Why We Built Zero Proof, For You
Zero Proof, For You started with a simple idea: people deserve more choices when it comes to alcohol—and those choices should feel completely normal.
The campaign was created by The Speedy Foundation, a nonprofit that has spent the past 15 years working at the intersection of mental health, suicide prevention, substance use prevention, education, and community connection.
Our work began after the loss of our friend Jeret “Speedy” Peterson to suicide in 2011. Speedy experienced significant adversity throughout his life and struggled at times with both his mental health and substance use. Shortly before his death, Speedy was arrested for driving under the influence—one of the final events in a much larger and more complicated story of someone we loved who was struggling.
We don't share that part of Speedy's story to define him by a DUI or by the circumstances of his death. We share it because, 15 years later, it continues to shape the questions we ask: What if we can reach people sooner? What if we normalize conversations about alcohol before consequences become serious? What if we create more opportunities to make a different choice—and make it easier to find support when someone needs it?
Speedy's story has shaped our commitment to making sure people have access to information, choices, support, and connection long before they reach a crisis.
Over the years, that work has taught us something important: We don't have to wait until someone's drinking becomes a problem to talk about alcohol.
That's where Zero Proof, For You begins.
What If We Started the Conversation Earlier?
For decades, conversations about alcohol have often focused on two ends of the spectrum: drinking or sobriety. But there's a lot of space in between.
Someone might want to drink less without quitting. Someone might take a month off. Someone might be curious about how alcohol affects their sleep or mental health. Someone might be in recovery. Someone might be the designated driver. Someone might simply want a great drink that doesn't contain alcohol.
None of those choices should require an explanation.
We wanted to create a campaign that could meet people before crisis, before diagnosis, and before treatment—while still providing clear pathways to help for people who want or need additional support.
Zero Proof, For You is designed to make that middle space visible.
Why Truckee/Tahoe?
Alcohol is woven into many of the ways we socialize and connect in mountain communities.
Après-ski. Dinner with friends. Concerts. Festivals. Fundraisers. Golf tournaments. Celebrations. A beer after a long day on the mountain.
There's nothing inherently wrong with those traditions. But when alcohol becomes the default, choosing something different can sometimes feel surprisingly difficult.
We saw an opportunity to change that—not by taking alcohol away, but by adding choices.
What if the zero-proof menu were just as interesting as the cocktail menu?
What if the local market made its NA beer and wine easy to find?
What if a fundraiser offered a thoughtfully crafted mocktail alongside beer and wine?
What if the designated driver got the best drink of the night?
And what if someone could quietly scan a QR code, evaluate their own drinking, find a peer-support meeting, connect with professional help, or learn how to support someone they care about?
That's the community we're working to build.
More Choices. Less Pressure.
Zero Proof, For You is not an abstinence campaign. We aren't here to tell people whether they should drink. Instead, we're working to make mindful alcohol choices easier, more visible, and more socially supported.
That includes partnering with local restaurants and bars to highlight creative low- and no-alcohol options. It means working with retailers to make NA products easier to find. It means helping community organizations think about alcohol differently when planning events and fundraisers. It means giving individuals the tools to become Zero Proof Champions in their own circles. And it means providing credible information and resources for people who want to learn more about their own drinking, support someone they care about, explore recovery, or find new ways to build connection without alcohol at the center.
From Prevention to Connection
The Speedy Foundation has spent 15 years asking a fundamental prevention question: How do we reach people sooner?
With suicide prevention, we've learned that we can't only focus on crisis response. We have to build protective factors long before a crisis occurs—connection, education, reduced stigma, accessible resources, and communities where people feel comfortable asking for help.
We believe the same principle applies here.
Alcohol education doesn't have to begin when someone develops an alcohol use disorder.
Recovery support doesn't have to follow one particular pathway.
And choosing not to drink doesn't have to mean separating yourself from your community.
Zero Proof, For You brings those ideas together.
Made Possible Through Community Investment
Turning this idea into a community-wide campaign required partners who understood that prevention can look different from traditional treatment and intervention.
Zero Proof, For You was developed by The Speedy Foundation with the support of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and funding from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust.
Their investment gave us the opportunity to think upstream—to build something focused not only on alcohol-related harms, but on the environments, choices, conversations, and social norms that surround alcohol in our community.
That support allows us to work directly with the people and places that shape community culture: restaurants, bars, retailers, resorts, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, local agencies, event organizers, and community members themselves.
Because changing culture isn't something one organization can do alone. It happens when a community participates.
Why “For You”?
Because everyone's relationship with alcohol is different.
Zero proof might be for you tonight because you're driving.
It might be for you this month because you're taking a break.
It might be for you because you're training tomorrow.
It might be for you because you're pregnant or taking a medication.
It might be for you because you're in recovery.
It might be for you because you're reconsidering your relationship with alcohol.
Or it might simply be for you because the mocktail sounds good.
Whatever the reason, you shouldn't have to explain it. That's why this isn't Zero Proof for Sober People. It's not Zero Proof for Dry January. It's not Zero Proof for People With a Drinking Problem.
It's simply: Zero Proof, For You.
Help Us Build It
We're starting here in Truckee/Tahoe, but this campaign belongs to the community.
Restaurants and bars can become Service Industry Partners and make low- and no-alcohol choices more visible and exciting.
Stores and markets can become Retail Partners and help customers discover the growing world of NA products.
Nonprofits, agencies, schools, healthcare organizations, and other groups can become Community Partners and help bring the message into community spaces and events.
And individuals can become Zero Proof Champions—volunteering, sharing resources, hosting events, or simply helping normalize mindful choices within their own circles.
You don't have to stop drinking to be part of Zero Proof, For You.
You just have to believe that having more choices is good for our community. More choices. Less pressure. Stronger connections. Zero Proof, For You.
________
Zero Proof, For You is an initiative of The Speedy Foundation, developed with support from the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and funding from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust.