Mocktails, Anyone? The Growing Sober Bars Movement
Sober bars are good for communities. They deserve our collective support.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “(e)xcessive alcohol use was responsible for more than 140,000 deaths in the United States each year during 2015–2019, or more than 380 deaths per day.” (1)
“Even if you are committed to changing your drinking, ‘social pressure’ to drink from friends or others can make it hard to cut back or quit.” (2)
There’s a new (and positive) trend emerging throughout the country: sober bars.
A sober bar is defined as a “venue that does not serve or allow alcohol… (It) provides a safe place for socialization, entertainment, and relationships.” (3)
Many have the ambiance associated with a bar, including food service. Some are sports-themed with large screen televisions. Others feature live music (or DJs) and dancing.
I find one to be particularly interesting: The Other Side, located in Crystal Lake, Illinois (about forty-five miles northwest of Chicago). “It's a place to meet people and unwind, just as you would at a regular bar, but without the negative presence of addictive substances.” A “cafe by day and a sober bar at night”, it operates under the auspices of a not-for-profit, New Directions Addiction Recovery Services (www.NDARS.org). The Other Side also rents out a community room for meetings and conferences. For more, see www.the-other-side.org.
Here is a national directory of sober bars and associated functions:
https://soberbarsnearme.com/
Sober bars are good for communities. They deserve our collective support.
Sources:
(1) https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/features/excessive-alcohol-deaths.html
(3) https://soberbars.org/