Miscellaneous
As the idea of creating spaces for people who want to change their relationship with alcohol continues to grow, it’s only natural that people will start to create spaces for those who want to change their relationship with alcohol and also have life experiences and perspectives that are outside of the majority. That’s what today’s guest, Scott Pearson, is doing with Proud and Sober, an online social platform geared toward supporting those in the LGBT+ community who have decided to change their relationships with alcohol. In today’s episode, Scott describes his own experiences with getting sober. He explains that he knew when he was 25 that he needed to stop drinking, but he grappled with the decision for a couple of years before finally giving the alcohol up for good. He talks about the specific challenges faced by people in their 20s who want to give up drinking in an alcohol-soaked youth culture. “I just woke up one morning after way too many drinks the night before and I knew that that was it.” Scott discovered that there was a sober community out there that was willing to help and support people on their journey to becoming alcohol-free, and that community helped him on his journey as well. However, he also found that there were far fewer young people speaking about the experience of giving up alcohol. He also discovered that there weren’t many LGBT+ people who were talking publicly about what it was like to give up drinking. Scott wanted to hear more of those voices, and that desire is what gave him the idea to work on creating Proud and Sober. In today’s interview, Scott also talks about the importance of allyship, and what it really means to be an ally. He describes situations that he experienced when he felt alone and could have used an ally. He also speaks about the universal nature of allyship – how the definition of allyship is fundamentally the same to the Black community, the LGBT+ community, the Jewish community, and so on. He discusses the actions that an ally should take and how they can speak up for the communities that they’re allied with. Listen to the episode to hear more about Scott’s journey and his goals for the future. LINKS & RESOURCES OYNB LINKS OYNB MasterMind Program: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/mastermind/ OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/ OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/ OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/ OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/ OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/ Scott Pearson’s Links Website: https://www.proudandsober.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proudandsober/