Laura Silverman
December 16, 2019

I’ve been sitting on this for months because I didn’t want to “offend” anyone. But I’m reclaiming the narrative and taking back my voice. This movement is the future and it’s a HEALTHY one at that.

I originally wrote a piece in May 2019 for a prominent collegiate recovery magazine. Seeing as college students are at increased risk of binge drinking as a means to self-medicate through feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, peer pressure, fear, and more — it’s important to provide non-alcoholic options that don’t feel lame, to put it plainly. Meanwhile, a global trend of zero proof beverages and bars is lighting the path for a revolutionary way to socialize: sober.

Even in May 2019, bars like Sans Bar, Listen Bar, Getaway Bar, and Redemption Bar were blazing a path. Beverage brands across the globe cropped up — and continue to do so — in response to people wanting healthy, nuanced, sophisticated options. No more Shirley Temples as the only go-to (nothing wrong with a good ole ST, though). Since then, Chris Marshall, founder of Sans Bar, and I have launched Zero Proof Nation, a digital community to celebrate all things #zeroproof (beverages, people, places, events) across the globe. I am thisclose to launching a new blog called Booze Free in DC (the IG is already live) that will be a hub for travelers and locals alike to discover all that Washington, DC has to offer from a booze-free lens. Eat, Drink, Play, Renew. I see this as the precursor for a travel guide — yes, a print book — that will be Wildsam Field Guide meets Lonely Planet and will grace bookshelves across the country. This forthcoming book on DC can very well be a blueprint for future wellness travel guides in every major global city. Why not?!

But back to the original issue. This piece. The deadline was early June to make it into print for the back-to-school issue in September. I was told the managing editor and editor-in-chief loved the piece and thought it would be phenomenal for college students and the collegiate recovery community. Especially since I started drinking in college and could have truly benefited from a) authentic social connection and b) delicious booze-free beverages. So imagine my surprise when I opened the issue to scan the masthead and my name wasn’t there. After letting a day go by to compose my thoughts, I reached out to the managing editor who replied as such:

“Regretfully, we had to pull your story from the issue. My editor and I loved the story; however, the publisher was concerned about the response it would get from our audience and stakeholders. The magazine is closely aligned with the Association of Recovery in Higher Education, and [the publisher] feared the backlash from our 12-step, abstinence-based readers, who would see the sober bar movement as triggering, especially for those in early recovery.

I’m incredibly disappointed with this decision. Your piece was strongly reported, engaging, and incredibly timely. I hope you’re able to publish it elsewhere.

— Managing Editor