Alysse Bryson on Building a Sober Pop Culture Empire

Alysse Bryson on Building a Sober Pop Culture Empire

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and then turn that choice into a full-on pop culture project? This chat with long-term sober creative Alysse Bryson is aimed straight at people who love media, memes and movies just as much as they love their recovery.

Alysse, self-described “sober curator”, shares how her background in newspapers, magazines and TV led her to build a lifestyle hub for people in long-term recovery who still want to stay “motivated, entertained, and inspired – heavy emphasis on the entertainment.” She talks frankly about noticing a gap: loads of content for the newly sober, but not much for those 10, 15, 20 years in, who still have problems and still sometimes think about drinking.

Alysse explains how she archives the way recovery, addiction and mental health show up in film, TV and celebrity stories, and why she wants more characters in long-term recovery on screen: “If 1 in 10 people are in recovery, then 1 in 10 people in the movies should be in recovery.” She also lifts the curtain on her upcoming membership club, Backstage with The Sober Curator – think virtual media nights, hands-on craft sessions and “edutainment” skills workshops, all in rooms where everyone happens to be sober.

You’ll hear plenty of laughs as the trio swap stories about cigarettes, Gen X chaos and classic addiction films, but the focus stays firmly on sober pop culture. With over 3,000 articles, a growing book review library, events listings and even a sober business directory, Alysse’s project speaks to anyone who wants recovery content that feels fun, clever and culturally switched on.

If you’ve ever wondered where sober bookworms, film nerds and long-term recovery folks hang out online, this conversation might give you a few ideas – and maybe a new favourite movie to rewatch sober. What kind of sober culture would you like to see more of?