Madisonians Embrace Sober Lifestyle With Community And Mocktails

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Wisconsin is well known for its binge-drinking culture, but for many Madisonians, the conversation about alcohol is beginning to change.

One group that offers support to people looking to stop drinking or reduce their alcohol intake is New Fashioned Sobriety.

“We are not a traditional recovery group, we are more focused on community, connection and building friendships,” said Nicole Peaslee, founding member of New Fashioned Sobriety.

Nearly four years ago, Peaslee found himself at a crossroads with alcohol. “For a few years I was questioning my own way of drinking. I felt like I was limiting myself,” Peaslee said.

“My decision to stop drinking at the age of 30 was that I was imagining my life at 40 or 50 and I didn’t like how it looked. That made me very, very sad.”

NEW FASHIONABLE SOBRIETY

The Madison native created a private Instagram account where she could connect online with other sober people. “She wasn’t necessarily looking for a show, she was just looking for a connection with other people,” Peaslee explained. “I needed to hear other people’s stories and understand how they were doing it themselves.”

The sober Instagram community connected her with Sarah Patnaude and Jenny Peabody, two other sober women living in the Madison area.

Founding members of New Fashioned Sobriety: (from left to right) Nicole Peaslee Sarah Patnaude and Jenny Peabody(Nicole Peasley)

In January 2020, the trio decided to form New Fashioned Sobriety through an Instagram account. The concept was simple: hang out with other sober people, share your story if you want, and support each other.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck shortly after the group’s creation, so they arranged meetings via Zoom. This helped them reach people not just in Wisconsin, but across the country.

As the spread of COVID-19 began to slow, the group was also able to start hosting in-person gatherings such as walks, coffee shop visits, craft nights, and more.

Members of New Fashioned Sobriety pose during a virtual meeting.(New Fashion Sobriety (Instagram))

Today, the account has grown to more than 2,500 followers and Peaslee hopes to host monthly meetups in the Madison area this year.

“I just encourage anyone who is thinking about it or feels like they desperately need it to reach out, because it’s a really beautiful life that I highly recommend,” Peaslee said.

AN OPTION TO SOBRIETY

At Blind Shot Social Club on Madison’s east side, owner Michelle Duvall is revolutionizing the bar industry.

He has created what he claims is the largest mocktail menu in Wisconsin. “We can still have a fun, fancy drink, but that doesn’t necessarily have to include alcohol,” Duvall said.

When Duvall and her husband opened the bar, restaurant and indoor golf simulation facility in 2021, she made sure there were options for non-drinkers beyond water and soft drinks.

Blind Shot Social Club owner Michelle Duvall creates a mocktail at her East Madison bar.(Erin SullivanWMTV)

“In the middle of 2021, you know the pandemic is still going on, people maybe have been drinking a lot more than they wanted to or are starting to reevaluate their relationship with alcohol or why they are drinking. All of a sudden, you see a lot of people interested in non-alcoholic products,” Duvall said.

For Duvall, this is a personal endeavor, as she herself is nearly nine years sober.

“Working as a mixologist, coming to college, through all of that, I started drinking quite a bit, eating way more than I needed to or should have and got to a point in my 20s where I was okay, I just can’t. continue at this rate. So, I stopped drinking completely, but being a waiter, restaurants, that’s been my whole world. That’s what I know how to do. So, I was able to hold down bartending and restaurant management jobs and all that, just without drinking.”

There are 13 mocktails on the Blind Shot drinks list and Duvall expects that to grow, along with demand.

“People are more interested in this. More and more local products are being made, such as non-alcoholic beers from local breweries and non-alcoholic spirits from local distilleries. It’s just going up and up.”

STARTING

This change in drinking culture is encouraging to UW Health’s Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar. “I’m hopeful that in the future we start to have a more inclusive environment for people who are trying to abstain, whether it’s because they have an alcohol use disorder or just for broader health reasons, regardless of the cause.” Salisbury said. afshar.

However, the addiction specialist says binge drinking is a big part of Wisconsin that has higher rates of adult alcohol use disorder, adding that there are particularly high rates of binge drinking in people 21 and older. to 35 years.

“Unfortunately, sometimes people want to know an exact cut-off point and the reality is that we see people in their 30s in the hospital who have liver failure and will die if they don’t get a new liver and we see other people in their 30s. elderly with similar drinking patterns who have liver damage, but may not be at the same point,” Salisbury-Afshar explained.

He said that for people looking to quit smoking, consulting with their doctor is a great place to start. He also said that addressing your mental health goes hand in hand with changing your drinking habits. “There are times when maybe someone’s first step is to get counseling to develop other coping skills or techniques to manage depression or anxiety, and as we start to work on that, cutting back on alcohol becomes a lot more easier”.

Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar of UW Health is an addiction specialist.(Erin SullivanWMTV)

Salisbury-Afshar said that in addition to improving your mental health, abstinence can have many physical health benefits.

“We know that people who have high blood pressure or diabetes have better control when they abstain from drinking for a long period of time. Even just a month of quitting can help people better control their blood pressure, diabetes, and often feel their sleep quality is much better.”

He said that if someone is unable to cut back or constantly thinks about drinking, these are signs that more professional help, such as counseling or hospital care, may be needed.

“The diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder, alcohol addiction, is really more about the behaviors and the symptoms that someone is having, which can include things like constantly thinking about wanting to drink, consuming alcohol and having negative consequences and that. it can even be people who drink intermittently.”

Dr. Salisbury-Afshar added that for people who drink a lot of alcohol for a long time, trying to quit cold turkey can be dangerous. In this case, the person may need to undergo medically controlled withdrawal in order to come through safely.

ERIN ANIMATION

NBC15’s The Morning Show host and reporter Erin Sullivan also shared her personal connection to this story.

She has been sober from alcohol for a year and a half, and during a discussion on The Morning Show, she offered some words of encouragement to others hoping to make a change in their drinking habits.

NBC15’s Erin Sullivan talks openly about going 1.5 years without alcohol while previewing her special report, Rethinking Drinking, airing tonight on NBC15 News at 10.

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