.


Brooklyn started her sober journey two and a half years ago.

She experienced significant pressure to drink during college.

Brooklyn's engagement was celebrated with non-alcoholic champagne.

The idea of Dry Social came from her desire to help others stay social without alcohol.

Mocktails can be just as fun and celebratory as alcoholic drinks.

Brooklyn wants to be a parent who doesn't drink around her children.

She feels empowered by the growing availability of non-alcoholic options.

Social situations can be navigated without alcohol, but it requires self-awareness.

Brooklyn's journey has inspired others to evaluate their drinking habits.

The conversation highlights the importance of authenticity in one's choices.

Follow Dry Social on Instagram. 

& special thanks to Go Brewing for sponsoring this podcast episode. They are my favorite non-alcoholic beer brand. Code MOCKTAILMOM will get you a discount. 




Send me a message about the show!

Click HERE to join the next Mocktail Challenge!

Click HERE to snag a list of some of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks & brands.

You are loved. Big Time Cheers!

SPEAKER_01:

Buckle up friends and welcome to the Thriving Alcohol Free Podcast. I'm your host, Deb, otherwise known as Mocktail Mom, a retired wine drinker that finally got sick and tired of spinning on life's broken record called Detox to Retox. Let this podcast be an encouragement to you. Alcohol is maybe a form of self-care for you, or you find yourself dragging through the day, waiting to pour another glass. I am excited to share with you the fun of discovering new things to drink when you aren't drinking and the joy of waking up each day without a hangover. It is an honor to serve as your sober fun guide. So sit back and relax or keep doing whatever it is you're doing. This show is produced for you with love from the great state of Kentucky. Thanks so much for being here and big time cheers. Okay, hey friends. It's Deb. Welcome back to Thriving Alcohol Free. I'm so happy you're here. And I am so excited. You guys, I am chatting today. We are gonna meet Brooklyn Fakey of Dry Social. If you're not following her on Instagram, please do so. Her Instagram handle is Dry Social and her website is thedry social.com. But you guys, super excited. Today we're gonna make a uh like a what an apple cider kind of sangria drink together. That's the the mock tail we're gonna kick off with. Brooklyn, this Brooklyn shared this um this recipe with me. And I was like, let's do it. Let's make a fun drink together. But I want to read uh Brooklyn, thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks for having me. I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I'm so happy to do this with you. I've you and I have been connected on Instagram and I just love your energy, what you share, and just the encouragement you provide for people um who are on a sober curious journey. So thank you for all that you do in the in the alcohol-free space. It's really, really encouraging.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, of course. I it it's honestly like what keeps me going. I I love the sober, sober curious space. So I'm excited to talk.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, awesome, awesome. Okay, I'm gonna share your quick bio. Uh, Brooklyn is helping sober and sober curious people stay sober. Sorry, stay social. I can never read the bios. There we go, people. They all know. They know Deb cannot read out loud. It's like I'm in second grade. Here we go. We're gonna start over. Helping sober and sober curious people stay social without the hangover, sharing taste tests of non-alcoholic products, reviews, mocktails, and anything in between. So I love what you're doing, and I cannot wait to make this drink with you and hear about what is happening in the world of dry social. And you're in Arizona, is that right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I am. Yep, it's finally cooled down. It's like I was gonna say you're wearing a sweater. What's happening in Arizona? Yeah. I mean, okay, it's gonna be 90 degrees later, but I woke up to like 50s weather, so totally. Yeah, it gets chilly at night here. It's gonna be in like the 30s and 40s in the winter. In this, yeah, in the mornings it gets crispy.

SPEAKER_01:

So oh, nice, nice, very fun. And you are newly engaged, is that right?

SPEAKER_00:

I am, yeah. I mean, yeah, since August. So super exciting. Um congratulations. Yeah. So I actually always envisioned myself celebrating my engagement with champagne. Like, okay, you know, when you're like, yeah, that's just what you do. Um, and my fiance had a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne ready for us after we got engaged. And I was just like, I didn't realize that that would be my new dream, would be something like that. So yeah, it was super, super fun. Got to have non-alcoholic champagne on the beach and watch the sunset in Hawaii. So it was very magical.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, okay. I love that because I think for so many of us, we envision like events that are gonna happen in our life, whether it's like like for me, it was like my daughter's wedding or like for you getting engaged, you know, different stages in our life and these big events that happen. And we envision alcohol played a big role, right? Or it was like, how am I gonna celebrate? Oh, how I'll celebrate with my my champagne or my sparkling, you know, this or that. And so for you to have that, this huge milestone in your life, and for your fiance to, you know, have it have your engagement with non-alcoholic champagne is magical.

SPEAKER_00:

Totally. Yeah. I feel like every time I'm in new events or like I just got a promotion at work, you always think about alcohol being something you celebrate with. And so to have like these alternatives now where I can still celebrate with something fun, it's it's really great. Yeah. It's what really makes me excited about being in this space. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That's so awesome. I love it. I love it. Yes, to be able to celebrate and not be like, what am I gonna drink? There's nothing to drink. Like now, there are so many options. Now, how long, okay, wait, before we make our drink, how long have you been alcohol free? I can't remember. How long have you been sober?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, well, we can touch on this more if once we get into my story, but uh I c started cutting back on alcohol about two and a half years ago, pretty much right out of college. Um seriously, Brooklyn.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you're starting just off right. You're starting life off right. Look at you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I just turned 25, so and it was my golden birthday. So celebrating that alcohol free was also a huge milestone for me. So yeah, I mean, I never in college never thought about being alcohol free. Like I didn't think of it as an option. Um, so yeah, it's yeah, it's great. So, but I've been um sober now for almost five months. So I can talk a little bit more about like my sober curious journey and shifting into that once we make our drink.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, let's make our drink and then I want to hear your story. Okay, let's do it. All right, so we are making an apple cider sangria-ish mocktail. You we're both gonna use a non-alcoholic spirit. I'm actually using um, let's see, I'm gonna grab my bottle. I already measured it all out, but I'm gonna use uh ritual rum. And I know you're using what, three spirit? Is that right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, three spirits nightcap. Yeah. I really like this one. I mean, it's not the nighttime, but I still think it's it's really good. Um, kind of calms you down, has those botanical spirits in it. Yeah. One of my very nice.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, perfect. So I wanted to just highlight that because I feel like for anybody listening, you don't have like if you don't have exactly the non-alcoholic spirit that's on the mocktail, you know, recipe or the not, you know, the non-alcoholic cocktail recipe, it's okay to say, oh, I don't have a rum. Let me add a non-alcoholic whiskey or add like a botanical or something like that, a functional uh spirit. Okay. So I'm gonna have a couple of sliced up apples. I have a my glass already with ice in it. And I think we're just gonna build it in the glass today. You can act, you could actually shake this up in a shaker if you want to. I'm gonna tuck a couple of my apple slices in the side on the sides of my glass just to give it a little extra fall color here.

SPEAKER_00:

You could even tuck it. I got an orange too. Oh, look at you with the sangria.

SPEAKER_01:

Very nice. I'm gonna tuck in, I'm gonna tuck in a little um cinnamon stick. Let's do that. Cute. Very nice. Very, very nice. Look how pretty. Okay. Very cute. Oh, that looks good. Okay. Love it. It's like arts and crafts with drinks. Yeah, it is. Yeah. Isn't it? So it's looking cute already. And we haven't even added the we haven't added any liquid, and look how fun we're looking already. Seriously. Okay, so we're gonna do uh about four ounces, or so it depends on how big your glass is, but maybe you could do like three or four ounces of your apple cider. So I'm using a spiced apple cider actually from I think it's from Costco, this one. Okay, there's that. And then I'm gonna put in about half an ounce of lime juice.

SPEAKER_00:

Perfect.

SPEAKER_01:

Put that in. And I'm gonna add my non-alcoholic rum. Adding that. And then we're gonna top it with some ginger beer. Do you have like a favorite ginger beer?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. The Q mixers, the light ginger beer.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh good.

SPEAKER_00:

I think the light is better than the normal. I don't know why. I think it's like Do you it's like spicier, crispier to me? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

It's like more effervescent, maybe or something, a little more sparkly. Yes. Q is my favorite. Q mixers, uh, ginger beer is my absolute favorite. Yeah. Okay, perfect. Let's add a little bit of the ginger beer. Do that. Love it. Okay, I've got my stainless steel straw, which is my favorite. Never had a stainless steel straw before I stopped drinking. It is my favorite way to drink. Yes. Stainless steel straw. It's cold, probably. It keeps it cold. And then even like my big tumbler I drag around all day, I have a huge stainless steel straw in there. There you go. So okay. Brooklyn, big time cheers to you. Seriously. Thank you. Thank you for being here today. You are just adorable. And to think that you are half my age and well on your way on your alcohol-free journey is incredible. So, okay, let's take a little sip here. Mm-hmm. Cheers, cheers. That is fantastic.

SPEAKER_00:

That's actually so good. Yeah. So good. Good, good, good.

SPEAKER_01:

A little afternoon surprise for you.

SPEAKER_00:

Seriously. Yeah. Yeah. That three spirits in there is actually so good.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. A huge thanks to Go Brewing for sponsoring today's podcast. They are an award-winning craft beer brewed for a better tomorrow. You guys, I absolutely love this brand. I know you already know that because I talk about them all the time. But when I order from Go Brewing, it gets delivered to me pretty much faster than on Amazon Package. It comes here, it's kind of like non-alcoholic beer teleportation. Their lineup is awesome. I love that they offer a fully gluten-free line. It's in their Freedom series. So if you're looking for gluten-free non-alcoholic beer, check out the Freedom line. They also have electrolyte drinks. Their assembly line is an electrolyte drink that's delicious. My personal favorite though is the New School Sour. I don't know. I just love this. This one in particular is a strawberry and blueberry flavor. But if you're looking for some better brews without the booze, check out Go Brewing. I'll put a link in the show notes. Use code MocktailMom. That'll get you a discount. But big time cheers to a better tomorrow. Okay, so five months ago, well, why don't you share your story? Because it didn't start five months ago when you became alcohol-free. So how did it, yeah, how did you get to that place? What got you to stop drinking?

SPEAKER_00:

