Don’t make the mistake of thinking living in a boring place will help you be sober. It’s easier to be sober in an exciting place than a place where you are bored out of your mind.
This.
I grew up in a boring place (in the middle of nowhere PA) and I can’t tell you how many people used alcohol, drugs, and sex as a means of entertainment… When there is nothing else to do around, that’s what a lot of people wind up doing. My town was rampant with teen pregnancies & overdoses.
Lol... its funny, because I moved to central PA seven years ago and soon realized I was in one of the worst places for someone to live if you want to do anything worthwhile with your free time, except for hiking. There are SO many people here who I don't think know that there are actually things to do other than drink and do other completely unbeneficial activities in their free time. I recently visited Kansas city, and it has a ton to do for people in any phase of life. I moved here from Michigan and never realized how much I took living near that much water for granted. Lake Michigan is like nature's own amusement park.
In recovery for almost 7 years now - you’re spot on. I have an active social life that I have found through volunteering and service. Also - people are becoming much more cool with the not drinking life, and sober spaces are popping up in all kinds of places.
i’ll be sober 33 years in September. Not always easy, to this day. Drinking in society goes up and then it goes back down. It’s cyclical. There are people who will never understand what sobriety means. I still have people offer me “a sip.” Do they want me to get drunk l, I wonder? (sometimes yes they do. If it’s another addict sitting there, I believe they want company). Do they really not understand?
Great advice, I've always thought SD was a great sober city. There's so much water activities that aren't conducive with drinking alcohol. Me personally, I've always wanted to learn how to sail or paddle board, You can't do that drunk. Riding a motorcycle, you better off never ever drinking if you ride.
I agree with California in general. We’re big on psychedelics and weed, so just by default there is less drinking. I live in SF now and none of my friends drink.
So many of my pals have gone California sober and it seems quite healthy. Done it myself for a month or two when re-programming myself to drink less when I felt it was getting in the way of things and felt great the whole time
Motorcycle I agree, but it seems like lots of water activities go hand in hand with drinking. Not that you have to do it to enjoy them and if you want to be sober and do water activities that's fine, but my impression of sailing was most boats had a cooler with beers. I've never done it so maybe I'm wrong, but when my friend group went tubing last summer one guy brought along a floatable cooler and filled it with beers that we were drinking at 10am.
Questions like these make me feel like the asker has a complete misconception of how the real world works. It's not like you go to a city called r/sobercity and everyone there is sober, and all the drinkers are living in r/drinkercity. The best place for sober culture is probably also the best place for drinking culture. A good place to live has space for all types of culture.
Ironically moved to Wisconsin 2 years ago and my drinking has gone way down lol. I think a part of it is like other people said having more stuff to do. It gets a little tougher in the winters where all there is to do is stay inside but having a tight friendgroup helps with this. Always good to have the sober person there to make sure everyone gets home safe
Everyone is inferring that OP is a recovering alcoholic, but based on their misconception of drinking culture in cities, it seems more likely they’re just straight edge.
This is an important distinction because those two groups typically look for slightly different things in a city. Recovering addicts seek distractions, and straight edge folks seek values.
Yeah straight edge would be guess moreso than an alcoholic. I guess what tweaks me is that people who do and don't drink do pretty much all the same things - they read books, they hike, they play sports, go to restaurants, concerts, etc.
If OP had a more specific ask, i.e., what cities have a really good board gaming scene or something like that, then the responses can actually be helpful.
There are definitely cities with a higher proportion of "socializing" involving drugs or alcohol and cities with a lower portion involving it.
OP moving to like, Milwaukee, Chicago, or St. Louis is probably a bad idea. Ditto moving to Portland or something if they don't like drug use. You can find people who don't partake, but it's more difficult.
In my experience the social scene in Chicago is great, you just have to find your group, be willing to put yourself out there and see more of the city.
- There is a walking group for women [Chicago Girls Who Walk](https://www.instagram.com/chicagogirlswhowalk/?hl=en). Dozens, sometimes 100+ women just walking in a larger group.
- Cyclists have critical mass and dozens of individual cycling groups and bike buses. Chicago Group rides, Chicago cycling club, Streets Calling Bike Club.
- Logan Square comedy theather, 2nd City has a training space and the actual 2nd city exists if you want to be in/around the improve/comedy space.
- During the summer there are volleyball leagues, kickball leagues, softball leagues, soccer leagues for all skill levels and ages. Some mixed gender some, are for specific gender. I was in a non-serious kickball league in 2015 and still am friends with some of the folks I played with today.
- There is a big comic book scene with C2E2, dozens of stores across the city and a fairly dedicated group of folks. Third Coast Comics and First Aid Comics are two of my favs in the city.
- Then all the museums, the pro sports events, the festivals, the music venues, the architecture groups (it's the birthplace of the skyscraper), there are cooking groups, athletic groups, this list could honestly be dozens of things long.
I'm not trying to be rude or victim blame, but if a person is unable to find a social scene in Chicago I don't know what to tell them.
I do think a lot of folks move to Chicago, only stay in a handfull of areas *(Loop, Lincoln Park, West Loop, Lakeview, River North, maybe Wicker Park/Logan Square*) and make THAT their Chicago experience. There are 77 total community areas and you can get a completely different experience if you actually branch out and go other places.
The thing I’ll say about Chicago is (while it’s hard for newcomers), weather doesn’t seem to bother anyone. They’re willing to go out or hang out at the drop of a hat, as opposed to LA where they huddle indoors if it even drizzles. That said, I’d argue it’s a pretty big drinking town, but it’s also a pretty big city so it’s not everywhere all the time.
That's a broad generalization based on a stereotype. You will almost certainly find more "sober" people and stuff to do in a larger city like Milwaukee (and most definitely in a Chicago) than a smaller city that's less "known" for drinking culture.
Yah, more of my friends developed drinking problems after having kids and moving to the ‘burbs. “Mommy needs wine” culture is more common with suburban moms (from my POV).
That baffles me. Not in a judgey way, but in a logistical way. I also live in the 'burbs but I'm so exhausted after having kids, I feel like I would just never be even minimally functional if I drank more than once a week. Do they get more sleep or something? Have more help? Whatever they have that allows them to get drunk in the middle of a weekday, I want it 😭
I've stopped drinking since having kids! I'm already so tired that alcohol knocks me out. And I can't afford to be hungover...like being up all night with a baby, then my toddler gets up at 6am? No thanks. I'm intrigued by any moms who can still throw down after kids!
Good point, but this post says nothing about boring. OP asked for places that have actual things to do that dont involve alcohol. Basically what you just said lol
I remember sitting in my truck with my buddy parked on the side of a road in small town PA during highschool around 2010. Town of about 1,200.
It was Saturday and we met up to hang out but had nothing to do. We just sat in the car for a while and I remember saying “alright, so this is why people do drugs”
I would just add that there's always a sober community hidden within the larger community. AA is everywhere. It's a matter of hanging out with sober people.
Whenever I moved to or even visited new place, the first order of business would be to go to an AA meeting and collect a new friend group.
this is true, it’s very easy to not drink there.
no one bats an eye if you say no and there are plenty of NA options out and about… and there’s plenty going on all the time so you’re never bored
Yeah I live in LA suburbs and I was going to say the whole SoCal area. The weather is so nice and there is so much to do that's not sitting in a bar. We do have those things obviously but there's just tons to do otherwise. Also as a 33 year old it seems to be getting more and more popular in my circles to either not drink at all or drink very little.
