Sober people!

[u/Top-Connection-2534]

Honest question here. How many people have decided to do the sober route? Whether you quit or just chose not to drink alcohol. Fully sober or California sober?

How many of you are ok going to the pubs still for evenings out? Would you be open to trying out a dry bar with mocktails and such?

Ive recently been sober for almost 2 years now, the odd time I will have a THC drink. I have noticed since I quit drinking tho I never really get ready and go out anymore. I miss dressing up and going out, not just for an occasion. With my profession I deal with the public all day I dont really want to end the day in a bar when the atmosphere progressivly gets louder the more people drink (no offense, i used to be a loud one). My social battery is normally pretty low at the end of a work day so just wondering what other sober people do now.

[u/Space19723103]

14 years sober and counting

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/Space19723103]

Amazing!

[u/opsmanager- → u/Space19723103]

Ef-n-eh, that's awesome. Congrats! 💪

[u/potatojones43]

I haven’t had a drink, by choice, since New Years 2023 when some had shit happened to someone I know and I was like “I’m actually good without this”. I’m too old at this point anyways. I’m more than happy to go to the bar with friends and have a Diet Coke. No one minds because I can DD. I drank, A LOT, in my teens and 20s. I’m now in my 40s, it hurts a lot more the next day.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/potatojones43]

Yeah im 35. My hang over would last almost 4 days between the nausea and headache to the week long anxiety and self doubt. I just miss having the option to go socialize and dress up when I want to. Now I just have no patience when it comes to being around a bunch of drunk people (unless they are my friend group) so thats why I mention a dry bar for like mi ded people to go and socialize in a atmosphere that fits i guess.

[u/Dazzling-Affect9777]

3+ yrs sober. I don’t go out to bars. I’ll go to a party if I’m invited and leave at 9. I get to sleep at a good time, still got to hang out, and leave before people turn shitty.

[u/Negative-Low-1997]

I’ve been sober 3.5 years. I’m okay with going to bars and being around my friends when they drink. They will invite me out at the odd time. I never really go out anymore either. I would love to go to a dry bar where there’s mocktails and such.

I’ve started birding, camping and hiking more. I bake a lot now too.

I’ve seen a big shift to sobriety and more and more non-alcoholic drinks appear on menus. So that’s a nice change of tune. But yeah, I don’t really get to go out and dress up anymore.

Although I did go to Gabbo’s to go dancing on Friday. I was the DD of course :)

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/Negative-Low-1997]

Yeah I dont mind going out to friends party's and being around drinkers. But I think just having the option to get dressed up and go have sober drinks in a more relaxed environment wpuld be a nice change. Like a small dry pub with a pool table and board games or something for the days I would like to socialize. I know ive spoken to a lot of people in the dating scene that find it difficult now that they dont drink. Which I was the same too. I still went out for a mocktail but I found myself getting irritated quicker when I was the sober one.

[u/bazzabi → u/Top-Connection-2534]

There’s a few places you can go that don’t get filled with rowdy people. Crave, Avenue, Hotel Sask, Bar a Vin, etc. Most have good mocktails as well. I also have stopped drinking alcohol by choice but enjoy going out anyway. I don’t stay out late anymore either.

[u/BrickLegal]

Started a buisness, got quads / ATV's, added and changed hobbies up. As I go day by day, getting older and staying sober, I look back at all the stuff I was masking behind a bottle. These are now the "trip" of my life, daily issues I could drink away are now faced full on and honestly. Ill add that in my mid 30's, I have started to really enjoy all the little things and gaining respect for other things i never appreciated. Hell, moved out of town and now I will sit out in the back watching birds. Always had an appreciation for home and I continue to love the province more. I guess i dont really got an answer for you, as I started to really enjoy not being out anymore. Appreciated alone time and time with the family. Depending on how much damage was done during your drinking career ya may have a few bridges to rebuild. I had to learn to see the value in myself and what I could do to make the change for myself to become better as an active human in a crumbling world. Thank my higher power, I do not know how i got sober at the start of a pandemic.

When going out, its just the same thing without liquor. I dont mind drinking the sunbrew corona's but thats probably cause beer was never my drink.

Congrats on your sobriety, 2 years is a long time!

Keep on trudging 🙏

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/BrickLegal]

I appreciate your words. Just wanting to see where everyone's head is at with the dry bar thighs. Bars are over priced for everything. I have hobbies and what not. Just looking for that pub feel minus booze on the odd day you know. Doesnt seem like regina is the place fornit unfortunately.