So I actually grew up with a lot of people in my life that were alcoholics, functional alcoholics. And so growing up around that, I always subconsciously, especially when I became a teenager, was worried that that would maybe be my path, or just thought that that's maybe how my life would go as well. And so, you know, I was thinking this morning, I was like, wow, I started drinking when I was like 15 years old. Like and I'm just like, wow, like I can't believe that that's the culture that we're brought into, you know, like in high school, drinking is super pushed, in college, even more. Like the drinking culture I was around was it was a lot. Like I mean, we had I went to a small school, we didn't have anything else to do besides like drink. So um in the back of my mind, I always thought drinking really isn't for me, but I always felt like this pressure to drink, and so I would. And I I cannot handle my alcohol very well. If I have more than a couple drinks, um, you know, I would be sick all the time. The hangovers were brutal. I couldn't do anything the next day. You know, we've all we we all know how that is. So yeah, um, my senior year of college, actually, my 21st birthday, we went to Vegas. Uh, so excited for that. I had never been. My parents got me this like really cool suite at the win. I was like excited to go on the strip, have like a really fun birthday. Um, the day of my birthday, we went to the like hotel pool. Okay. And that was the first time I had blacked out. Like I had never I was probably like in the pool for like five or six hours. I don't remember getting out of the pool. And all I remember is waking up severely sunburnt, naked in a shower, like in my hotel bathroom, like so sick, so ill. And it was only like 6 p.m. And everyone's like, we gotta get ready for dinner. Dinner's at nine. And I'm like, what happened? Like, where why am I here? Like, and I'm 21. Like, this is the start of like you, me actually legally being able to drink. And so I was sick all night. I couldn't get out of bed, I couldn't keep anything down. Like, I was so ill. And um, I felt really like bad about myself. And then um, I don't know, I had a couple more experiences like that where I just would drink, I'd get sick. Um, and so my senior year of college, I started really evaluating my drinking habits because I felt like every night there was an excuse to drink, you know, wine Wednesday, Thursday, Thursdays, you know, Saturdays, Fridays, all that. Like basically drinking Mondays, like Tuesday, I felt like this may be the only day I didn't drink. And so I started like really evaluating my drinking habits, and I was just like, I don't know if I can do this anymore, but I felt such a pressure, and it's you know, it's no one's fault. It's my decision to drink. Yeah, and I feel like a lot of people probably at that age just continue to let the pressure build. Like I'm sure there's plenty of people who also feel the same way at that age. Like, I don't want to drink tonight. Like I've been hungover every night, but there's just this like huge pressure to continue to do it. And so halfway through my senior year, I was like, I need to figure out a way to like cut back. And so, and I just I felt so much pressure from my roommates, and none of it's their fault, but I would so I had my own little fridge in my bedroom, and I would take white claw cans and I would dump them in the sink when nobody was home, like everyone was at class, and I'd fill them with water, and then I would put them back in my fridge. And when we were getting ready to go out or come downstairs in like pregame, I would just bring my water white claw down with me and pretend I was drinking. Um, but people kind of started to catch on because I'd be like, Oh, I can um drive us to the bar or drive us to the ball. They're like, You've been drinking white claws all night. Yeah. Or like later that night, I'm like, I can drop so-and-so off at their house. And they're like, Wait, you've been drinking. And I was like, actually, I finally had to give it up. Like, I actually haven't been. I've been like faking it. And so then they're like, You're no fun, you know, all that kind of stuff. And so then I'm like, oh, like, why can't I win? You know? So yeah, uh, after I graduated, I um I've been super into fitness. Like I started seriously weightlifting my freshman year of college, but I wasn't seeing like any results because I was drinking, eating poorly, all those things. And so when I graduated college, I moved in with my now fiance, and he was like, You should just cut back on drinking for like a couple months just to see how you feel, see if you, you know, lose some weight, which is what you want, see if you tone up at the gym. And I was like, Okay, yeah. Like, I mean, I haven't been loving drinking lately, so sure, I I'll do it. And so it was like May of 2023, right after I graduated college. I cut drinking out for I think it was four or five months. And okay, I was like, wow, I feel so different. Um really, yeah, I just I felt amazing and I was like, I should have just done this like sooner, but I didn't think it was like possible. And not having the pressures of drinking around me and having somebody that cares about me encouraging me to step back was really great. And so during that time, it was the summer, I had just gotten my first job, and I was seeing like mocktail videos popping up on Instagram and TikTok and like words about like being sober curious, and I was like, Where's this like sober curious stuff? And people like you who have been in the space for quite a long time, like I was like, these people are these people are amazing. Like you have like a huge following of people that you're supporting and people that have been in the sober space for years, and I just was like, wow, this is so inspiring. And I always had wanted to start my own business on top of that, and I didn't know what that would be. I was in an entrepreneurship program for a couple of years in college, trying to figure out like if I could start a business out of college, what would that be? And it just all started like clicking. I was like, I should just start an Instagram, like these people, and I had been making moptails already, and I love like making videos. I had always like filmed myself as a kid in my bedroom, you know, all that kind of thing. Really? Oh, really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You have to you had need to put some throwback videos up on your social line.

