Today we’d like to introduce you to Becca Halbert.
Hi Becca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For many years I questioned my relationship with alcohol but never did anything about it, more worried about the existence of my social life. Amid the pandemic and a string of incidents that furthered the negative effects of drinking alcohol and my decision-making, I decided to ditch the drink. Unsure if it were a lifelong commitment though, I resonated more with the term sober-curious, which supports the idea that I am not drinking right now, but it may not last forever. Some try abstaining from alcohol for Dry January or Sober October, but for me I wanted to just take a break from the booze and see how I felt. Whether it’s for a year, a month, or even just a night – all of us can benefit from a booze break.
In my first six months of sobriety, I searched for online sober communities to find people I could relate to. Where are the people who are just like me that are feeling the same as me? Where can I go in Austin to have a beautiful cocktail but without alcohol? I’m very much a social butterfly and wanted to continue going to bars and restaurants without being forced to only drink water. If I had known about nonalcoholic beverages before, would I have had such a negative relationship with alcohol? Do other people know about NA SPIRITS? These are the questions that kept me up at night and thus The Booze Break was formed. The Booze Break is a resource for promoting the sober and sober curious lifestyles and highlights where in Austin you can get nonalcoholic cocktails.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Right now The Booze Break is a creative outlet for me that allows me to connect to other sober/sober curious people in the nonalcoholic space. I have made new friends and connections that I never would have dreamed of had I kept drinking alcohol. Just realizing that I wasn’t alone has been the biggest blessing throughout my sober curiousness. Two things that work in my favor in Austin though: we are an active and social town, and we tend to care more about healthy living. Because of these two things, I have seen an explosion of zero proof cocktail menus and nonalcoholic beverage options at several bars, stores, and restaurants. Many brands trust Austin as an innovative city, so I’m seeing us get some of the firsts within the NA space. For example: Athletic Brewing Co, which only sells nonalcoholic beer and sparkling water(and the most delicious IPA on the market), had a pop up bar and gym in downtown Austin for the month of September 2021. It is challenging though – the sober movement is an old idea but with new momentum (the term sober-curious wasn’t coined until 2017 by Ruby Warrington). The coasts definitely have a better pulse on the nonalcoholic industry but it slowly creeping its way towards Texas.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The Booze Break is only five months old and continuing to grow. Establishing connections between brands with stores, restaurants, and bars is what I hope to specialize in as it grows. Now that the world is starting to open up more, I hope to have events helping to introduce some NA drinks to patrons at a bar, restaurant or event. There are so many different types of people who may need to take a booze break so I just want to make sure there’s something for them to drink too. I want to break the stigma that alcohol is associated with fun. I do believe there is a market that brands don’t even know exist by providing a nonalcoholic option that isn’t a plain soda. “Why aren’t you drinking” is the ultimate question I am trying to eliminate from any conversation.
Recently I have helped nonprofit events acquire some nonalcoholic beverages to serve at their events. This has been rewarding and a great way to introduce brands into the market.
I have a lot of friends in the pregnancy and early parenting stage of life. It’s become clear that they too desire an ‘adult’ cocktail when they are choosing not to actually drink alcohol. I enjoy being a resource for them when they are seeking nonalcoholic beverage options.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I like how active people are in Austin. I love the trails, especially downtown, and being outside when we have great weather. It’s so nice that two lakes are just a few miles away. Boating might be my favorite activity. Because it’s a booming town, so many people want in on it. I love how people love it so much but that is what I like the least. So many people moving here has driven prices up on everything making it hard to get by, and traffic is the worst.
Contact Info:
- Email: theboozebreak@gmail.com
- Instagram: theboozebreak
Image Credits:
Ivan Licon