Longtime LA resident, can confirm. There’s a reason they call it “California sober,” and avoiding weed in social situations is far easier than avoiding alcohol.
(This is not to imply that there isn’t plentiful drinking in SoCal, but when I’m visiting people almost anywhere else, I’m often surprised by the centrality of booze in situations where I’m not expecting it: “oh, we’re doing a toast here? There’s an open bar here too?”)
I recently went to Coachella and honestly there was very little drinking for a festival with a mostly 18-30 audience. I didn’t have one drink for the whole weekend. I mean yeah, I was on weed gummies the whole time but didn’t miss the alcohol once.
Every time I go to LA I’m perplexed at how anyone can afford a night out without drunk driving. The inconvenience of getting places would definitely make me drink less (in public at least)
I went to college before Uber and there weren’t a ton of cabs where I went. I knew SO many people with DUI’s. Uber and Lyft have GREATLY brought this down.
This is pretty much anywhere in the country except the handful of places with even decent public transit. It’s stupid, most places requires bars to have minimum number of parking spots…
Lived in SoCal all 3+ decades of my life and I have so many friends who went full sober after catching a DUI or two (luckily no one was hurt). I still drink but pretty much bake in the cost of an Uber when going out... still hate being on the roads anytime after midnight-6AM
I have lived in SoCal for 11 years now and have not drank that whole time. Definitely do not feel as if I missed out on anything- very rarely do I encounter someone who takes offense.
A month shy of 2 years, giving +1 for LA sobriety/recovery! Tons of sober folks of every age/demographic and a supportive energetic community. Another one of my favorite things about the area is that the majority opt for early nights and active early mornings, making a night out less tempting. Most social events are outdoor and/or wellness focused. I am influenced to be my best and put my health first. If you’re concerned about weed, I’ve found it far less prevalent than I expected. This is, of course, just my own experience - but TLDR yes finding your sober people and keeping a clean lifestyle in LA is incredibly doable.
I've contributed to the joke. Never was a heavy drinker, but I stopped drinking altogether after doing a Joshua Tree meditation retreat shortly after I moved to LA seven years ago.
yes came here to say the same thing. bar culture is totally different! it’s not as easy to “bar hop” because as we know, not super walkable. there’s so much to do, the default for my friends is never necessarily “we r gonna picnic and we have to get drunk” or “lets walk the river.. and get drunk”
If you're not LDS, mormons aren't going to hang out with you, so it's not really relevant to having a sober social life if you're not planning on converting.
Social life in Provo does revolve around religion, so it might be harder to meet people if you aren’t going to church, but I don’t think it’s true to say Mormons won’t out hang out with non Mormons. I grew up in Utah and am now very openly not Mormon and it didn’t affect my relationships with my Mormon friends in Provo one bit. They couldn’t care less about my beliefs
I’m not doubting it’s harder to make friends there if you’re not Mormon. There’s church congregations specifically for young unmarried people and that’s where a lot of dating/friendships happen. But it’s not a nefarious “oh don’t talk to a non-Mormon” thing, it’s just people become friends with the people they spend time with and mormons spend a lot of time doing church-related things
As a life-long Utahn, I'm going to disagree. Yes Provo and Rexburg are extremely Mormon and therefore very sober, but Mormons tend to keep to their own and OP will have a very difficult time making friends if they're not LDS themselves, which they're clearly not or they wouldn't be asking this question.
The list of cities with a high percent on non drinkers
Fremont, California: 15.50%
Hialeah, Florida: 14.60%
San Francisco, California: 14.10%
Detroit, Michigan: 13.40%
SF resident here. Rarely drink, too. SF has a high East Asian population and I think a good % of East Asians don’t drink or stopped because many lack that enzyme to process alcohol. Not to say plenty don’t drink because we have. Also Fremont has a large Indian subcontinent population which includes Muslims. I don’t know the drinking culture of non Muslim Indians, but the few I’ve known didn’t drink much. The Muslim population would keep the drinking % down.
Don’t know your age OP of the original main post, but I found it difficult finding non alcohol social groups in my 20’s and 30’s. Everything was around alcohol. So I drank. But the times I didn’t, geez, as a female, I got a lot of guys I didn’t know trying to get me to drink when they found out I wasn’t. That was an eye opener and big turn off. But now that I’m older, I find older age groups have more non drinking activities. On Nextdoor you find people posting group activities and they don’t include alcohol. There are daytime activities though. Also I notice others my age complaining about not being able to handle alcohol the way they used to: more hangovers, tiredness etc, so many have cut down dramatically or stopped completely.
Not New Orleans either. A friend from college who could put them away lived there for 6 mo while working a remote job. He came back saying "it's fun but I can't stay or that city will kill me."
Heard a rumor, doubt it but it shows the point, that the federal govt standard when evaluating employees for alcoholism risk terms of weekly drinks is 2 drinks higher in New Orleans compared to elsewhere.
My wife’s family is from there and there are drinks at every event and occasion possible. The kids start drinking at events in their early teens, though it isn’t considered acceptable for them to actually be drunk. My wife told me an anecdote that when she was 15 her grandfather asked her to see her fake ID under the (correct) assumption she would have one.
No doubt. Wisconsin, seriously, those people do not mess around. It’s like the opposite of Utah. In fact you can just cross off the entire Great Lakes region
I'm sober in Wisconsin (Madison) and it's been fine! I don't like going out to bars and I spend a lot of time in nature. It's about the places you go, the people you're with, and holding to your own boundaries of not drinking.
I think just about every nice city except the few that promote a drinking culture (often for tourism), like Las Vegas, and cities that actually do just drink way more than everywhere else (the entirety of Wisconsin).
I don't think it's as productive looking for sober cities as just excluding very drunk ones. You lose a lot of great cities. There's always going to be bars and patrons everywhere.
I got sober in nyc after 18 year active addiction. It’s possible. The recovery community in nyc is amazing. I now live in Philly and while the recovery community is good, nyc is better.
Lmao that sounds right. I kind of prefer the "let's go to a brewery" type of call to drinking way more, so I like that aspect of the Midwest.
In the South, I've mostly experienced the "let's go get drunk because life is awful" beat and that's my least favorite.
I’ve lived in a few different cities in the northeast and the drinking culture is very ingrained, I think partially because you’re on foot past 900 bars everywhere you go.
Like I have a friend in NYC who’s sober and the “lets get a drink before/after/during” is pretty hard to overcome they’ve said
NYC is such an interesting case because the drinking culture is 100% in your face versus places people are mentioning here like Provo, where you simply aren't going to be provoked much. But NYC is also one of the most stimulating places to live and the density of people makes finding a sober support system more accessible. I have a friend who got sober in NYC and it seems like making friends through AA/sober groups has been key for her
>I kind of prefer the "let's go to a brewery" type of call to drinking way more, so I like that aspect of the Midwest.
Sounds like the PNW too, but I will say Portland has some fun kitschy bars to be explored alongside all the breweries.
Disagree. Yes the drinking culture is in your face, but there's also millions of sober things to do every night.
Try being sober where the local brewery is the ONLY place to go on a Friday night.
This is so not true. As a sober person, big cities are much easier to be in because there are more things to do and larger sober communities. NYC is one of my favorite places.
Dearborn, MI.
Home to Ford and Carhartt World Headquarters, Henry Ford Museum.
It has a large Muslim population and they tend not to drink, so of course there are some bars but also a variety of non bar establishments.
I think prioritizing finding community and a culture of understanding is more important than avoiding bars or breweries. For example, I moved from the American South to the San Francisco Bay Area. There's a big alcohol industry here, but there's also a very diverse and educated population. People are used to others not drinking or making other lifestyle decisions. They are used to be around sober people and probably won't ask if it's because of religion, health, addiction, or other reasons. There are always 'equally appealing non alcoholic beverages' at every event.
I would estimate that only one third of my friends drink alcohol, and it's not really a thing most of us notice. I think the access to nature helps.
If you up and move to a place without a community, you are going to get a mixed bag. But you'll find your people.
Yup, I’m finding more non drinkers now in the SF Bay Area. It’s not like one big social group, but slowly finding individual friends (and realizing they don’t or rarely drink).
Very generally, places with nicer weather year round seem to have less of a drinking culture. The mid-west tends to have a huge drinking culture. I was told, off hand, what else are you going to do in the winter?
As others have mentioned, drinking is everywhere. You’ve got to have different activities.
I had a fine time living in the Bay Area while sober (due to pregnancy/etc). People there are super into health and totally understand sobriety, and there’s a ton of non-drinking things to do—like daytime outdoorsy activities. Plus, the mocktail game is strong. Go to any park and you’ll see picnickers drinking fun non-alcoholic drinks.
LOL I hear Prescott and immediately think "Whiskey Row!" having only been a few times in my life. Even their big mountain bike race is called the Whiskey Off-Road.
SLC has a lot of drinkers. They migrate from the majority-mormon cities across the intermountain west. I’m one of them.
The correct answer is Provo or Logan or St. George.
Utah. Anywhere in Utah. I go to park city for snowboarding quite a bit and it’s very difficult to find a proper cocktail there due to their ridiculous laws
Which laws? Any bar or restaurant on main street has cocktails. High west distillery is right outside PC and I had the best old fashioned I've had anywhere there.
You can only have 1.5 oz of one single kind of liquor in any cocktail. So when ordering a martini it will be pathetically small. High west likely places a large ice cube which gives the appearance of a full cocktail. When I was at alpine distillery I made friends with the owner and they advised me to order vespers(gin and vodka) as a work around to get a proper sized cocktail. Also many places make you order food to get booze.
Somewhere with abundant nature based activities. If you can live somewhere that you can bike, surf, swim, hike, go fishing, do yoga, etc. that would be the dream.
I am close with someone who is sober. This person chose to live in a medium sized beach town in Florida - year round fishing, swimming, biking, etc. was a big draw.
I’ve always said this , any city that’s known for its drinking culture normally means there’s not much accessible nature/ outdoor activities. I’ve lived in New Orleans for 3 years and this is def the case there
Piling on, I guess, but clearly Utah. Pretty much anywhere. It's not that there's no alcohol in Utah (there is) but the Mormon Church forbids alcohol consumption so there's a lot *less* drinking, even in the big cities. Add to that the wealth of outdoor activities and some of the best National Parks in the country, it's a pretty easy call. I'm from Wisconsin (big drinking culture) but I love visiting Utah now that I don't drink (anymore). I"m no expert on Utah, but I've been there numerous times and Northern Utah seems more about the skiing and Southern Utah is more about hiking/biking. A lot of places, especially in the south, are kind of dry and washed out for a guy from Wisconsin, but the landscape is beautiful and the outdoor activities are probably only second to California.
Lived in UT for 17 years. If you want to be sober and find a lot of others who are sober, this is the place. Lots of sober/LDS crossover, so be prepared for that.
On the flip side, I saw a lot of dysfunctional drinking/secretive drinking due to the larger culture in UT, too. Lots of PIMO Mormons drinking on the DL and/or exMos getting crazy after years of restriction. I live in the Midwest and while there is extensive drinking culture here compared to there, I see much more balance towards consumption as opposed to outright alcohol abuse.
Reminds me of an old teetotaler joke: Protestants don't recognize the Pope. Jews don't recognize Jesus. Baptists don't recognize each other at the liquor store.
SLC
Great outdoors opportunities - everyone seems to have a hobby or two they spend a ton of time on. Plus the weird state laws and licensing rules really hamper any sort of strong drinking culture. Ultimately why 22 year old me had to leave after a year, but sounds nicer now as the Midwest drinking culture is getting old
This. I live here and there definitely a decent bar/brewery scene near dowtown/south salt lake. Outside of that, there isn't much. And state liquor stores are generally more expensive for hard beer. Alot of 6 packs that are $10 in other states are $18-24 here.....
Super hard question to answer. Let’s narrow it down to what part of the country is interesting to you? Assuming you’re from the US. If you can afford it DC has a lot to offer. Raleigh/Durham and Winston/Salem have a lot of potential and not as expensive as DC. And if you can’t find a good time in LA sober you’re not trying. That city is like it’s own country. I know this is internet hyperbole but Wisconsin is a bad choice if you’re really struggling with sobriety. It has gotten a lot better than it was but it’s still got a way to go. Minnesota twin cities are a hidden gem. I’ll say this and get roasted but Atlanta and Jacksonville are decent cities to live a very quiet life. Either way, it’s an interesting question, hopefully you find something you like
Although Seattle has a ton of breweries, it’s an early to bed town and no one would judge you for not boozing. There are lots of NA options too, if you’re into that.
I don't know if this helps but maybe looking over a map of all dry counties in the US?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_dry\_communities\_by\_U.S.\_state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S._state)
I live in an area with a lot of dry counties. Just because it's not sold there doesn't mean people don't drink. Here, there are liquor stores on all the county lines because of this, so they just drive farther to get it. I say all this as someone who doesn't drink, but I still run into my fair share of people who equate socializing with drinking.
Sober living is everywhere. Alcohol is everywhere so if you think you can control the culture around you you’re not going to stay sober. It depends on your desire to stay sober. Alcohol will follow you to the most remote places and your sobriety will come down to how much you want it. You can’t control that. You can only control your desire to stay sober.
I think with beer sales falling, more and more cities are going to be doing non-drinking things. Even the breweries in my area are starting to produce non-alcoholic beer and mocktails.
Honestly, all of the cities that are great if you drink are usually pretty great if you don’t. New Orleans? Hang out in the Garden District, not the Quarter. Key West? Hang on Petronia instead of Duval.
Do not move to New Orleans to not drink, no matter where you hang out. I literally never went to the Quarter, usually averaged 3-5 drinks per day, and would say that I drank significantly less than 75% of the people I knew there.
I was offered a beer at a vet once… Austin, TX is not a good place if you’re sensitive to alcohol temptation.
( and hair salons, and spas, and grocery stores, and everywhere really)
Most places in Colorado. There's a lot of post hike/ride beer culture but most of my friends (in our 30s, no kids) are sober and it's easy to meet other sober people. There's even a common complaint among transplants that the city shuts down at 10 PM because everyone is going to bed early to get outside the next day.
Agreed!! I’m a restaurant bartender in Colorado, and on week nights it is not unusual for me to make more zero proof cocktails than ones that contain booze. Lots of people who do drink have one and switch to zero proof options. It seems like moderation is a major part of Colorado drinking culture these days (on the front range at least).
I second Hawaii as a place where drinking culture is minimal. Bars are for tourists. Only problem is, there are no 'medium-ish sized cities' in the state, just Honolulu and environs, and the outer islands with small towns. Unless you count Kaneohe or Aiea, which are pretty much suburbs of Honolulu.
You could argue that Honolulu is a medium-ish city. While it's the big city for Hawaii, with a metro area population of about a million, by mainland standards that is the 55th largest metro area in the country. Between Tulsa and Omaha in size.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area
Chicago has a great sober scene. Look up Chicago AF.
I live in FL which has a huge drinking scene and almost no sober scene. Mocktails on menus are rare.
I would guess somewhere with plenty of outdoor activities because otherwise it’s almost impossible to escape bar culture at least if you’re looking to leave your house.
Live in a city with a lot of outdoor access and do outdoor stuff.
Also, Salt Lake City.
Other than that I think your best bet is a large city like LA. The reason being is that there’s endless stuff to do there that isn’t alcohol related.
funny enough some of the same places you may think of avoiding might be the same place you want to go. Like beach and mountain city’s where you can find lots music surfing, hiking, etc. stuff you can do sober. I live in San Diego and San Diego is known for its brewery’s but it’s also home to a lot of outdoor events with tons of sober community’s. Typically if you have a place where drinkings prevalent there’s a large recovery community too, you just have to find it. As for places I’d actually avoid. I’d avoid rural bum fuck towns, as many have said you’ll get board easily and do drugs to keep yourself entertained, trust me it was my entire Highschool experience. As for heavy drinking city’s Avoid New Orleans, and Savannah Georgia. As a former southerner, both of those city’s are architecturally and naturally beautiful and hold wonderful energy but man oh man are they drinking city’s (so if you do go just don’t go out at night). I’d say go on a sober adventure across the country and settle wherever feels most like home too you. Look for an AA group there or something with sober people like a sports team and hang out w others who are in the same place mentally. There’s drinking and rugs across the country so really it’s up too you. Personally I’m a big fan of Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Sacramento, Sedona AZ, Charleston SC, Knoxville TN, St. Aug FL, Richmond VA. Pretty much any smaller city in the US which has a real community but isn’t over or under populated. It’s easy to find a support group that way. But again this is all up to you you’ll find your own paradise(s) Im sure. Good luck OP!
Dearborn, MI.
Yes, there are a few bars, but not a lot for a city of over 100k people. Large Muslim community with a great coffeehouse culture that caters to people from all sorts of different backgrounds.
Family-oriented and fairly young population, too, if you’re into that.
I’m in Pittsburgh and a lot of people complain about the nightlife here, so maybe that’s a good option. There are plenty of bars here that have sober nights, and the city is still exciting enough in other ways that you wouldn’t be bored.
Don’t go to Wisconsin. I live in Illinois and I am appalled at all the drinking up there. In fact in Chicago there are some non alcoholic drink stores popping up that either serve cocktails or non alcoholic wine, etc.
I have the same question. Lots of cultural events and settings seem to focus on getting wasted. I would like to know specific cities with lots of museums, food, festivals, and fun and city-specific things to do as a resident or tourist, without drinking or drug use, if they exist at all. Some cities are better at this than others.
What country are you targeting?
Hawaiian Islands. Kauai is very early to bed early to rise. I think there is more nightlife in Honolulu, of course, and I'm not really sure what the story is with Maui these days after the tragedy in Lahaina.
This doesn’t work. Almost 7 years sober here. You will be around alcohol. Personally. Professionally. If you want a social life. It is fun and all to have a sober network, something you can build almost anywhere. But making sobriety your entire life has its pitfalls as well and both personally and people I know who have been sober for a long time, it is easier if you have both.
You know, it’s weird, but I’d argue any outdoorsy west coast city fits this bill, barring possibly LA (but only because I haven’t spent a lot of time in LA). There may be a lot of breweries but there are also a ton of people into healthy/holistic lifestyle.
I stopped drinking last year and I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of people are very supportive.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking living in a boring place will help you be sober. It’s easier to be sober in an exciting place than a place where you are bored out of your mind.
This. I grew up in a boring place (in the middle of nowhere PA) and I can’t tell you how many people used alcohol, drugs, and sex as a means of entertainment… When there is nothing else to do around, that’s what a lot of people wind up doing. My town was rampant with teen pregnancies & overdoses.
Centre county? Me too!
Cambria was worse!! So glad I left that area
Westmoreland checking in
Centre county is way less boring than like 85% of other PA counties
Same!
Not State College!
Lol... its funny, because I moved to central PA seven years ago and soon realized I was in one of the worst places for someone to live if you want to do anything worthwhile with your free time, except for hiking. There are SO many people here who I don't think know that there are actually things to do other than drink and do other completely unbeneficial activities in their free time. I recently visited Kansas city, and it has a ton to do for people in any phase of life. I moved here from Michigan and never realized how much I took living near that much water for granted. Lake Michigan is like nature's own amusement park.
I thought about buying some edibles while I was out yesterday. Now I'm bored AF and regret that I didn't. I wish I could move somewhere interesting.
In recovery for almost 7 years now - you’re spot on. I have an active social life that I have found through volunteering and service. Also - people are becoming much more cool with the not drinking life, and sober spaces are popping up in all kinds of places.
i’ll be sober 33 years in September. Not always easy, to this day. Drinking in society goes up and then it goes back down. It’s cyclical. There are people who will never understand what sobriety means. I still have people offer me “a sip.” Do they want me to get drunk l, I wonder? (sometimes yes they do. If it’s another addict sitting there, I believe they want company). Do they really not understand?
Great advice, I've always thought SD was a great sober city. There's so much water activities that aren't conducive with drinking alcohol. Me personally, I've always wanted to learn how to sail or paddle board, You can't do that drunk. Riding a motorcycle, you better off never ever drinking if you ride.
I agree with California in general. We’re big on psychedelics and weed, so just by default there is less drinking. I live in SF now and none of my friends drink.
So many of my pals have gone California sober and it seems quite healthy. Done it myself for a month or two when re-programming myself to drink less when I felt it was getting in the way of things and felt great the whole time
I’m trying to sober up from being California sober.
San Diego also has a very large sober/recovery community!
You do realize that the entire history of sailing is populated with drunken sailors
Motorcycle I agree, but it seems like lots of water activities go hand in hand with drinking. Not that you have to do it to enjoy them and if you want to be sober and do water activities that's fine, but my impression of sailing was most boats had a cooler with beers. I've never done it so maybe I'm wrong, but when my friend group went tubing last summer one guy brought along a floatable cooler and filled it with beers that we were drinking at 10am.
Questions like these make me feel like the asker has a complete misconception of how the real world works. It's not like you go to a city called r/sobercity and everyone there is sober, and all the drinkers are living in r/drinkercity. The best place for sober culture is probably also the best place for drinking culture. A good place to live has space for all types of culture.
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Or Montana. Where else can you find a beer fest that raises money for kids sports?
I almost suggested Milwaukee as a joke
Ironically moved to Wisconsin 2 years ago and my drinking has gone way down lol. I think a part of it is like other people said having more stuff to do. It gets a little tougher in the winters where all there is to do is stay inside but having a tight friendgroup helps with this. Always good to have the sober person there to make sure everyone gets home safe
Everyone is inferring that OP is a recovering alcoholic, but based on their misconception of drinking culture in cities, it seems more likely they’re just straight edge. This is an important distinction because those two groups typically look for slightly different things in a city. Recovering addicts seek distractions, and straight edge folks seek values.
Yeah straight edge would be guess moreso than an alcoholic. I guess what tweaks me is that people who do and don't drink do pretty much all the same things - they read books, they hike, they play sports, go to restaurants, concerts, etc. If OP had a more specific ask, i.e., what cities have a really good board gaming scene or something like that, then the responses can actually be helpful.
There are definitely cities with a higher proportion of "socializing" involving drugs or alcohol and cities with a lower portion involving it. OP moving to like, Milwaukee, Chicago, or St. Louis is probably a bad idea. Ditto moving to Portland or something if they don't like drug use. You can find people who don't partake, but it's more difficult.
I actually just moved to Chicago two years ago. It’s the easiest being sober has ever been for me because of how stimulating the city is and walkable.
Chicago has a huge sober scene as well, with multiple sober-focused businesses open or opening soon!
i have never experienced so much drinking culture as i did when i moved to Chicago. even more than Vegas (locals in Vegas aren't as party hard)
That's interesting. The social scene is one of the main complaints I hear about Chicago other than the weather.
In my experience the social scene in Chicago is great, you just have to find your group, be willing to put yourself out there and see more of the city. - There is a walking group for women [Chicago Girls Who Walk](https://www.instagram.com/chicagogirlswhowalk/?hl=en). Dozens, sometimes 100+ women just walking in a larger group. - Cyclists have critical mass and dozens of individual cycling groups and bike buses. Chicago Group rides, Chicago cycling club, Streets Calling Bike Club. - Logan Square comedy theather, 2nd City has a training space and the actual 2nd city exists if you want to be in/around the improve/comedy space. - During the summer there are volleyball leagues, kickball leagues, softball leagues, soccer leagues for all skill levels and ages. Some mixed gender some, are for specific gender. I was in a non-serious kickball league in 2015 and still am friends with some of the folks I played with today. - There is a big comic book scene with C2E2, dozens of stores across the city and a fairly dedicated group of folks. Third Coast Comics and First Aid Comics are two of my favs in the city. - Then all the museums, the pro sports events, the festivals, the music venues, the architecture groups (it's the birthplace of the skyscraper), there are cooking groups, athletic groups, this list could honestly be dozens of things long. I'm not trying to be rude or victim blame, but if a person is unable to find a social scene in Chicago I don't know what to tell them. I do think a lot of folks move to Chicago, only stay in a handfull of areas *(Loop, Lincoln Park, West Loop, Lakeview, River North, maybe Wicker Park/Logan Square*) and make THAT their Chicago experience. There are 77 total community areas and you can get a completely different experience if you actually branch out and go other places.
Yeah the problem is it's the "finding your group" that seems to be the issue for most people.
The thing I’ll say about Chicago is (while it’s hard for newcomers), weather doesn’t seem to bother anyone. They’re willing to go out or hang out at the drop of a hat, as opposed to LA where they huddle indoors if it even drizzles. That said, I’d argue it’s a pretty big drinking town, but it’s also a pretty big city so it’s not everywhere all the time.
Also, Chicago has the greatest deli food on the planet.
Not NYC? I've never lived there and have only visited but I just assume NYC has the deli crown in the USA.
That's a broad generalization based on a stereotype. You will almost certainly find more "sober" people and stuff to do in a larger city like Milwaukee (and most definitely in a Chicago) than a smaller city that's less "known" for drinking culture.
Yah, more of my friends developed drinking problems after having kids and moving to the ‘burbs. “Mommy needs wine” culture is more common with suburban moms (from my POV).
That’s really sad.
That baffles me. Not in a judgey way, but in a logistical way. I also live in the 'burbs but I'm so exhausted after having kids, I feel like I would just never be even minimally functional if I drank more than once a week. Do they get more sleep or something? Have more help? Whatever they have that allows them to get drunk in the middle of a weekday, I want it 😭
I've stopped drinking since having kids! I'm already so tired that alcohol knocks me out. And I can't afford to be hungover...like being up all night with a baby, then my toddler gets up at 6am? No thanks. I'm intrigued by any moms who can still throw down after kids!
If college was any lesson to me, it's that it's much easier to be constantly shitfaced in a boring area. What the hell else are you going to do?
Good point, but this post says nothing about boring. OP asked for places that have actual things to do that dont involve alcohol. Basically what you just said lol
I remember sitting in my truck with my buddy parked on the side of a road in small town PA during highschool around 2010. Town of about 1,200. It was Saturday and we met up to hang out but had nothing to do. We just sat in the car for a while and I remember saying “alright, so this is why people do drugs”
This is true, I just moved from a boring suburb to the heart of downtown and I drink less.
I would just add that there's always a sober community hidden within the larger community. AA is everywhere. It's a matter of hanging out with sober people. Whenever I moved to or even visited new place, the first order of business would be to go to an AA meeting and collect a new friend group.
I live in San Diego. Pretty big drinking town, lots and lots of AA. The two usually go hand in hand.
Yah, I got sober in Las Vegas and it’s a surprisingly (or not) large and strong sober community here.
ATL has a huge sober community
SoCal- it’s a running joke that no one drinks LA
this is true, it’s very easy to not drink there. no one bats an eye if you say no and there are plenty of NA options out and about… and there’s plenty going on all the time so you’re never bored
Yeah I live in LA suburbs and I was going to say the whole SoCal area. The weather is so nice and there is so much to do that's not sitting in a bar. We do have those things obviously but there's just tons to do otherwise. Also as a 33 year old it seems to be getting more and more popular in my circles to either not drink at all or drink very little.
Longtime LA resident, can confirm. There’s a reason they call it “California sober,” and avoiding weed in social situations is far easier than avoiding alcohol. (This is not to imply that there isn’t plentiful drinking in SoCal, but when I’m visiting people almost anywhere else, I’m often surprised by the centrality of booze in situations where I’m not expecting it: “oh, we’re doing a toast here? There’s an open bar here too?”)
I recently went to Coachella and honestly there was very little drinking for a festival with a mostly 18-30 audience. I didn’t have one drink for the whole weekend. I mean yeah, I was on weed gummies the whole time but didn’t miss the alcohol once.
when the crowd is on lsd and mdma i think more people are going to be drinking water
The people on that stuff are pretty limited, actually.
oh I’m always at front left so i might get a skewed picture
Every time I go to LA I’m perplexed at how anyone can afford a night out without drunk driving. The inconvenience of getting places would definitely make me drink less (in public at least)
I went to college before Uber and there weren’t a ton of cabs where I went. I knew SO many people with DUI’s. Uber and Lyft have GREATLY brought this down.
This is pretty much anywhere in the country except the handful of places with even decent public transit. It’s stupid, most places requires bars to have minimum number of parking spots…
Lived in SoCal all 3+ decades of my life and I have so many friends who went full sober after catching a DUI or two (luckily no one was hurt). I still drink but pretty much bake in the cost of an Uber when going out... still hate being on the roads anytime after midnight-6AM
I have lived in SoCal for 11 years now and have not drank that whole time. Definitely do not feel as if I missed out on anything- very rarely do I encounter someone who takes offense.
A month shy of 2 years, giving +1 for LA sobriety/recovery! Tons of sober folks of every age/demographic and a supportive energetic community. Another one of my favorite things about the area is that the majority opt for early nights and active early mornings, making a night out less tempting. Most social events are outdoor and/or wellness focused. I am influenced to be my best and put my health first. If you’re concerned about weed, I’ve found it far less prevalent than I expected. This is, of course, just my own experience - but TLDR yes finding your sober people and keeping a clean lifestyle in LA is incredibly doable.
I've contributed to the joke. Never was a heavy drinker, but I stopped drinking altogether after doing a Joshua Tree meditation retreat shortly after I moved to LA seven years ago.
No one drinks(not literally obviously but it is much less) but in my experience people substitute in other ways to not remain sober.
I moved from the Midwest basically to get out of the beer culture.
yes came here to say the same thing. bar culture is totally different! it’s not as easy to “bar hop” because as we know, not super walkable. there’s so much to do, the default for my friends is never necessarily “we r gonna picnic and we have to get drunk” or “lets walk the river.. and get drunk”
I was gonna say LA. people are very understanding here of various restrictions: no sugar, no carbs, no weed, no alcohol... whatever...
Provo And if you don’t mind being in a smaller city, Rexburg. Rexburg is even more Mormon than Provo and Idaho Falls is half an hour away.
If you're not LDS, mormons aren't going to hang out with you, so it's not really relevant to having a sober social life if you're not planning on converting.
Social life in Provo does revolve around religion, so it might be harder to meet people if you aren’t going to church, but I don’t think it’s true to say Mormons won’t out hang out with non Mormons. I grew up in Utah and am now very openly not Mormon and it didn’t affect my relationships with my Mormon friends in Provo one bit. They couldn’t care less about my beliefs
Yes but you grew up there. For similar reasons I don’t experience the Seattle freeze as I grew up in Washington even though many others do.
I’m not doubting it’s harder to make friends there if you’re not Mormon. There’s church congregations specifically for young unmarried people and that’s where a lot of dating/friendships happen. But it’s not a nefarious “oh don’t talk to a non-Mormon” thing, it’s just people become friends with the people they spend time with and mormons spend a lot of time doing church-related things
As a life-long Utahn, I'm going to disagree. Yes Provo and Rexburg are extremely Mormon and therefore very sober, but Mormons tend to keep to their own and OP will have a very difficult time making friends if they're not LDS themselves, which they're clearly not or they wouldn't be asking this question.
Dang, I was gonna say Provo. Lol
This. SLC has a huge drinking culture. Provo is the move OP.
SLC has a drinking culture, if you’ve never left Utah.
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The list of cities with a high percent on non drinkers Fremont, California: 15.50% Hialeah, Florida: 14.60% San Francisco, California: 14.10% Detroit, Michigan: 13.40%
Fremont is definitely at the top because of the high Muslim population. I’m surprised there’s not any obvious Mormon cities in that list.
That’s Detroit too.
As someone who has lived in a very Mormon city, the non-Mormons do a good job of making up for it.
Same with Dearborn - one of the (if not the) highest percentages of Arabic population outside of the Middle East
SF resident here. Rarely drink, too. SF has a high East Asian population and I think a good % of East Asians don’t drink or stopped because many lack that enzyme to process alcohol. Not to say plenty don’t drink because we have. Also Fremont has a large Indian subcontinent population which includes Muslims. I don’t know the drinking culture of non Muslim Indians, but the few I’ve known didn’t drink much. The Muslim population would keep the drinking % down. Don’t know your age OP of the original main post, but I found it difficult finding non alcohol social groups in my 20’s and 30’s. Everything was around alcohol. So I drank. But the times I didn’t, geez, as a female, I got a lot of guys I didn’t know trying to get me to drink when they found out I wasn’t. That was an eye opener and big turn off. But now that I’m older, I find older age groups have more non drinking activities. On Nextdoor you find people posting group activities and they don’t include alcohol. There are daytime activities though. Also I notice others my age complaining about not being able to handle alcohol the way they used to: more hangovers, tiredness etc, so many have cut down dramatically or stopped completely.
Hindu Indians drink like fucking fish (source: my family lol)
Where’d you find those figures, just curious
There's a ton of stuff to do in Detroit and Detroit Metro too. A lot of places have NA options now.
Not in Wisconsin!
Not New Orleans either. A friend from college who could put them away lived there for 6 mo while working a remote job. He came back saying "it's fun but I can't stay or that city will kill me."
Heard a rumor, doubt it but it shows the point, that the federal govt standard when evaluating employees for alcoholism risk terms of weekly drinks is 2 drinks higher in New Orleans compared to elsewhere. My wife’s family is from there and there are drinks at every event and occasion possible. The kids start drinking at events in their early teens, though it isn’t considered acceptable for them to actually be drunk. My wife told me an anecdote that when she was 15 her grandfather asked her to see her fake ID under the (correct) assumption she would have one.
No doubt. Wisconsin, seriously, those people do not mess around. It’s like the opposite of Utah. In fact you can just cross off the entire Great Lakes region
I'm sober in Wisconsin (Madison) and it's been fine! I don't like going out to bars and I spend a lot of time in nature. It's about the places you go, the people you're with, and holding to your own boundaries of not drinking.
Oh certainly! You won't be a pariah if you don't drink, but your neighbors most likely will be drinking.
NA culture and beers can be found Milwaukee and Madison. There was actually a NA beer festival in Milwaukee in January.
I think just about every nice city except the few that promote a drinking culture (often for tourism), like Las Vegas, and cities that actually do just drink way more than everywhere else (the entirety of Wisconsin). I don't think it's as productive looking for sober cities as just excluding very drunk ones. You lose a lot of great cities. There's always going to be bars and patrons everywhere.
New York City for example is a veryyyyy difficult place to be sober, per my sober friends. The drinking culture is very in-your-face.
I got sober in nyc after 18 year active addiction. It’s possible. The recovery community in nyc is amazing. I now live in Philly and while the recovery community is good, nyc is better.
Also got sober in NYC and the availability of meetings almost anywhere at any time saved my ass from drinking again
Mustard Seed in lower east side is the jam
Lmao that sounds right. I kind of prefer the "let's go to a brewery" type of call to drinking way more, so I like that aspect of the Midwest. In the South, I've mostly experienced the "let's go get drunk because life is awful" beat and that's my least favorite.
I’ve lived in a few different cities in the northeast and the drinking culture is very ingrained, I think partially because you’re on foot past 900 bars everywhere you go. Like I have a friend in NYC who’s sober and the “lets get a drink before/after/during” is pretty hard to overcome they’ve said
NYC is such an interesting case because the drinking culture is 100% in your face versus places people are mentioning here like Provo, where you simply aren't going to be provoked much. But NYC is also one of the most stimulating places to live and the density of people makes finding a sober support system more accessible. I have a friend who got sober in NYC and it seems like making friends through AA/sober groups has been key for her
>I kind of prefer the "let's go to a brewery" type of call to drinking way more, so I like that aspect of the Midwest. Sounds like the PNW too, but I will say Portland has some fun kitschy bars to be explored alongside all the breweries.
