Written By: Katie Schipper

Is it Safe to Go Clubbing as a Sober Women?

Is It Even Possible?

Let’s be honest, if you’re newly sober and the vision of the life you used to lead isn’t too far behind you, it probably feels a lot like you don’t get to do anything you used to. It probably feels a lot like you don’t get to do anything fun. For young people in recovery, there’s this very, very common fear: that life is boring without drugs and alcohol!

Of course, this comes in the wake of forgetting how miserable it is to be a junkie, a drunk, a tweaker, a crack head, and anything else. Early on, we have to make a decision to let go of not just drugs and alcohol, but of a way of living and thinking that kept us constantly at odds with everyone else. We hear over and over that we have to give up people, places, and things that we used to associate with. It’s true. After all, we have a disease that demands we stay vigilant.

We also have a solution that promises we can go anywhere and do anything – does that include going clubbing? This question’s especially important for those of us who see clubs as being intimately tied to getting messed up.

The short answer is that we can absolutely go anywhere and do anything, but there are some things to consider before you hit the club!

What’s your take on the importance of accountability in recovery?

What to Think About First

You’ll hear from your sponsor, from treatment centers, from an intensive outpatient program, and elsewhere – frequenting places that serve booze or where it’s easy to get drugs isn’t a great idea in early-recovery! You may even live in a halfway house that tells you that you can’t go to clubs.

Listen to this advice! It’s much easier to pick up a drink or drug in a club than it is at a coffee shop. This is especially true when you haven’t done any significant work on distancing yourself from that drink or drug. A club, and in the same vein, concerts and other venues involving music and alcohol, is a place almost all of us associate with using and drinking.

Ideally, you should be actively working your steps with a sponsor. You should be in a place where you’ve started to embrace being honest. These improve your chances of not picking up in a club. Also, always get input from the sober supports in your life. These are the people who’ve been there and done that. If you don’t have sober supports, you should probably be more worried about finding some than about going to a club! That’s a solid foundation for determining if it’s time to go clubbing.

What’s you opinion on safe sex in sobriety?

The Bottom Line

All that said, if you love to dance or love going out in general, there’s nothing to stop you from having a ridiculously good time at a club. Drink some RedBull, get fresh, and go clubbing!

The amazing thing about clubbing sober, and doing so much else, is that you get to experience first hand how alcohol isn’t required to have a good time. You get to find out that you have a personality and a life that doesn’t have to be fueled by chemicals! Making these discoveries is one of the infinite gifts of getting sober and one of the ways we get to find out how worth it the work really is.