The Best & Worst Parts Of Sober October, From Someone Who Did It For The First Time

Why I Started Sober October

Long before the month of October even began, I started actually thinking about my relationship with alcohol. I realized that drinking, though not a necessarily huge part of my life, simply made me feel icky. I only really drank on the weekend, but I still felt groggy, inside and out, even after it was over. In classic hangxiety fashion, I often reflected back on the times in my life when I felt I was at my “peak” physical health – when I felt truly strong and capable of doing anything – and felt this immense guilt come over me, for letting that past Meredith down.

The negative physical side effects of drinking alcohol speak for themselves, but more than anything, my mental health was the main catalyst for why I embarked on Sober October. That ick I mentioned feeling in the days following the weekend after drinking culminated most significantly through brain fog. It made focusing (and feeling enthusiastic) on work harder, connecting with my friends and family a bigger challenge than it should be, and made me feel literally disheveled. TL;DR – I wasn’t even close to being present in my everyday life.

For me, Sober October couldn’t have come at a better time. I decided, in an effort to feel better in every aspect of my life, to take the leap and take a break from alcohol.

The Worst Part Of Sober October

It’s hard to ignore the fact that drinking alcohol is extremely normalized for people like me – it’s just what early twenty-somethings do, right? If you’re at a party, you drink. If you’re at dinner, you drink. Even if you’re just hanging out, you drink. It’s quite unavoidable, which made being sober for Sober October all the more challenging. Thankfully, I have wonderfully supportive friends in my life — but even then, it was hard not to feel left out when we were all together – them drinking, me not. That isolation was unarguably the worst part of the month.

The Best Parts Of Sober October

But, for every sober moment spent sipping water at my birthday dinner and staying home on the weekends, there were some equally enjoyable (non-alcoholic) moments, all thanks to the insane range of NA drinks on the market. I’ll detail my favorites later, but just having an option available was world-changing.

Marcus Sakey, co-founder of Ritual Zero Proof (America’s #1 non-alcoholic spirit) echoed that same sentiment when we chatted about Sober October. It was super reassuring.

“For me, I do drink, and what I wanted was something that was absolutely as close as possible to the traditional spirits that I use in regular cocktails so that I can have the drinks that I want,” he told me. “I might transition over – I have, you know, one margarita with traditional tequila, and then six, if I wanted, with Ritual in it, and I don't feel like I've given up anything.”

All things considered, the best part of Sober October was how in the groove I felt. I felt like my focus was better, I was handling things with grace in and outside of work, and I simply felt more in-tune with my body. I was also able to go on several hikes without feeling like dying, which is a major win for me. My time spent in the gym felt more worthwhile, too, as I began seeing more progress in my strength and endurance.

Though these marks of sobriety were very rewarding, it’s not to say that I didn’t miss drinking – not exactly the way it made me feel, but just the ritual of it. Marcus put it quite clearly:

“I realized that a lot of what I was missing really wasn't the alcohol, it was the making of a cocktail, the way you measure everything out carefully. It's the way that you use it to mark a moment – you make a cocktail, and you sit down with a drink and a book, and it just kind of makes the whole thing more special.”

Which brings me to the products that made me feel more part of the party! With each of them, I could still structure my downtime around a delicious beverage without the dreadful effects.

My Favorite Drinks From My Sober October Journey

RationAle Mexican Cerveza

I am a beer/cider/IPA gal through and through, so imagine my surprise when I learned that NA beer is, in fact, a thing. The best one that I tried was RationAle’s Mexican Cerveza – it was perfectly hoppy and tasted like an actual beer. I feared it would fall flat, but I actually found myself grabbing one almost every evening when I craved something refreshing.

Ritual Tequila Alternative

Ritual’s tequila came in clutch when I was in the mood for mixing up a cocktail. It brings forth that bite that regular tequila has, but it, of course, isn’t as unbearable when you drink it on its own. Though I could literally take shots of this NA tequila, I thought it worked best mixed with some Nixie Lime Gingerand a squeeze of fresh lime juice! Easy peasy.

Cann Social Tonic

I feel like Cann’s drinks were made for me. Not only are they Sober October-friendly, they just taste damn good! Each drink is infused with a low dose of THC and CBD that makes for a relaxing sip. The Lemon Lavender flavor is an icon.

Aura Bora

You might not think of sparkling water as your first-choice alcohol alternative, but with Aura Bora, I think that’s worth reconsidering. They make tons of flavors that all come in a perfectly packaged (and gorgeous) can, so you’re sure to find something tailored to your taste. My favorite during Sober October was the Honey Pumpkin, and it tasted amazing with some of Ritual’s Aperitif Alternative.