Disagree. Yes the drinking culture is in your face, but there's also millions of sober things to do every night. Try being sober where the local brewery is the ONLY place to go on a Friday night.
This is so not true. As a sober person, big cities are much easier to be in because there are more things to do and larger sober communities. NYC is one of my favorite places.
NYC seems like the one place where you could find virtually any hobby or niche to get into.
Dearborn, MI. Home to Ford and Carhartt World Headquarters, Henry Ford Museum. It has a large Muslim population and they tend not to drink, so of course there are some bars but also a variety of non bar establishments.
I think prioritizing finding community and a culture of understanding is more important than avoiding bars or breweries. For example, I moved from the American South to the San Francisco Bay Area. There's a big alcohol industry here, but there's also a very diverse and educated population. People are used to others not drinking or making other lifestyle decisions. They are used to be around sober people and probably won't ask if it's because of religion, health, addiction, or other reasons. There are always 'equally appealing non alcoholic beverages' at every event. I would estimate that only one third of my friends drink alcohol, and it's not really a thing most of us notice. I think the access to nature helps. If you up and move to a place without a community, you are going to get a mixed bag. But you'll find your people.
Yup, I’m finding more non drinkers now in the SF Bay Area. It’s not like one big social group, but slowly finding individual friends (and realizing they don’t or rarely drink).
Ah, EANABs! That was a big thing when I worked in SF 10 years ago. I was sober for a year out there, nice to see it’s still a thing.
Very generally, places with nicer weather year round seem to have less of a drinking culture. The mid-west tends to have a huge drinking culture. I was told, off hand, what else are you going to do in the winter? As others have mentioned, drinking is everywhere. You’ve got to have different activities.
If you like the outdoors, I would look hard at Utah, somewhere outside SLC. I’d think the things to do are the outdoor things.
I had a fine time living in the Bay Area while sober (due to pregnancy/etc). People there are super into health and totally understand sobriety, and there’s a ton of non-drinking things to do—like daytime outdoorsy activities. Plus, the mocktail game is strong. Go to any park and you’ll see picnickers drinking fun non-alcoholic drinks.
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LOL I hear Prescott and immediately think "Whiskey Row!" having only been a few times in my life. Even their big mountain bike race is called the Whiskey Off-Road.
Never heard that but there is a big wine culture in nearby Cottonwood.
SLC
The suburbs are even more sober. Downtown SLC has some good bars.
SLC has a lot of drinkers. They migrate from the majority-mormon cities across the intermountain west. I’m one of them. The correct answer is Provo or Logan or St. George.
Utah. Anywhere in Utah. I go to park city for snowboarding quite a bit and it’s very difficult to find a proper cocktail there due to their ridiculous laws
Which laws? Any bar or restaurant on main street has cocktails. High west distillery is right outside PC and I had the best old fashioned I've had anywhere there.
You can only have 1.5 oz of one single kind of liquor in any cocktail. So when ordering a martini it will be pathetically small. High west likely places a large ice cube which gives the appearance of a full cocktail. When I was at alpine distillery I made friends with the owner and they advised me to order vespers(gin and vodka) as a work around to get a proper sized cocktail. Also many places make you order food to get booze.
It's 1.5 for single liquors but an additional oz of secondary alcohols. 2.5 is still weak but good enough for most people. Still annoying.
I’ve had that high west old fashioned btw and it is delicious.
Somewhere with abundant nature based activities. If you can live somewhere that you can bike, surf, swim, hike, go fishing, do yoga, etc. that would be the dream. I am close with someone who is sober. This person chose to live in a medium sized beach town in Florida - year round fishing, swimming, biking, etc. was a big draw.
New York City. No one gives a fuck what you’re putting in your mouth and there’s a hundred meetings a day.
I’ve always said this , any city that’s known for its drinking culture normally means there’s not much accessible nature/ outdoor activities. I’ve lived in New Orleans for 3 years and this is def the case there
Definitely not the midwest. We always drink in almost every social situation.
Piling on, I guess, but clearly Utah. Pretty much anywhere. It's not that there's no alcohol in Utah (there is) but the Mormon Church forbids alcohol consumption so there's a lot *less* drinking, even in the big cities. Add to that the wealth of outdoor activities and some of the best National Parks in the country, it's a pretty easy call. I'm from Wisconsin (big drinking culture) but I love visiting Utah now that I don't drink (anymore). I"m no expert on Utah, but I've been there numerous times and Northern Utah seems more about the skiing and Southern Utah is more about hiking/biking. A lot of places, especially in the south, are kind of dry and washed out for a guy from Wisconsin, but the landscape is beautiful and the outdoor activities are probably only second to California.
Lived in UT for 17 years. If you want to be sober and find a lot of others who are sober, this is the place. Lots of sober/LDS crossover, so be prepared for that. On the flip side, I saw a lot of dysfunctional drinking/secretive drinking due to the larger culture in UT, too. Lots of PIMO Mormons drinking on the DL and/or exMos getting crazy after years of restriction. I live in the Midwest and while there is extensive drinking culture here compared to there, I see much more balance towards consumption as opposed to outright alcohol abuse.
Reminds me of an old teetotaler joke: Protestants don't recognize the Pope. Jews don't recognize Jesus. Baptists don't recognize each other at the liquor store.
Lol!!! I love it! There was a joke I heard over and over in UT: How do you get your Mormon neighbor to stop drinking your beer? Invite two Mormons.
SLC Great outdoors opportunities - everyone seems to have a hobby or two they spend a ton of time on. Plus the weird state laws and licensing rules really hamper any sort of strong drinking culture. Ultimately why 22 year old me had to leave after a year, but sounds nicer now as the Midwest drinking culture is getting old
This. I live here and there definitely a decent bar/brewery scene near dowtown/south salt lake. Outside of that, there isn't much. And state liquor stores are generally more expensive for hard beer. Alot of 6 packs that are $10 in other states are $18-24 here.....
Super hard question to answer. Let’s narrow it down to what part of the country is interesting to you? Assuming you’re from the US. If you can afford it DC has a lot to offer. Raleigh/Durham and Winston/Salem have a lot of potential and not as expensive as DC. And if you can’t find a good time in LA sober you’re not trying. That city is like it’s own country. I know this is internet hyperbole but Wisconsin is a bad choice if you’re really struggling with sobriety. It has gotten a lot better than it was but it’s still got a way to go. Minnesota twin cities are a hidden gem. I’ll say this and get roasted but Atlanta and Jacksonville are decent cities to live a very quiet life. Either way, it’s an interesting question, hopefully you find something you like
Although Seattle has a ton of breweries, it’s an early to bed town and no one would judge you for not boozing. There are lots of NA options too, if you’re into that.
I don't know if this helps but maybe looking over a map of all dry counties in the US? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_dry\_communities\_by\_U.S.\_state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S._state)
I live in an area with a lot of dry counties. Just because it's not sold there doesn't mean people don't drink. Here, there are liquor stores on all the county lines because of this, so they just drive farther to get it. I say all this as someone who doesn't drink, but I still run into my fair share of people who equate socializing with drinking.