SPEAKER_00:

See if I can find it. I know.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you grew up in the era, you grew up in the era where you actually record, you know, like you were videotaping yourself. I grew up. Yeah, we didn't have that when I was growing up.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Or my brother and I would pretend to do music videos, or I would like to so cute. Yeah, I'd do like get ready with me in my mirror, no camera, you know, all that kind of stuff. So I was like, you know, I already feel kind of comfortable in front of the camera. I mean, it took some warming up, but yeah, I just was like, I think this is where I want to go. And like Dry Social, the name just kind of like hit me. I didn't really have to like be too hard about it. Yeah. And I was like, okay, it wasn't taken on Instagram. I was like, awesome. Check. Yeah. So I was like, yeah. So I started Dry Social and um just like instantly felt like super welcomed into the community, even when I had like a hundred followers, you know, people started like reaching out. Um, but yeah, I started kind of being on this like sober curious journey. I was like, you know, I'm gonna allow myself to drink for special occasions or whatnot. Um and then more recently I've been like, okay, why am I sober curious and not sober? Like, why do I allow myself to have like this excuse of, well, maybe during a wedding I'll have something to drink, or maybe when I celebrate, or maybe if I go out with friends and I feel like having a drink, I'm going to. But every time I allowed myself to have a drink, I felt so like this like guilt inside me that was like, this isn't what I actually want. And then I would have the hangover again. And I felt like I had to restart and I'd be like, dang, I was sober for like six months and I decided to have a margarita, or like, dang, I I went a whole month during, you know, a sober challenge. I felt amazing. And then I I gave in to like going out one night and having a drink. So um after it was like right before uh dry July this year. Um, I started working with um no boo's crew. So I host on their platform on Sundays now. And I was just like meeting some more like amazing women, and I was like, okay, I think I can do this, I can give it up officially. Like, I feel so much more amazing. I'm in this amazing community. And so yeah, it was like right before dry July, and I just was like, I'm done. And I'm like, I really hope I never look back. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You're not looking back for sure. You're looking forward exactly. It's like as you keep moving, I mean, you're so young, but like just the windshield of your life, right, is so much bigger than that tiny rear view mirror. You know, we're not focused on that, we're focused on the future, which is so bright for you. And I love how you said, like, how you got the dry social Instagram was available. You were already like almost practicing that dry social life when you were putting water in your white claws. Like you were already living, like you want you, you've kind of just always been that. It's just so organically happened where you like want to be social, but have also wanted to stay dry different times. You know, I mean it's beautiful how it's just happened for you. Yeah, but the name is so perfect. The name is so perfect.

SPEAKER_00:

That was kind of like the push to do it was I want people to realize they can have a a life outside of alcohol. And yeah, people, I think a lot one thing that stopped me a lot of times was being outside of you know my house or whatever, going out and being social, and you always think you need to have a drink. And so I think that's what stops a lot of people from wanting to take the next step is they think, okay, if I'm in a social situation, how do I make it through without having a drink in my hand? And so I just feel like the space is evolving so quickly. Like every restaurant in my area I go to now, they at least have something available on the menu. I've been able to learn how to craft my own mocktail and tell the bartender, can you just do something like this? You know? So there's always opportunity to still have a drink in your hand. It just doesn't have to be alcohol.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. And I love what you said, like when those times when you would go back, like, but you were like, then you'd feel like, this isn't what I actually, this isn't what I really want. And I feel like for so many of us, like we kind of when we're kind of getting to this space of really living an alcohol free lifestyle, there's those so many of those times where it's like literally I'd be drinking my Chardonnay and I'd be like, This is not what I this isn't what I really want. But it was like, it's just like the old habits and the old ways of doing things, or I'm with people and we are all, it's all my friends and we all drink wine. We're together, whatever, you know, whatever the situation is. So yeah, yeah. I love that really honing in on like, what is it that you really want? That's okay to be off, it's not just okay, it's how we should be, right? Is authentic to ourselves, you know. That's that's true freedom. So love it. Okay. I love that you're, I just I'm so inspired because honestly, to be so young, I'm not trying to like put you down that you're young. Like, I think it's incredible. Like, I just love that like you're starting out your life with your future husband. You know, you guys remember what you said told me you're gonna be traveling to Asia, you know, and that like alcohol is not gonna be playing a role, you know, you're not gonna wake up the day after your wedding and not remember your vows. Right. You're gonna be a hundred percent present and to have these incredible life moments um and be a hundred percent present is such a gift. You're giving to yourself and your future children. I'm just gonna say that because you're gonna have yellow Brooklyns running around one day.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. That's other things I evaluate quite often is like I tell my fiance's name is SJ. I tell him all the time, I'm like, I want to be the parent and the grandparent that they say, I have never seen Grandma Brooklyn or my mom drink. Like I've never seen it. And so I'm like, I really want that for my kids. And you know, I'm like, I'm so excited to plan my wedding and have a full mocktail menu. Like, you have no clue. I'm so excited, and I'm really excited to go on this like international trip and not have any alcohol, where like drinking culture in Japan and South Korea is huge. So it's gonna be a real like test to you know what I truly want for myself, and I'm excited, and it really helps that my fiance also he's not fully sober, but he also lives a very active lifestyle, and for 95% of the time, he's also not drinking, and so that it really helps. I think me personally, and I know that can be a struggle for a lot of people, is the people in your life are deciding that alcohol is still a part of their life, and so you know, you really have to be like, okay, what do I want for myself? Because I can't change the other people around me. Um and so I think that is so true. Yeah, I think with my habits, it's definitely helped other people in my life like evaluate their drinking habits, and so that's been really amazing to see. But I've also realized, like, you know, if he wants to have a drink, that's his choice, and I can't control that. So I just have to control how I feel and be okay with it.

SPEAKER_01:

So I love that. I love that. I think that's so true. It's like, especially like if I mean my husband he do actually doesn't drink, but he he like he's not sober on purpose. He's like more like I'm accidentally sober, like I just wanted to moderate. He just has never hasn't had a drink in years and years and could really could care less. But if he did, it would be like like if we went out and he had a gin and tonic, like I would be, it wouldn't trigger me and I don't it wouldn't bother me. But at the same time, it's really nice that like he and I do obviously we'll go out or whatever, and it's not I don't feel pressure to be drinking or anything. Yeah, it's huge.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I feel like the word trigger that you brought up is something that I still have to work on because I definitely get really bothered when I'm around people that are getting drunk and out of control. And it's like, okay, oh yeah, I have the choice to, you know, I can drive back home and leave, you know. I can maybe decide, okay, I'm not gonna put myself in a situation tonight where I'm gonna be around people that are drunk because personally I still am working on that feeling of being triggered by other people's habits. And so I think that's definitely something a lot of people probably struggle with, is it's hard to put yourself in a situation where you're probably gonna be one of the only sober ones and other people are, you know, acting maybe out of control or they're judging you for not drinking. So yeah, it's definitely something that um that's where I feel like I need to work on. It's not so much like feeling like, oh man, I wish I was having a drink with them. It's more so, oh man, like I need to maybe step away from this situation because it's making me feel uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_01:

