BACKSTAGE
A Culture Club for People Living Alcohol-Free
Community, creativity, and conversations for people who want to keep growing in sobriety.
Historically, recovery has been framed as survival. We’re interested in what it looks like as celebration.
• Monthly live events
• Curated sober culture & media
• Creative studio sessions
• A community of curious alcohol-free people
Founding Membership — Only 200 Spots
Founding members help shape the community and lock in the lowest rate.
Join the waitlist to secure your invitation.
Launching Spring 2026
Sobriety gave you the foundation. Backstage gives you the room.
Many sober communities focus on early recovery. But millions of people are now living long-term alcohol-free lives.
They’re not (only) looking for support meetings. They’re looking for inspiration, ideas, and meaningful conversation.
Backstage with The Sober Curator was created for that next chapter.
What’s our street cred?
1M+ Readers Since Launch. 17K+ Subscribers. 3,000+ Articles. 38 contributors across 6 countries. Combined 500+ years of sobriety. Five and a half years of building the media platform, long-term sobriety deserved.
Awarded First Culture Ambassador of the Year 2025 by the Sans Bar Academy Awards.
Founded and led by Alysse Bryson, sober since May 1, 2006.
Award of Excellence 2025 Communicator Awards in Website Causes & Awareness.
2025 Golden Award - Travel Column by Society of American Travel Writers
Recovery isn’t the
end of the story.
Recovery has been framed as survival.
Staying sober as maintenance.
We’re interested in something else.
Identity.
Culture.
Celebration.
Taste.
Expansion.
This is the room where the conversation finally aligns with your ambition.
Backstage is where long-term sobriety becomes authorship & recovery culture is defined.
What Backstage Is
Backstage is not a recovery meeting.
It’s a cultural room.
Not maintenance.
It’s momentum.
Not small talk.
It’s conversation.
Not self-improvement.
It’s expansion.
It’s the room you’ve been looking for. The one that doesn’t exist yet. Until now.
What Happens Inside Backstage?
Three curated experiences a month.
One intentional week to integrate.
Not open to the public.
Not available anywhere else.
Here’s a sample of what you can expect…
Week One:
Media Night
Where the cultural conversation happens before everyone else catches up.
We gather around culture. Not confession.
The conversation is sharp.
The takes are better.
Week Two:
Studio Night
Where your creative practice gets oxygen, not performance pressure.
We make something with our hands. Art skills not required.
Because staying sober isn’t maintenance. It’s authorship.
Week Three:
Learn Night
Edutainment at it’s finest. Think master class, but make it sober. The voices you want in your orbit. In conversation. In the room. Making magic. Learn something new or get better at something you already love.
Backstage conversations that feel like the after-party, but smarter.
What Founding Members Get
The edition. The access. The drop.
A Quarterly Publication That’s Actually Worth Saving
Not a newsletter. An issue.
Art-forward. Cultural. Designed to be devoured.
Special Access. Selective Invitations.
Early access to aligned brands, events, and collaborators.
Not mass discounts. Curated opportunities.
Experiences You Can’t Buy Your Way Into
Retreats. Private gatherings. Limited releases.
Built inside Backstage. Not available to the public.
Who Backstage Is For
Backstage is for people who are sober —
and no longer interested in shrinking their lives to protect it.
It’s for those who don’t need another place to survive.
They want somewhere to expand.
You’ve done the work.
You’re stable.
You’re steady.
Now you want culture.
Conversation.
Creative momentum.
You care about taste.
About ideas.
About the room you’re in.
And the rooms you’ll be invited into next.
You don’t want to circle the same story.
You want to build a new one.
Backstage isn’t crisis support.
It’s cultural momentum.
It’s selective by design.
A Note from
Alysse Bryson
I built Backstage because I couldn’t find the room I wanted to sit in.
I had sobriety.
I had stability.
But I wanted culture. Conversation. Taste.
I wanted a space where sobriety wasn’t the headline. It was the foundation.
Backstage with The Sober Curator is that room.
It’s where long-term sobriety becomes authorship.
Where identity expands instead of contracts.
Where we talk about art, media, ideas, style, ambition and what it means to build a life that actually fits.
If you’re ready for that,
I’ll see you inside.
Founding Membership is limited to 200 people. That’s it.
This isn’t about being saved.
It’s about being intentional.
If you’re ready for that room — the one that doesn’t shrink your sobriety, but expands everything around it — join the waitlist.
Invitations go out Spring 2026. Don’t miss it.
Backstage with The Sober Curator: FAQ
Is this a recovery program or a support group?
Nope. Not even close. Backstage is a cultural membership for people who are already sober and want somewhere to talk about books, art, business, travel, creativity, and pop culture. Think cultural clubhouse, not meeting. If you are looking for peer support or recovery resources, The Sober Curator has a full resource guide for that. Backstage is something different.
Who is Backstage for?
People in long-term sobriety who are stable, steady, and ready to expand. You have done the work. You are not looking for another place to process the early stuff. You want culture, conversation, and a room that matches your ambition. If you have been sober for years and feel like you have outgrown most of the content out there, this was built for you.
What actually happens inside?
Three curated virtual broadcasts every month, all recorded so you never miss one. Media Night covers books, TV, film, podcasts, and headlines worth talking about. Studio Night is hands-on creative time: journaling, collaging, painting, sticker club. Edutainment is the third night, think MasterClass energy but make it sober. You also get members-only content and a quarterly digital zine that is actually worth keeping.
What if I can not make the live broadcast times?
Every broadcast is recorded. You can watch on your own schedule. Being there live is more fun, but it will never be required.
What does it cost?
Founding Members lock in at a special rate that will not be available after the initial 200 spots fill. The founding rate is the lowest this membership will ever be. Get on the waitlist to secure your invitation and pricing before the public launch.
Why only 200 Founding Members?
Because the first cohort shapes the culture of the room. Smaller, more intentional, more curated. Once the 200 founding spots are gone, the membership opens at the standard rate. The founding rate and the founding experience are only available right now.
Do I have to be a certain number of years sober to join?
There is no hard rule, but Backstage is designed for people in long-term recovery who are past the early stages. If you are still navigating the foundational work, we want you to have the right support first. This room is best for people who are stable and ready to build.
Is this only for women?
No. Backstage is open to anyone in long-term sobriety who wants what we are building here. All gender indenties are welcome.
What is The Sober Curator and why should I trust you to run this?
The Sober Curator is an award-winning sober lifestyle and pop culture media platform launched in 2020. We have had over one million unique visitors, built a community of 17,000+ email subscribers, and published more than 3,000 articles across six content verticals with 38 contributors worldwide. I am Alysse Bryson, the founder. I have been sober since 2006. I did not build this to help people survive sobriety. I built it because sober life is actually extraordinary, and somebody needed to cover it that way.
How do I join?
Get on the waitlist. Invitations go out Spring 2026. Founding Member spots are limited to 200 people. Once they are gone, they are gone.