The Sobees Scoring System at The Sober Curator

At The Sober Curator, we take pride in our unique scoring system, The Sobees, which empowers our contributors to share their insights on curated content. Our dedicated team of nearly 37 Sober Curator Contributors brings a wealth of experience to the table, representing a variety of backgrounds and cultures, with a collective 400+ years of sobriety between them. This diverse group, ranging from those who have recently celebrated one year of sobriety to those marking 40 years, reflects multiple pathways to sobriety and recovery making it easy for everyone to find a voice that resonates with their experience. While most of our contributors are based in the United States, we’re excited to have representation from Canada and the UK, with plans to broaden our global reach.

Many of our contributors are also published authors and podcasters. You will notice we have decided to forgo scoring them using our Sobees scoring system and label them as TSC Contributors (books) and VIP (Very Important Podcasts) for the Recovery Podcastland Network.

As our archives of books, podcasts, and movie and TV show reviews expands, each contributor weighs in by providing their score. The only requirement to vote is that they have personally consumed the content of the piece being scored. We then calculate the average score from all internal submissions and publish that as a reflection of our community’s collective insight.

Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to be in the planning stages of launching an annual people’s choice awards and continue enriching our sober archives, ensuring we create a welcoming space for those on their journey to self-improvement. Together, we’re building something special—a supportive community that lifts each other and celebrates the beauty of sobriety, one day, one vote, and one review at a time.

We don’t care how or why you got sober. That said, if you’ve made a lifestyle change, we do care that you stay sober. Our ethos is to create a space and community that celebrates long-term sobriety #nodaysoff, keeping our fans and followers informed, inspired, and entertained.

Still curious how we score? Here is our full transparency - as we've got nothing to hide.

CORE CATEGORIES (0-20 points each): These five criteria apply to all types of media:

Relevance to Sobriety & Recovery
- 20: Directly and meaningfully explores sobriety, addiction, or recovery.
- 15: Mentions or features sober themes but not as a primary focus.
- 10: Sobriety-adjacent but lacks depth.
- 5: Minimal to no relevance to sobriety.
- 0: Completely unrelated.
Authenticity & Accuracy
- 20: Highly realistic, well-researched, and avoids harmful stereotypes.
- 15: Mostly accurate but contains minor exaggerations.
- 10: Some elements feel inauthentic or misrepresent recovery.
- 5: Misleading or problematic portrayal.
- 0: Grossly inaccurate or exploitative.
Emotional + Cultural Impact
- 20: Deeply moving, inspiring, and relatable, with strong, diverse representation of sobriety experiences.
- 15: Engaging and thought-provoking, with some diversity but not fully explored.
- 10: Some emotional resonance, but inconsistent, with limited perspectives.
- 5: Lacks depth or connection, featuring token representation or stereotypical portrayals.
- 0: Emotionally flat, lacks representation, or is exclusionary.

Overall Quality & Entertainment Value
- 20: High-quality, well-produced, and engaging throughout.
- 15: Good quality but has some weak points.
- 10: Decent, but forgettable or inconsistent.
- 5: Mediocre quality, hard to stay engaged.
- 0: Poorly executed.

Medium-Specific Categories (0-20 Points Each)

(Only one of these applies depending on the type of media being reviewed.)

Books – Writing & Storytelling