Sober Soulful is now PERFECT HUNGER

Feeding your hunger for a more beautiful, more nourishing life

Dearest Reader,

I have news that’s been a long time coming—something that’s been taking shape behind the scenes and in my heart, but which I’m only now ready to share: as of today, Sober Soulful is no more. Introducing…

PERFECT HUNGER: Feeding your hunger for a more beautiful, more nourishing life

Let me explain.

As near and dear as sobriety and the sober community are to my heart, my practice, and my writing, I’ve been feeling growing dissonance around defining myself and this letter in relation to alcohol—a substance I haven’t touched in over five years and never plan on touching again.

Yes, I still identify as sober. But “being sober” is just one part of who I am, and I no longer want that one part to be the centerpiece of my online identity.

Image of me by Rachael Shrum

This is a container to start craving what’s good for you.

First, if you’re here for sobriety content, rest assured that I’ll continue weaving sobriety into what I share. It remains a fundamental part of who I am and my practice.

I’m simply updating this letter’s name and structure to better reflect the shift I’ve already begun putting into place:

• An expansive approach to sobriety that goes far beyond alcohol to explore other substances and behaviors keeping us stuck

• An exploration of our patterns with curiosity and compassion, accountability and honesty

• An invitation to source discipline from devotion, taking steps to change patterns that are hurting ourselves and/or others

• A blend of personal shares and heart-sourced, holistic wellness guidance centered on the questions: What helps us feel better? How can we live more beautifully?

Changing from Sober Soulful to PERFECT HUNGER is a natural evolution.

In my mind, getting sober starts with saying no to something; cultivating a more perfect hunger is about foregrounding what we’re saying yes to. It’s about learning to crave what’s truly nourishing—both for our physical bodies and for our minds, spirits, relationships, and how we show up. It’s about stepping into a fuller, more beautiful, more conscious expression.

The idea of cultivating a more perfect thirst is found in Sufi poetry and teachings about longing for spiritual wisdom and connection with the divine. Similar teachings are found in many other religious and spiritual traditions.

Senior Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal, for instance, encourages cultivating desire for that which is wholesome—whether for our physical body, our mind and inner well-being, or our interactions with others and way of being in the world. And, as A. Helwa writes in Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam:

“It is our hunger, our thirst, and our emptiness that creates the longing for soul food. If we were full, we would never seek for anything.”

What you can expect going forward

PERFECT HUNGER is a space to receive inspirational, nuanced, open-minded, non-judgmental teachings for a more aligned, joyful life.

It’s a place to:

• Cultivate hunger for what’s deeply nourishing for your body, mind, and spirit.

• Access heart-sourced, holistic guidance focused on things you can do on your own, at home, while leaning on this newsletter for compassion, accountability, and encouragement.

• Explore, heal, and shift unhelpful patterns around…

  • food and body

  • alcohol and other drugs

  • social media and technology

  • money and spending

  • work and external validation

  • ways of perceiving and relating to both ourselves and our loved ones and community.

• Celebrate what we’re choosing rather than focusing on what we’re avoiding. This is about noticing, savoring, and protecting what leaves us feeling better, not worse.

• Get a peek into my personal practices related to physical and mental well-being, spirituality, sobriety, relationships, and ethics.

What you’ll receive:

• The Practice: formerly the Perfect Hunger series; an actionable, “guided self-help” series delivering bite-sized nourishment and practical guidance related to food, body, and holistic wellness (paid)

• Exploration Essays: heart-sourced, no-bullsh*t insights on body-mind-spirit wellness and the intersection of self, others, and culture (free)

• Link-Ups: what’s consuming me lately, featuring provocative listens, obsessive reads, and the occasional beautiful rabbit hole (paid)

• My Soulful Life: personal letters about soulful living in Thailand, what’s nourishing me, and what I’m hungry for (These personal letters will be free on occasion, but those that feel especially vulnerable or scary to share will remain exclusive to paid subscribers.)

• SoberStack™: a regularly updated newsletter directory featuring alcohol-free writers on Substack (free)

You can expect at least one free post a month. For full access to everything above, including The Practice, Link-ups, and My Soulful Life, now’s the best time to upgrade your subscription and take advantage of the PERFECT HUNGER Sale (this week only!):

I have tremendous gratitude for you—for being here, subscribing, reading, liking, commenting, and recommending this newsletter. Truly, in moments when I doubt my work and impact in the world, your presence means more than I can say.

Thank you, from my heart to yours,
Dana