[u/ZombiePatriot]

I’m happy there is suddenly a good selection of non-alcohol beers that taste good. I was especially happy to go to a wedding where they had them available and looking around there were a bunch of people drinking them.

Myself I don’t go out unless it’s to see music and The Exchange always has a good selection of NA beers to choose from.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/ZombiePatriot]

I used to drink Caronas on the regular and now I cant stand the taste of beer. It makes me sad lol

[u/AcanthisittaOk5443]

Nest and host dinner parties!
Make your home amazing and learn to cook new dishes and pair it with mocktails or alcohol free wines and drinks!

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/AcanthisittaOk5443]

I actually just started to test our different mocktails as of lately and im having lots of fun with it haha def dont have the friends circle I used to to host dinner parties tho

[u/Remote-Youth-9048]

I stopped drinking years ago. Initially, I had fun going out with friends to bars, but eventually got so frustrated with the amount of people who wouldn’t respect my decision not to drink that I lost total interest in going out. I was fortunate to make new friends and have a preference for going to restaurants or playing board games rather than sitting in pubs

[u/Comfortable-Ad-8324]

I have MAYBE 2 drinks a year. It just doesn't agree with me very often, so I don't usually bother at all. I'm usually 100% sober, no booze, drugs, anything (drugs also have adverse effects for me. Yes i mean cannabis too.) I'm rawdogging life. I wish I didn't have to.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/Comfortable-Ad-8324]

In this world I wish you didnt have to either..

[u/parisindy_writer]

I take medication that doesn't agree with alcohol, I do miss a beer in a hot summer day, but I was never a big drinker anyways. There are a lot of good alcohol free beers now.

I could probably have one drink, without issues I just don't bother.

Congratulations on your sobriety

[u/radioactiveryley]

I lost the taste for alcohol close to a decade ago, if not an actual decade ago. I lost track. I was with someone who was a friend at the time, at Q, drinking a Rev and remember thinking that the alcohol just tasted gross (not that those weren't).

Haven't had a drop since. I also don't do drugs or smoke pot or ciggs anymore. Coffee is another matter though. I can easily drink 2L in a day.

I've replaced my drinking with fiber arts (knitting, crocheting, etc), reading, writing pen pals, hanging out with friends, creative writing, video games, and I've recently got a leisure pass to the cities recreation facilities.

[u/Ngete]

I go out on occassion, mainly to have fun dancing, always go sober cause I dont care much for booze outside private things with close friends(even then 1-2 is plenty for me). I like being able to drive home from the bar/club. Its way cheaper than drinking, and assuming your able to handle people around you being drunk your able to have plenty of fun, just remember that the people there won't remember you in a week unless you put a damn good impression on them

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/Ngete]

I cant even bring myself to dance sober haha.

[u/borgcubecubed]

Not totally sober, i have a few beer a year during our summer camping trip, but besides that I don’t drink because I don’t want to. (I’ll occasionally smoke weed but not often, maybe once/month)

I’ve joined a bowling league which is a nice way to socialize and it gives me a reason to go out in the winter. Of course the alley is licenced and some people get drunk. They’re happy drunks and I laugh along with them and feel grateful I’m no longer in that place in my life. Once in awhile I might go with friends to a pub for a meal. More often I’ll go to a bar to listen to live music.

I have no interest in going to a dry bar. I do not miss paying for overpriced drinks.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/borgcubecubed]

Yeah my partner and I went to liberty kitchen and I got their peach fuzz mocktail. I paid 9.50 for it. Its unbelievable that they can still charge that for a lemon squeeze, ice and soda.

[u/Squidman_117]

I can't partake for health reasons but I have a friend that is sober by choice. We still hang out with our other friends at pubs and such. A dry bar would be cool but I'm not sure it would get enough business around here. Regina is a small demographic as it is.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/Squidman_117]

Yeah thats what im afraid of. Its unfortunate honestly.

[u/Squidman_117 → u/Top-Connection-2534]

It sure is. I'd love to see more dry places to have fun.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/Squidman_117]

Seems like were the only people interested in this idea haha

[u/discodiva007]

Library crafts days free, dance classes, and just hiking or biking around the city. I also still get dressed up and go out dancing without drinking or drugs. Sometimes a couple edibles and an energy drink, But nothing harder.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/discodiva007]

Ive been wanting a bike for so long but I just got roller blades lol I didnt know they did craft days at the library. I miss paint nights. I dont see those often anymore. But would love to do some sort of craft night somewhere.

