He didn’t expect the Giants to win. Nobody did. It was Super Bowl Sunday, the Patriots were undefeated, and Justin Gurland was sitting in rehab on the opposite side of the country from everyone he loved. But the Giants pulled off a ridiculous, against-all-odds victory — and for a 25-year-old heroin addict who’d just landed in detox on his golden birthday, that tiny sports miracle became something bigger: proof that outcomes aren’t fixed, and maybe his life wasn’t either.
Justin explains to me on The Sober Curator Podcast that he didn’t know any sober people when he got clean. None. So his brain did what a lot of ours do: it told him sobriety would be boring, lonely, and gray. The irony? That was already his life. “I was an isolator,” he says. “I’d withdrawn from life. I was worried about what people would think… and I wasn’t even in touch with anyone.”
What changed was people. His younger sister had finally said, “I can’t do this anymore,” and forced a real conversation. His family rallied. The treatment center gave structure. Then the Giants gave him a little laugh in group when he said, “I don’t know what God is, but I know that happened and I can hold onto it.” Sometimes hope is tiny and weird and wrapped in football. But it’s still hope.
Fast-forward 17 years. Justin has built a career helping families in recovery. He’s seen the heartbreak and the beauty. He’s also seen the exhaustion. Social work is holy and it’s heavy. When he felt himself burning out, he didn’t walk away from recovery — he asked a different question:
What if I built a place for people who are doing well?
Not in crisis. Not in active withdrawal. Not in the wreckage stage. People who just… don’t drink. People who did Dry January and loved it. People who live in New York City and want to go out on a Friday and not stand in a bar clutching club soda like a prop. “That community is enormous,” he says. “And honestly, they need people more than we do — because we, in recovery, already have our crew.”
That’s the seed for The Maze.
It’s opening in Flatiron — 24th between 5th and 6th — on purpose. Central, easy for uptown/downtown/Jersey folks, and in a neighborhood that already feels cool. It’ll be closed Mondays, open Tues–Sun for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a main dining room, lounge with couches, TVs, and a pool table, plus a speakeasy-style room for private events and sober hangs up to around 35 people, and full buyouts on Mondays. In other words: it functions like the places New Yorkers already love… just alcohol-free.
And yes, it’s pretty. Justin cares about design. He told me he didn’t want it to feel sterile or like a museum — he wanted a place you actually want to sit in. Green shows up in the space because it’s his favorite color (also: kind of on-brand for growth, money, and Manhattan), and the whole room is meant to read “living room, but make it member-y.” If you’ve ever walked into a “recovery” space and immediately clocked the fluorescent lighting and gray carpet, you know why this matters. Aesthetics are part of dignity.
Membership will start capped around 200 so they can see real usage patterns and make sure people can actually get a Friday reservation. This is the part nobody says out loud about sober social spaces: if you make it too open, you ruin the experience; if you make it too closed, you kill the community. He’s threading the needle by staying member-first, but still telling sober travelers, “DM us, we’ll figure it out.”
Beneath the business model is a bigger shift: sobriety is cool now. Or at least, not weird. The online recovery/AF movement that really blew up around 2016–2020 — books, podcasts, meme accounts, zero-proof brands — made it normal to say, “I don’t drink” without also saying, “I had a DUI.” That wave is exactly why a space like The Maze can exist in 2025. As Justin puts it, “I don’t think a place like this could’ve existed even a few years ago.”
But he’s also clear: online can only take us so far. Meeting people in person “locks in that connection.” Energy in the same room hits differently. And maybe that’s the real through-line from Super Bowl Sunday in rehab to this posh, green Flatiron clubhouse: he’s still creating spaces where people can feel that same little flash of “maybe everything’s going to be okay.”
If you’re sober or sober-curious and NYC is on your map, add The Maze to your list — and then go listen to the full episode for the origin story, the rehab group laughter, and the part where he says: if you want him to train for a marathon with you… don’t call him. 😂 But do make sure to follow along with them on IG @themazenyc and stay in the NYC sober know.
Listen to the full convo on The Sober Curator Podcast — because getting sober matters, staying sober matters more.
Getting sober is one thing—but staying sober? That’s where the real adventure begins.
This show is for you if you’ve ever wondered:
– Where can I find inspiring sober podcasts, apps, and creators?
– How do I give back or stay plugged into the sober community
– What are the best sober-friendly drinks and travel tips?
– Where do I find the good NA drinks that don’t taste like regret?
The Sober Curator is your go-to for sober pop culture, booze-free travel, apps, creators, and community.
We’re not here to help you get sober.
We’re here to help you live sober—and love it.
What happens when sobriety finally clicks — not just in the body, but in the soul? In this powerful episode, Alysse Bryson sits down with recovery advocate and community leader Jonathan Gildart to talk about incarceration, identity, and finding true belonging in LGBTQ+ recovery spaces. With over 11 years of continuous sobriety, Jonathan shares how service, accountability, and queer community didn’t just help him stay sober — they helped him build a life worth staying for.
Key Takeaways
Why sobriety without community often isn’t enough
How LGBTQ+ recovery spaces create safety, accountability, and joy
The myth of “I don’t have a drinking problem” — and how it unravels
Why service is one of the most powerful relapse-prevention tools
How recovery housing builds responsibility, dignity, and connection
Key Timestamps
[01:26] Meet Jonathan Gildart & his sober origin story
[03:00] Incarceration as the unexpected turning point
[05:10] “I thought I could just drink” — relapse myths
[08:00] Acceptance, identity, and the search for belonging
[12:00] Recovery housing & rebuilding adult life skills
[15:00] Service, leadership, and the Gay & Sober Conference
Notable Resources & Mentions
Oxford House recovery housing
Gay & Sober Conference – “The Year of Love” (2026)
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About:
Sobriety isn’t the end of the party—it’s just the start of a better one. Hosted by Alysse Bryson, media powerhouse and sobriety’s ultimate hype woman, The Sober Curator Podcast delivers bold convos, pop culture deep dives, and zero-proof living that doesn’t suck. Subscribe now—because getting sober matters, staying sober matters more.
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