Welcome, 

I'm so glad you found us. Here's a little back story on how the Smug AF brand was born. 

During Covid times, I was living with my family in Melbourne. We were experiencing the worst lockdown in Australia and even though it seemed like the whole world was shut down, somehow Dan's was considered an essential service *eye roll*. I began researching cocktails and started making fancy drinks at home for entertainment, it was fun, but with this came a sneaky little daily drinking habit too. 

I moved back to Sydney and no surprises but my daily drinking habit moved with me. There was always a reason to have a drink; it was a nice day, it was cold, we were going out to dinner, someone was over for dinner, it didn't really matter what was happening there was a reason for a drink. Even if it was just a single glass of wine.

I never considered myself to be a "big drinker" or even a heavy drinker. I drank like everyone else around me and I'm over 6' tall so I could always hold my own. I would sometimes wake up feeling dusty but it was pretty rare that I couldn't function so I didn't see my drinking as impacting my life. 

It wasn't until my dad almost died of a pancreatic attack, something that can be caused from too much drinking, that this gave me the wake up call I needed to look at my own drinking. I realised I didn't want to end up in the same situation.

When he was in ICU, I decided I was stopping drinking, not forever but for a period of time. During that time I realised how much my body had become accustomed to drinking. I woke up feeling dusty for about 30 days, even though I hadn't had a drink - this was alarming to me. I decided I needed to stop for at least 6months to give myself the space I needed from alcohol and to start remembering what great actually felt like.

Since my dad could no longer drink, we both dove into alcohol-free options and discovered that many things on the market were flavoured soda waters or weird botanical flavours. I wanted to find something that matched alcohol that didn't make me feel like I was missing out or drinking a kid's drink. From this need, Smug was born. 

I worked for over 12months to formulate our first drinks, with careful attention to every detail, matching the alcohol flavours and experience. Even replicating the mouthfeel and the warming sensation you get from drinking.

Smug isn't about not drinking forever, it is about having choice and support for wherever you are on your journey. I hope you use Smug as a tool in your toolkit to help you achieve your goals.

I'm committed to creating a community that encourages mindful drinking- however that looks for you; 100% sober, sober curious, intermittent drinker or otherwise. A safe and inclusive space to explore the AF movement and see how you feel. 

I'd love you to come and connect with us on our socials, I love meeting new people who are putting themselves and their health first. I hope to educate, inspire and entertain you along the way. 

Cheers to being 'Fun Tonight & Fresh Tomorrow' 

Loz

x