Totally, and that's totally okay. Yep. To leave early or like to Uber home or whatever. Yes, especially when things start getting sloppy or like, yeah, one thing is like my husband's having like a gin and tonic or whatever, but like if like everybody around me is getting drunk, no, thank you. Like, there's no way I would be, I would personally be so uncomfortable because it was just like it's not fun unless it wasn't fun unless I was the one doing it with them, right? Yeah, that's the only reason. I mean, literally, it's not fun. If you're the sober person, no, that's that's miserable. So yeah, it's miserable, I guess. If you are that I was that person at one point, but you know, waking up the next day was miserable. But it's like it's miserable if you're in the midst of that and you're not drinking. No, I think absolutely it's like, nope, time to go home. No problem. Love you all. I'll see you next time. Yeah, no judgment, no nothing. I'm headed to bed. I gotta get up early for work or whatever. I gotta go home and wash my hair. Goodbye. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so you said a lot of restaurants that you go to have mocktails on the menu or non-alcoholic options. If they don't, is there something like that you'll ask the bartender to make for you? Or what's kind of like your favorite, your go-to?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So I I typically go classic, just club soda with lime, but I ask them to put it in a really cute glass if they can. Because I eat when they put it in like the 16-ounce like soda thing.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm like, Yeah, it has like a Pepsi logo on it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I want a cute glass, but then I'll ask them to do like a splash of cranberry juice or cranberry juice and orange juice, something like that. Just super easy. And then my other favorite one is ginger beer with lime and cranberry juice, just something they can throw together. I think the ginger beer always makes me feel a little fancier. And I always say, if you have a copper mug, can you please put it in a copper mug? Because it tastes better and I feel included, you know? Like, why can't I have a cute glass? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Totally. That's what it's all. It's just, yeah, it just makes you feel nice, makes you feel like completely a part of the party still. Just like when you were holding your white claws with the water in it. Same thing. Now you have your copper cup or fancy glass, and you're just enjoying a drink and you don't have to wake up with a hangover. So do you have any favorite? Okay, so I'm sure you have favorites because you drink a lot of the non-alcoholic options. If you had like one ready-to-drink can that you could buy, is there one like your favorite or like a go-to that you kind of keep purchasing over and over? Like for me, it's wild wonder. I buy over, I buy whenever every time every time I go to Whole Foods practically.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, Wild Wonder is so good. So Beckett's Tonics is my favorite. So good. It's so good. Um, I'm so glad to hear you say that. I love Beckett's. I love Beckett's. Yeah, they're amazing. I love their the company, the people that work there.

SPEAKER_01:

Same, same.

SPEAKER_00:

They're amazing.

SPEAKER_01:

The nicest, yeah. They're the nicest.

SPEAKER_00:

I was a huge margarita drinker before I cut back. And so their margarita has is one of my favorites. So it was nice to find an alternative. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And they came out with like the little, it's like a margarita pack. I want to say it has like a strawberry margarita, a lime margarita. I forget what the other flavors were.

SPEAKER_00:

I did a taste test on my Instagram of those. So did you?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Did you? What was did you have one that was your favorite? Do you remember which one was your favorite?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I think it was the strawberry because I'm it was the strawberry or the raspberry, but I'm not a pineapple person. So I told everyone I'm a little biased. I don't like pineapples. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel that way with the with the raspberry. Because I'm allergic to raspberry. So, like a lot of certain drinks or whatever, I'm like, okay, I'm sure this one's delicious because I like the other ones from this brand, but I just can't try this one. Um, how about like a non-aclock wine? Do you have a favorite non-aclock wine? Oh like a top one. I know obviously there's tons. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, Shirley is my favorite personally. Okay. Love it. Yeah. They have like canned, they have the bottles, all that. So yeah, I'd say that's definitely my top. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. All right, Brooklyn, thank you so much for sharing your story. Seriously.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much for having me. This is an amazing story.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, it's so good to talk to you. And your story is not only inspiring to someone, you know, a Gen X or like myself, but I know your story is going to be so inspiring to young younger listeners, you know, women who are just starting out their careers newly out of college or even in college and struggling with that pressure of like, okay, how do I how do I go to a frat party or how do I socialize in college and hang out and not drink? So thank you for being an example and for taking the time to share your story. It's it's really, really meaningful. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Of course. Thank you so much for having me. This has been, it's always so inspiring to have these conversations and just keep opening the door for people of all ages, you know. Yep. Everyone, yeah, everyone's on their journey. So thanks, Deb.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Big time cheers to you. Seriously. This was so fun. So, so fun. Big time cheers to you for tuning in to the Thriving Alcohol Free Podcast. I hope you will take something from today's episode and make one small change that will help you to thrive and have fun in life without alcohol. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social, send up a flair, or leave a rating and a review. I am cheering for you as you discover the world of non-alcoholic drinks and as you journey towards authentic freedom. See you in the next episode.