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It’s a common misconception that you can’t go out and have fun if you’re not drinking alcohol, but Shea Gomez is here to change the stereotypes and stigmas of sobriety. Gomez is the founder of No Booze Babes (@noboozebabes), an online platform that supports and celebrates a booze-free lifestyle. No Booze Babes is an Instagram account, a TikTok account, podcast, and YouTube channel, all of which offer content and community that supports people in their sober journeys.
Gomez was inspired to stop drinking after noticing that she didn’t feel at her best when consuming alcohol. Between hangovers and anxiety, she knew that alcohol wasn’t serving her. “I did a lot of breaks,” shares Gomez. “A lot of like, ‘Dry January’, ‘Sober October’, and all of that.”
It wasn’t until Gomez took a 3-month break that she realized that sobriety was for her. “I kind of kept extending the break because I loved how I felt,” she recalls. “I think deep down, I always knew that my life could be a lot better off without alcohol.”
But Gomez didn’t want to navigate a sober life alone, and she didn’t want others to do so either. “I really turned to the Instagram community and found other like-minded women who were living their best lives and smiling and having a good time and going to parties, all alcohol-free. So I wanted to create a community where people felt seen, and [could be] the booze-free party that everyone was invited to.”
A major tenet of No Booze Babes is that not drinking alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t party. “I really thought before I stopped drinking that life stopped when you stopped drinking,” says Gomez. “We do all the same activities that you do if you were to go [drinking], but you just don’t drink or you find great non-alcoholic options. Like, I love a dance floor. I always say you can still follow the call of the disco ball without alcohol.”
Gomez also wants No Booze Babes to destigmatize the stereotypes around sobriety and create a space where people with booze-free lifestyles can relate to and see themselves in each other.
“It’s okay to not want to drink because it doesn’t make you feel good, or because you’re sick of the hangovers,” says Gomez “There’s so many reasons why, and so I think the more people that share their stories, the more people that can find something that they relate to or something that resonates with them that shows them that it’s possible for them, too.”
Without alcohol in her life, Gomez feels like she can make larger strides towards her goals. “Whether it was a day or two being hungover, that’s like a day or two taken away from me meeting my goals or getting out there in the world and getting things done,” she explains.
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With the No Booze Babes community supporting her, Gomez feels more equipped than ever to take on the world, alcohol-free. “No Booze Babes grew to something beyond my wildest dreams,” says Gomez. “I’ve connected with women from all over the world, and gone to London and done meetups, and meetups here in New York City, and it’s just so fulfilling and exciting and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
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