Outta my Cage, Sober in the Brew City, Dry July Kick Off Party 🎊

Hi!

I am so excited to catch up with you. I want to tell you about my experience seeing The Killers at SummerFest in Milwaukee.

The last time I was at SummerFest was to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2000. It was a shitshow. It rained torrentially for the entire concert. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) paid a janitor $20 for some giant trash bags that we used as ponchos. I got drunk (obviously). So as you can hear, it's been a minute.

Heading up to Milwaukee, I knew that alcohol-free options would be limited. This is the city that named their baseball team the Brewers, after all. Milwaukee is home to the Miller Brewing Company. Miller does not have an alcohol-free option like its competitors, Coors and Budweiser, so I expected little to no options, yet remained curious and optimistic, and...

I ❤️ Wisconsin. 

When we arrived, I walked in singing because the first song I heard was "What's Up," a cover for 4 Non Blondes, and I have no idea how you don't belt that one out, but somehow I was the only one doing it??!! Not because I was drunk, but because I was alive, and when "I wake in the morning, and I step outside. I take a deep breath, and I get real high...hey ey ey."

I immediately started racing around like a kid at an amusement park, scanning the menus at every kiosk, every bar, and every restaurant for a drink that wasn't soda or lemonade. I kept coming back to my husband with a sad "nope," "nope," and "👎🏼."

I was honestly starting to feel a bit defeated and maybe even a little like crying because, come on, Wisconsin, my home state, I want to see the best in you. Just when I was about to lose hope, my husband said, "Hey, look," and pointed to a sign for a sober lounge from The Phoenix with an arrow. 

Now, honestly, in the past I would have tried to act too cool to need a thing like that. I am not really an alcoholic, so I don't really need sober support at a festival. I would have maybe checked in to support them or do my duty as a sober ally, but I didn't need it for me. I am a professional sober coach, after all. 

Well, this time I started running towards that lounge. I couldn't wait to get there. When I walked in smiling from ear to ear, they said, "Hello, would you like a free mocktail?" And again I almost cried. "Yes, yes, I would very much like a free mocktail! Thank you so much!" 

There was an angel, Angela Mallet from HoneyBee Sage Wellness and Apothecary, behind the bar, telling me she said she ran out of ingredients, so she had to improvise. She ran out of cups, so it was served in a lemonade cup. We had the last two drinks she had to offer. These drinks were supposed to last for three more hours. I was glad to hear that her mocktails were so popular. I told her I was a sober coach. She told me that her father passed away in 2019 from liver organ failure.

You know, I love sharing the bright side of sobriety, but every once in a while the dark side of alcohol really hits. This hit. I thought about my dad, the bartender. As I looked at her behind the bar, I felt so proud of both of us. We are changing the trajectory of the generations. We are healing forwards and backwards.

I wanted to spread the good word to the masses about mocktails in Milwaukee because they will be there all weekend. So I tried to take a selfie in front of their sign, but I am not a real influencer (haha), and after seeing me struggle, they laughed and guided me towards their real deal photo booth. 

I took that huge lemonade cup filled with whatever ingredients Angela could find (Starry lemon-lime soda with a berry LaCroix) and held it up real high (as I screamed, What's going on?) proudly took my picture with their sober logo and immediately posted it on Instagram. It turns out I am a real influencer, and I was influencing.

A few minutes later, I got a text from my dear (sober) friend, who was out with her girlfriends. Everyone was having margaritas. She was feeling a little sorry for herself and went to the bathroom for a minute to catch her breath. She caught my Instagram story with that big-ass lemonade cup and instantly felt better. I almost forgot this is the whole point.

The Phoenix was there for Angela, who was there for me; I was there for my friend. We keep the sober torch lit. I am not too cool for this. Thank God, I am cool enough for this. There is nothing hotter or cooler, in my professional opinion.

Next, I found what I was looking for, an NA craft pale ale from Lakefront Brewery (where my sister-in-law got married!). The rest is history, and drinks were no longer the focus. I was satisfied, something I never was as a drinker. I rocked out with my husband and sober lead singer Brandon Flowers and The Killers. It was a blast. 💥

You know what I really think about alcohol? It's a cage. And me?

"I'm coming outta my cage, and I've been doing just fine. Gotta, gotta be down because I want it all."

I remembered the whole show. I didn't lose my wallet. Didn't fight with my husband. Didn't fall down on the walk back to the car. Didn't wake up feeling like garbage. I tucked my 17-year-old baby in her bed after midnight. I washed my face, meditated, and slept soundly.

Not only did I enjoy a late night on Friday, I woke up slowly and happily on Saturday morning. I made quiche and cinnamon rolls. I enjoyed the French Market. I worked out. I lay at the pool. I was in a good mood. No headache. No guilt. I ate dinner outside with my husband. I read my book. I went to bed happy, full, and content. 

If this is the life you are going for, join us for Dry July on the 🔗 INSIDE. I'm hosting a challenge, and it's going to be so fun! We've got lots of new members, and it's the perfect time to join in. I'm hosting a kickoff call on Thursday, July 3rd. Catch the replay if you can't make it live.

XO!

Coach Brightside 🕶️

P.S. Did you catch the first 🔗 Ask a Coach Live? Read the blog about making sobriety stick and join us every week for answers to your questions about living alcohol-free.

P.P.S. There's a new podcast dropping this week; the title is Staying Power: A Wife's Journey Through Prison, Pain, and Partnership. Her husband went to federal prison, and you won't believe this love story. How's that for a hook? Never told before. Dropping early this week. Be on the lookout. Follow 🔗 The Peripeteia Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.