There are many reasons why someone may opt out of drinking. Aside from the always assumed choice of personal preference, other reasons can include pregnancy, poor medicine interactions, bad allergic reactions, weight management, chemotherapy, or existing chronic diseases.

I chose to stop drinking to test its effects on my mental health. I’m writing this two months sober, and have since learned about many alternative options to alcohol consumption that don’t sacrifice the social rituals I’ve been so used to. A whole world of #sobercurious people and #substancefree communities exist to end the stigma and support non-drinkers in fun ways.

Despite being new to this lifestyle, I learned early on how fragile sobriety is. With time I have had to slowly re-learn how to do things sober. This often meant only being out for two hours until I could master staying out a full night while my friends passed bottles of tequila around.

It hasn’t been easy. Yes, I no longer wake up insanely anxious, but I am still human. I still crave alcohol on days when I’m stressed or sad. I was every day at 6 pm “shoot o’clock” girl. Even though I’m not drinking, I still want to blow off steam after a long week of exhausting my creative juices. And, I shouldn’t have to compromise my sobriety to do so. If you are sober, neither do you.

I recently learned there are also zero-proof drinks. There are also bars that carry some of these spirits, although not always. Alcohol has always been a huge part of my traveling experience. The first time I got drunk was in high school during an exchange program in Paris, France. It was the best — my friend and I bought bottles of wine, drank them under the Eiffel Tower, and then stumbled on the metro back to our hotels. I have yet to travel abroad sober because I don’t feel quite ready for that yet. But I have been doing a lot of research.

Below are sober bars across the U.S that have responded to the need for more inclusive non-alcoholic social settings. Happy zero-proof drinking!

sober living