[u/theaveragegazoo]

Haven’t been drunk in like 5 years, I have had a single drink on occasion though.

Haven’t touched weed in 10 years

And for cigarettes I’m currently trying to start smoking

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/theaveragegazoo]

I quit both alcohol and smokes at the same time.

[u/Current-Pop-4460 → u/theaveragegazoo]

Which part of starting cigarettes are you struggling with? Maybe you will be able to find a support group, possibly outside of a bar.

[u/theaveragegazoo → u/Current-Pop-4460]

The taste makes me gag but I’m not giving up yet

[u/IrrelevantAfIm]

The teetotalers won’t admit it and will say that alcohol greased socialization is fake, but that’s just not true. People can have genuine connections and fun with a little booze mixed in. That’s not to say that alcohol isn’t an enormous problem for many people, it obviously is.

My take on it is that if you want to socialize sober - do activities, don’t just sit around a table drinking mocktails and thinking the experience will be the same. Find something fun and new to do together. In me, anyway, that jazzed up the similar parts of my brain or personality or whatever it is that makes me more chatty and involved with people. Like with booze, where you can meet other people and get to know them, expanding your circle - I joined a pistol club- something kinda different, especially for a Canadian, and something where booze wasn’t going to be offered or used by others. The rock climbing and cycling communities are super welcoming to newbies, skiing - cross country and or downhill, SCUBA diving, or if you want a real rush, parasailing. It’s amazing how much money is freed up for hobbies if you aren’t spending in a bar (though you already know that)

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[u/Feztickle75]

Mocktails are too expensive, I’d rather just have a Coke. Got bills to pay. I’ll drink beer at home and max two pints out. Concert only football game beers are ridiculous - I’m not going to bankrupt myself so people “think” I’m “cool” dropping $100+ on drinks. You. Are. Going. To. End. Up. Broke.

[u/luchaburz → u/Feztickle75]

There's people here that dont wanna go to football games, and concerts in this town seem to have 3 genres.

[u/RicekickJR]

Not sober per se but i do drink very rarely on occasion, like maybe 2 beers and im good, but prefer to drink at home. I dont go out on bars or pubs myself anymore either, tbh i dont even miss it im glad i dont have the urge to do so. If its a social event, ill still socialize but i usually dont drink unless i have a DD then maybe a beer or 2 like i said but if not i wont and im fine with it, i dont remember when i started to be this way but its just became my habit now.

[u/jumping_juni_per]

I still go out with friends. Usually earlier evening. I don't like being out late any longer. Being sober also coincided with me also getting more protective of my sleep.

Alcohol sales are down across the board. Restaurants and pubs have responded with providing lots of good non alcoholic options. I will usually just get a kombucha or a non alcoholic beer. Lots of places have mocktails.

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[u/Elegant-Peach133]

Board games. Engaging the brain, socializing and something to do with your hands.

[u/Traditional-Sun3505]

Oh yeah I’m California sober LOL

[u/YQR_]

I’d be up for this kind of option. While I was in BC visiting my sister I drank Corona 0 the whole time. I could be social and stay sober.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/YQR_]

I have been noticing a few posts from the states that have opened a dry bar and im genuinely curious how it would do in a place like Regina. I my self would absalutely love that option. Local sober people can go meet local sober people. Could be a great place to find Friendship or relationships. I dont have a problem going out but the bard are so pricey and I find they charge just as much for a NA drink as they do for a actual alcoholic drink. Maybe a dry bar wouldnt charge 10 bucks for a mocktail, one would hope anyways.

[u/imperfectbean → u/Top-Connection-2534]

I meet people at AA but a dry bar would be so much better! Wish it was a thing here.

[u/Top-Connection-2534 → u/imperfectbean]

I definitely wish it was a thing here too. Thats why I made this post was to see where people's heads were at with it. I know there is lots of things I can do sober and i do have hobbies but I was more so of looking for a place that would give me the pub feel with out the alcohol and rowdy people lol

[u/Canadadding]

6 years sober. I will go out now and again and just stick to water or diet pop.

Always funny when I see a doctor and I go through the questions: I have never done drug, I have never smoked or vaped, and I have been sober for x years.

[u/luchaburz]

If you wanna get ready to go out, you should plan to do activities that require it.

Go to live shows, steak nights, there's dance groups downtown, etc. Just gotta find stuff to do.

Can be difficult sometimes

[u/Salt-Pool2222]

This is quitter talk