I am standing in a resort lobby in Florida wearing a house coat, an inflatable walker, and a white wig. It is January. I am fifty years old. My co-host Tamar Routly is next to me. Fellow Sober Curator Contributors Amy Liz Harrison and Carolyn Bunn are standing next to her. We are dressed as the Golden Girls and we are completely, aggressively sober and we are having the best night of the trip.
We’ll get to that.
🎧Listen to this article in Alysse’s voice
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**Please note that the date + location changed after this post was originally published on July 27. ** All info re: this experience has been updated below.
Somewhere around year three of sobriety, I noticed my vacation photos changed. I was actually in them. Standing upright, no mystery bruises, no scanning the frame trying to reconstruct the night. My skin looked fresh even before I added a filter. It was really the eyes that had the biggest change. Clear. Grounded. Mostly healed.
Twenty years later, I’m taking that energy to the desert.
This November 1 – 4, I’m hosting Cover Story, my first-ever retreat with Evolve Retreats at The Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley, Arizona, just outside Scottsdale. Four days. One resort. Zero hangovers. And a professional photo shoot where you get your own cover moment, because after everything you’ve been through to get here, you deserve better than a cropped group selfie from 2019.
What Cover Story Actually Is
Cover Story is a four-day reset for The Sober Curator community: the sober, the sober curious, and everyone who has quietly decided they’re done renting out their weekends to alcohol.
Here’s the premise. You didn’t quit drinking to sit in the back row of your own life. You quit to show up, pay attention, and finally star in the thing. So we built a retreat around that idea, literally. Every guest gets a professional photo shoot on location with my go-to photographer, the fabulous Barbie Hull: 30 minutes, up to two outfit changes, your own cover girl or cover guy moment, plus headshots you’ll actually want to use. Not the LinkedIn photo where you look like you’re being held against your will. A real one. You’ll show up camera-ready; hair + make-up are not included. However, if you decide to hire your own glam team to come to the resort, I will happily come and take broll behind the scenes footage of you getting ready.
All images will be delivered digitally before Thanksgiving, and I’ll be on hand to capture b-roll of your shoot + your weekend adventures, so you leave with content (you are actually IN) for your own socials.
The Rest of the Weekend
This is not a boot camp and it is not a treatment program. We aren’t going to sit in a circle and talk about our feelings. But I might chatter your ears off at the pool or while we go shopping and exploring. It’s a long weekend with your people, paced as if some lazy adults planned it.
Sunrise walks with Camelback Mountain doing its thing in the background. A sound bath to reset a nervous system that has been running on cortisol and calendar invites. Quiet, structured journaling time, no sharing circle required. A costume outing, because dressing up as the version of yourself you’re becoming is more fun than it sounds, and it already sounds fun. An afternoon at a local art gallery and makers market with bracelet painting, because a good souvenir beats a hangover every single time.
And on night three, we’re recording a live episode of The Sober Curator podcast right at the resort. Fireside chat energy, not a stage. Participation is completely optional, but I’ll tell you this: the conversations that happen when a room full of sober people gets honest after two days in the desert? That’s the episode I’ve been wanting to make. You’ll hear it on the podcast after the trip. Or you could be in it.
The Details You Actually Want
The retreat runs November 1 to 4 at The Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley. Fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor, and you’re 20 minutes from check-in.
Pricing is $3,299 single occupancy or $2,700 double, and both cover the whole thing: luxury accommodations, all meals and non-alcoholic beverages, the photo shoot and headshots, sound healing, every outing, the podcast recording, taxes, and gratuities. The only things not included are airfare and transfers.
One thing worth knowing: prices go up to $3,499 and $2,999 on August 21. A $750 deposit holds your spot, payment plans are available, and the group is intentionally small. This is a dinner party, not a conference.
Save your seat at Evolve Retreats →
Why I’m Doing This
I’ve spent six years building The Sober Curator on a simple premise: sober people are not delicate, and we are not boring. We want the good coffee, the good trip, a good Instagram feed, and nights we actually remember. Entertainment is not optional in long-term sobriety. It’s structural.
But a website can only do so much. At some point you have to get everyone in the same room, hand them a mocktail, and see what happens. If you’ve followed along with any of my adventures on my socials, then you already know I travel frequently, I do fun things, with fun people, and it’s all very well documented.
Here’s the other thing. I didn’t just build a media company from scratch. Before that, I ran one. I was a magazine publisher. I know what it feels like to put a real issue together, to have a team in the room, to make something that lives on a page and holds its weight. Cover Story is the first time I get to do that with this community. The podcast records live at the resort on night three. After the trip, I’m publishing the Sober in Scottsdale Zine, and the people in that room with me in October are my on-staff contributors. You don’t just attend this retreat. You’re in it. You leave with your cover photo, your headshot, and a byline.
You don’t just attend this retreat. You’re in it. You leave with your cover photo, your headshot, and a byline.
So this November, I’m getting dressed up, getting in front of Barbie’s camera, and spending four days in the desert with people who don’t need a drink to have the best night of their lives. Nobody will ask for your story or your day count. And if you do decide to share it, there are many of us who will listen intently, laugh appropriately, and nod in understanding.
Twenty spots. A group intentionally small enough that I will actually know your name by day two. Early-bird pricing ends August 21, and when those spots are gone, they’re gone. The desert doesn’t wait and honestly neither should you.
That is not a retreat. That is a cover story with a photographer on site.
Come get yours.
Save your seat at Evolve Retreats →
Curated Reels of Having a Ridiculously Fun Time Traveling With The Sober Curator
- Golden Girls Gone Wild in Orlando, Florida
- Viva Las Sober with Soiree in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Polar Plunge and Sauna in Seattle, WA
- Ghost Tour in Seattle, WA
- Dollywood Soberthday Celebrations, Tennessee
- Cle Elum Cabin Workcation Admin Getaway, Cle Elum, WA
SOBER RETREATS: with Senior Travel Sober Curator Contributor Teresa Bergen is your go-to space for alcohol-free travel tips, insider guides, and honest reviews from a sober perspective. Teresa blends her passions—animals, wildlife conservation, sustainability, geography, culture, outdoor adventure, and yoga—into enriching travel stories that inspire mindful exploration. From kayaking and hiking to visiting historic cemeteries and sacred spaces, she uncovers the beauty where history, art, and spirituality meet.
🏝️ Submit a Sober Retreat Recovery-focused, wellness, spiritual, creative, and adventure retreats. Listings start free. Featured and Sponsored placements available for retreats that want full editorial coverage. Submit your retreat →
You’re not new to this. You’re ready for what’s next.
And not everyone gets here.
You’ve done the hard part.
You’re sober. You’re clear.
You’ve built a life that no longer revolves around alcohol.
Now you’re ready for something more.
You want better conversations.
More connection.
More culture.
More expansion.
You’re not looking for another recovery meeting.
You’re looking for a room that reflects who you are now.
This is for you if this sounds like you:
- You’re sober and stable.
- You’ve outgrown. traditional recovery spaces.
- You want more than support — you want connection, culture, and momentum.
- You’re ready for what comes after survival.
That’s exactly what BACKSTAGE was built for. LEARN MORE AND JOIN US TODAY →
You don’t need a sobriety date to be here.
Sober, sober-curious, “just taking a break,” California sober and questioning it… The Sober Sip doesn’t check IDs at the door.
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Resources Are Available
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