Giving dry (or dry-ish) January a try?
This month, any of us are resolved to change our drug & alcohol use to improve our lives, our health, and our wellbeing. If you’re giving dry January a try (or are already sober), check out some ideas for fun in the New Year that don’t revolve around mixed drinks or drugs, and get support from some quality organizations that serve the LGBTQ+ community.
This guide was developed in collaboration with The Stonewall Project, SFAF’s drug & alcohol substance use treatment program.
Choose nightlife around an activity (not drinking)
Emporium (Divis at Hayes) is a huge space filled with arcade, video & bar games plus non-alcoholic beers, sparkling craft tonics, Mexican bottled sodas, and more.
Join us at Strut (Castro at 18th) for Queer art openings, comedy shows, and other free LGBTQ+ events: https://www.sfaf.org/organizer/community-events-at-strut/
Check out an Oakland to All event in the New Year, which fosters Bay Area spaces centering Black & Latine LGBTQ+ for the ballroom community. Upcoming events on 1/4 (Beaux), 1/25 (The New Parish), and 2/20 (Palace of Fine Arts).
Join the Queer Crush rock climbing community with meetups (some evening events) happening at Mission Cliffs, Movement, Benchmark, Dogpatch Boulders, and other Bay Area locations.
NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences offers an opportunity to see the science museum and animal exhibits at an evening time event with music, food, and non-alcoholic drink options.
The Academy is an LGBTQ+ social club with some events open to the public (and others reserved for members). Yoga, art walks, mixers, and more.
Gays for Good brings together volunteer opportunities for LGBTQ+ volunteers (some evening events available).
Better Sunday hosts game nights and other events–sign up for their newsletter or browse their events calendar.
If you’re going to a bar or club, choose a spot with great non-alcoholic options
Divey beer bar Zeitgeist (Valencia at Duboce) has a variety of great non-alcoholic drinks and beers.
Blackbird (Market at Church) is a modern cocktail bar with lots of vibes and a handful of fun zero-proof cocktails.
Trick Dog (20th at Bryant) is a well-regarded cocktail bar with a variety of fancy, complex, and interesting non-alcoholic cocktails.
Last Rites (14th at Church), a jungle themed tiki bar with decor to match, has a handful of fun and flavorful non-alcoholic tiki cocktails.
The eclectic and boho Evil Eye bar (Mission at 25th) has non-alcoholic beers, and spirit-free cocktails.
Bar Iris (Polk at Green) is a fancy Japanese cocktail bar with a nice selection of non-alcoholic cocktails with Asian flavors.
Lookout (Market at 16th) boasts a great view of the Castro in addition to non-alcoholic drink options.
Irish bar Casements (Mission at 19th) has a small selection of non-alcoholic drinks including Lagunitas Hop Water, Irish coffee without the Irish, and a fun-sounding mocktail.
Mission Bowling Club (S. Van Ness & 17th), with food, drinks & bowling has a selection of three zero proof cocktails and a variety of other non-alcoholic drink options.
Queer sober community & support
Castro Country Club is a sober community center for the LGBTQ recovery community, with meetings, fellowship, and community.
The Stonewall Project at SFAF offers a variety of free groups and individual counseling to gay, bi, Queer men who have sex with men and trans & non-binary people.
- The Tipping Point harm reduction for alcohol group – online, Thursdays 6 – 7:30 pm
- Abstinence support group, 470 Castro St., Wednesdays, 6 – 7:30 pm
- In The Mix, a harm reduction peer support group for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, 940 Howard St., Fridays, noon – 1:30 pm
- Same day/virtual counseling – call 415-487-3100
Hartford Street Zen Center is an LGBTQ-focused center with recovery-based meditation.
Openhouse hosts events and support groups for LGBTQ people, trans individuals, long-term survivors, and other LGBTQ people.
Other recovery & support resources
The Dry Dock provides 12-step group meetings from early morning hours to late evening hours daily.
Ben’s Friends, a sober support community for people in the food & beverage industry, hosts in-person and Zoom meetings.
The Gratitude Center provides a place for fellowship and offers AA meetings.
Big Heart City Meditation SF offers Buddhist meditation groups.
SF Dharma Collective hosts online collective consciousness classes.
The Healing WELL offers yoga, meditation, art, poetry, and coffee–inspired by the ideals of compassion & justice.
Tips for managing alcohol use (harm reduction!)
- Eat before you go out–to help absorb some of the alcohol & to prevent a horrid hangover.
- Switch it up: alternate an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic drink.
- Plan your evening and decide how much you are willing to spend or drink and do your best to stick to the plan.
- Find an accountability partner & tell them your drinking plan ahead of time.
- Don’t mix and match. Try to stick to one type of alcohol for the night ie: only vodka drinks or only wine or only beer.
- Don’t add anger and resentment to your cocktail: check your feelings before you go out. Check in with a friend or journal instead of adding emotional baggage to your evening.
- Make sure that drinking is YOUR CHOICE and not something you are doing to appease others (Don’t let other people entice you into drinking more than you want to!)
- Always have a full glass in your hand (with soda or juice). This will make it less likely for someone to offer to buy you a drink or question why you are not drinking,
- Chase the feeling not the buzz: Sometimes we want to feel a certain way (happier, sexier, loved). Include activities that will make you feel that way rather than relying on alcohol to do that for you. Find the right outfit, the right company or the right location to complement what you want for the evening.
- Include other activities in your evening. Sometimes a walk between bars or restaurant and bar is a great way to give your body time to digest alcohol and have a longer, more enjoyable evening
