A Very Merry Zero-Proof Holiday

It's the time of year for celebrations, and on this week's show, we're bringing the party – but without the booze! Our zero-proof holiday begins with a visit to Dream House Lounge in New Orleans. There, Dr. David Wallace serves up drinks that use adaptogens like kava or reishi mushrooms instead of alcohol. Aside from its delicious drinks and energizing oxygen bar, Dream House is a place where David encourages what he calls "soul-care" – a place for guests to nurture good spiritual and mental health.

Then, we learn about the national support group, Ben's Friends. In 2016, sober restaurateurs Steve Palmer and Mickey Bakst founded Ben's Friends after the death of Ben Murray, one of Steve's cooks. They recognized the deep need for a support group tailored to food and beverage professionals who struggle with the all-too-common problem of addiction. We sit down with Mickey and Ben's Friends leader, Hailey Hosler, to learn how hospitality workers are helping their own.

Finally, we sit down with dietician Molly Kimball of Ochsner Eat Fit and journalist Melanie Warner Spencer. Regular listeners may remember Molly from her annual challenge, Alcohol Free For 40, which has led thousands to give up drinking entirely for the 40 days of Lent. Melanie was among those participants, and by 2021, was so taken with the effects of an alcohol-free life, she founded Drink Fit Club – an online community dedicated to helping people cut back on their intake. The dynamic duo discuss today's no- and low-alcohol culture and Craft, a new book that perfects the art of zero-proof cocktails.