The Pursuit of Wellness: Sober Curiosity

Molly Ruggere moved back to Charlotte in 2018 after she’d spent most of her 20s in New York. She wasn’t a “problem drinker,” but the lifestyle there had gotten to her. “I wasn’t in traditional recovery; I didn’t identify as an alcoholic,” she says. “But when I stopped drinking, it was a transformative experience.” 

The first thing she noticed was improved sleep. Her skin cleared up, and her face thinned out. Her energy increased, and she started exercising regularly. One healthy habit led to another. “I started flossing consistently!” she says. “When you drink, your prefrontal cortex goes offline. Once you stop, you can pause, think before you speak, and handle conflicts more rationally.”

Ruggere’s friends accepted her lifestyle choice, but she was still the only sober person at most events. “Even an outing like the Whitewater Center involved alcohol,” she says. “There were over 60 breweries in Charlotte at the time. For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction, right? If a sober community doesn’t exist here, why not make it?”

Molly Ruggere, with mom Lisa, (above) hosted the 2023 Counterculture Festival at Camp North End (below). Photos by Lunahzon Photography

In 2020, Ruggere launched Counterculture Club, a social community that hosts alcohol-free events and festivals throughout the city. She started an online group to discuss navigating the pandemic without alcohol, and in 2021, she began holding regular mixers and meetups at coffee shops. Counterculture Festival, which she hosted at Camp North End in January for the second consecutive year, is structured like a beer festival but with nonalcoholic beverage vendors along with food and music. 

“I created a space for what I needed,” she says. “‘Sober’ is such a loaded term; that’s not the goal for everyone. It’s about freeing yourself from attachment to alcohol. Removing—or reducing—this one thing can change your life from the inside out.”