Sober Curious Denver

Denver has a drinking problem. The Denver Public Health department says that one in every four adults (which makes up 27% of the Denver population) binge drinks. This is the biggest statistic compared to any other Western City. Now, while the health effects of alcohol are common knowledge to all, experts say that the proven strategies to achieve an alcohol-free lifestyle in Denver remain underutilized.

In an age where we are quick to put each other into ‘boxes’ a new and effective alcohol-related trend has come up and taken hold – The Sober Curious Denver Movement!

What is Sober Curious Meaning?

Being sober curious is the ability to give yourself the option to choose.

In a nutshell, being a part of the sober curious denver movement refers to choosing to avoid alcohol for your own personal and wellness reasons. It is the process of being curious about the reasons that fuel your drinking desire, and how alcohol affects your life.

Identifying as sober curious shows that you have a personal experience that alcohol does not make you feel good and you have started drinking it less. You are however not yet ready to pull an all-or-nothing kind of label on yourself, but you have pulled back on your alcohol drinking.

Advocates of the sober curious reset mindset say that being sober-curious is all about changing your long-term relationship with alcohol and becoming much more mindful about when, whether, and how you choose to drink.

Unlike someone who decides to remain sober as a result of addiction and dependency, the sober curious meaning is not about meeting specific criteria for alcohol use disorder, and its intention is not to give up alcohol completely, but to moderate your intake.

The Sober Curious Movement in Denver

The sober curious movement is catching up with people all over the country and most of them aren’t alcoholics yet, or at least they haven’t hit rock bottom or joined a 12-step program. They want to change the pace of the American drinking culture.

Denver is a fitting location for this movement, because, as we said above, there’s a serious alcohol problem in the city.

New groups of sober curious individuals are popping up all over the city and this is part of a trend that includes the ‘sober bars.’ They serve nonalcoholic cocktails at regular bars, and there’s even a mobile app that is helping in building a Denver digital sober community.

History Of The Sober Curious Movement

Ruby Warrington, the author of ‘Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All On The Other Side Of Alcohol.’ Is credited as having come up with the term ‘sober curious.’

She describes a specific pattern in the book that is characterized by the following:

The ability to drink socially but never craving alcohol or drinking daily
The ability to drink no more than the other people in your social group.
The ability to drink in a way that doesn’t hurt you or anyone else.

In these scenarios, you will never hit a serious alcohol-induced ‘low’ and you will never see yourself as being dependent on alcohol.

However, this is the starting point for alcohol abuse, and if you realize the pattern early enough, you may be able to save yourself from substance use disorder, before you become a ‘person with an addiction to alcohol.’

This is where sober curiosity comes in. It presents you with the benefits of staying sober and many other lifestyle-related benefits associated with living an alcohol-free lifestyle.

Some of the most advanced benefits of staying sober are an improved memory, improved lifestyle, looking healthier, saving money, and the ability to build and keep relationships.

The Sober Curious Movement and Addiction

The sober curious movement involves people who have not yet developed an actual substance abuse addiction to alcohol.

It also identifies with people who have a desire for a sober lifestyle but find that they have difficulty remaining sober, which could be an indication that you suffer from alcohol use disorder. A sober curious approach is a great way to try and kick-start your sobriety journey.

Organizations That Can Help With Your Sober Curious Lifestyle

If you have decided to try out the sober curious denver movement, there are several communities you can have access to, even in Denver to help with your new lifestyle. Here’s a look at some of these organizations:

The SMART Recovery

The SMART recovery is a sober community, whose focus is to help people going through substance abuse treatment and sobriety meetings. Their main philosophy is to focus on cognitive behavioral therapy options to help change the thinking behind alcohol use disorder.

LifeRing

LifeRing is perfect for people who do not enjoy the traditional 12-step programs due to the continued use of the word ‘God.’ LifeRing focuses on abstinence and helps people who are struggling to live without alcohol and drugs.

The Phoenix

The Phoenix is for people who would wish to pair their recovery with their physical lives by living an alcohol free lifestyle. The community has currently inspired more than 26,000 people from all over the US who are looking to join the sober curious movement.

Their recovery features physical exercise that includes hiking, running, cycling, and yoga.

Online Sober Curious Movement Communities

If you are unable to visit a physical group, you can join the following sober curious communities that take place online:

r/stopdrinking

The r/stopdrinking is a Reddit group where different people talk about their experiences and desire to live an alcohol-free lifestyle. It is a great opportunity to be sober curious if you are unable to visit a physical group.

Soberistas

Soberistas is an online community that can be accessed worldwide. It makes it easy for people to connect with each other when trying to live a sober curious lifestyle.

The group features women who are like-minded, non-judgmental, and friendly. Their goal is to help each other kick the drinking habit and try to stay sober.

What you need to do in order to join the group is simply to create a profile and look through the information they have posted on how you can ditch drinking. There are plenty of personal stories and a lot of advice to help one live a happy and alcohol-free lifestyle.

Sober Recovery

Sober recovery is a great place where people can join the sober curious movement. You will find help for substance use disorder and also receive great and helpful information on the benefits of staying sober.

There are more than 168,000 people in the group recovering from addiction and learning how to be sober.

What Can You Drink If You Are Sober Curious?

Being part of the sober curious movement doesn’t mean that you cannot go to a bar and have fun. It simply means that you are keen on reducing alcohol consumption in your life.

One of the best ways to develop an alcohol-free lifestyle would be by visiting the many sober bars in Denver. Sober bars have the same bar setting, but the difference is that; they only serve non-alcoholic drinks.

The most common drinks are zero-proof drinks and mocktails. Other names for such bars are sober-friendly bars or spirit-free bars.

They are available all over Denver, and come in different forms, including being completely alcohol-free or serving a limited amount of alcoholic drinks.

These sober bars in Denver have the goal of providing you with an experience that’s similar to the traditional bars and are dedicated to socialization opportunities and drink craftsmanship.

Some of them only allow people who are over 21 years old in order to create an atmosphere that’s completely bar-like.

AspenRidge Recovery & The Benefits of Getting Sober

If you or your loved one is suffering from substance abuse, please get in touch with us – The AspenRidge Recovery Colorado Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Center. We are ready to help you start your success story toward an alcohol-free lifestyle.

Clients can also expect to find a wide range of recovery strategies. From evidence-based to holistic, some of the most successful programs include:

Call us today at 855-281-5588.