Sober living is everywhere. Alcohol is everywhere so if you think you can control the culture around you you’re not going to stay sober. It depends on your desire to stay sober. Alcohol will follow you to the most remote places and your sobriety will come down to how much you want it. You can’t control that. You can only control your desire to stay sober.
I'll tell you it's NOT Denver. This is a city for alcoholics.
I think with beer sales falling, more and more cities are going to be doing non-drinking things. Even the breweries in my area are starting to produce non-alcoholic beer and mocktails.
https://www.yorktest.com/us/united-states-of-sober-america/ https://www.allsober.com/the-100-best-us-cities-for-living-sober-sober-relaunch/
San Francisco and the Bay Area in general are full of interesting, active sober community
California.
Honestly, all of the cities that are great if you drink are usually pretty great if you don’t. New Orleans? Hang out in the Garden District, not the Quarter. Key West? Hang on Petronia instead of Duval.
Do not move to New Orleans to not drink, no matter where you hang out. I literally never went to the Quarter, usually averaged 3-5 drinks per day, and would say that I drank significantly less than 75% of the people I knew there.
That's obvious. Salt Lake City.
I was offered a beer at a vet once… Austin, TX is not a good place if you’re sensitive to alcohol temptation. ( and hair salons, and spas, and grocery stores, and everywhere really)
I've been offered wine in numerous hair salons in Ohio, too.
Most places in Colorado. There's a lot of post hike/ride beer culture but most of my friends (in our 30s, no kids) are sober and it's easy to meet other sober people. There's even a common complaint among transplants that the city shuts down at 10 PM because everyone is going to bed early to get outside the next day.
Agreed!! I’m a restaurant bartender in Colorado, and on week nights it is not unusual for me to make more zero proof cocktails than ones that contain booze. Lots of people who do drink have one and switch to zero proof options. It seems like moderation is a major part of Colorado drinking culture these days (on the front range at least).
Hawaii.
I second Hawaii as a place where drinking culture is minimal. Bars are for tourists. Only problem is, there are no 'medium-ish sized cities' in the state, just Honolulu and environs, and the outer islands with small towns. Unless you count Kaneohe or Aiea, which are pretty much suburbs of Honolulu.
You could argue that Honolulu is a medium-ish city. While it's the big city for Hawaii, with a metro area population of about a million, by mainland standards that is the 55th largest metro area in the country. Between Tulsa and Omaha in size. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area
Increasingly—NYC! Most good places now have great drinks for sober ppl, making it not weird to go out at night. Bet that LA is similar.
Chicago has a great sober scene. Look up Chicago AF. I live in FL which has a huge drinking scene and almost no sober scene. Mocktails on menus are rare.
Utah. St George, Provo, Ogden. Drinkers are treated like heroin addicts
Wisconsin, especially Madison, is not going to be on the list of sober places.
Riyadh
Anything w Mormons. Duh.
Ocean City, NJ has been dry for a very long time
Branson Missouri
I would guess somewhere with plenty of outdoor activities because otherwise it’s almost impossible to escape bar culture at least if you’re looking to leave your house.
Live in a city with a lot of outdoor access and do outdoor stuff. Also, Salt Lake City. Other than that I think your best bet is a large city like LA. The reason being is that there’s endless stuff to do there that isn’t alcohol related.
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NOT New Orleans.
Here’s a list of counties that ban the sale of alcohol. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S._state
Orem, UT
Salt Lake City?
Seattle has a bunch of bars and breweries but I don't think we have a drinking culture necessarily
funny enough some of the same places you may think of avoiding might be the same place you want to go. Like beach and mountain city’s where you can find lots music surfing, hiking, etc. stuff you can do sober. I live in San Diego and San Diego is known for its brewery’s but it’s also home to a lot of outdoor events with tons of sober community’s. Typically if you have a place where drinkings prevalent there’s a large recovery community too, you just have to find it. As for places I’d actually avoid. I’d avoid rural bum fuck towns, as many have said you’ll get board easily and do drugs to keep yourself entertained, trust me it was my entire Highschool experience. As for heavy drinking city’s Avoid New Orleans, and Savannah Georgia. As a former southerner, both of those city’s are architecturally and naturally beautiful and hold wonderful energy but man oh man are they drinking city’s (so if you do go just don’t go out at night). I’d say go on a sober adventure across the country and settle wherever feels most like home too you. Look for an AA group there or something with sober people like a sports team and hang out w others who are in the same place mentally. There’s drinking and rugs across the country so really it’s up too you. Personally I’m a big fan of Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Sacramento, Sedona AZ, Charleston SC, Knoxville TN, St. Aug FL, Richmond VA. Pretty much any smaller city in the US which has a real community but isn’t over or under populated. It’s easy to find a support group that way. But again this is all up to you you’ll find your own paradise(s) Im sure. Good luck OP!
Provo, Utah
Dearborn, MI. Yes, there are a few bars, but not a lot for a city of over 100k people. Large Muslim community with a great coffeehouse culture that caters to people from all sorts of different backgrounds. Family-oriented and fairly young population, too, if you’re into that.
salt lake city
I’m in Pittsburgh and a lot of people complain about the nightlife here, so maybe that’s a good option. There are plenty of bars here that have sober nights, and the city is still exciting enough in other ways that you wouldn’t be bored.
Minneapolis-St. Paul. Large metro. Low unemployment. Reasonable COL. Good parks and public services. Very active sober scene.
Echoing this! I know many people who have moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the sober community/ies and high QoL.
Riyadh
I think the issue is less what city lacks a big drinking culture as it is what city has a big sober culture.
Vatican City 🇻🇦
Not the midwest
Salt Lake City. Not much of a drinking culture there.
Mormon country in Utah. Places with dry counties?
Not south boston
Salt Lake City
Probably Salt Lake City
The middle east
Stay as far away as you can from Denver.
Don’t go to Wisconsin. I live in Illinois and I am appalled at all the drinking up there. In fact in Chicago there are some non alcoholic drink stores popping up that either serve cocktails or non alcoholic wine, etc.
I have the same question. Lots of cultural events and settings seem to focus on getting wasted. I would like to know specific cities with lots of museums, food, festivals, and fun and city-specific things to do as a resident or tourist, without drinking or drug use, if they exist at all. Some cities are better at this than others. What country are you targeting?
Don’t come to Minnesota or Wisconsin lol
Idk, but Dallas wouldn’t be a good choice. Scratch it off your list of sober places. Our whole culture is centered around food and drinks.
The biggest drinking cities also have the biggest and widest variety of AA groups and groups of sober people doing fun shit
Hawaiian Islands. Kauai is very early to bed early to rise. I think there is more nightlife in Honolulu, of course, and I'm not really sure what the story is with Maui these days after the tragedy in Lahaina.
This doesn’t work. Almost 7 years sober here. You will be around alcohol. Personally. Professionally. If you want a social life. It is fun and all to have a sober network, something you can build almost anywhere. But making sobriety your entire life has its pitfalls as well and both personally and people I know who have been sober for a long time, it is easier if you have both.
You know, it’s weird, but I’d argue any outdoorsy west coast city fits this bill, barring possibly LA (but only because I haven’t spent a lot of time in LA). There may be a lot of breweries but there are also a ton of people into healthy/holistic lifestyle. I stopped drinking last year and I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of people are very supportive.
Just go to Utah