Sobriety without compromise.
There was a time when I didn't even think it would be humanly possible to go to a gig, festival, party, date or dinner without drinking or taking drugs.
When I made the decision to go sober, I was determined to never compromise on my life. I really like my life, I get to go to loads of fun things, with loads of fun people and I'll be honest, a lot of that was based around drinking and taking really rubbish drugs.
Think about your time at a festival in percentages... it's broken down a little like this... 40% of your time organising, taking, locating drugs. 30% of your time queuing at bars that are filled with ppl waiting to buy very overpriced booze...10% of your time is looking for your mates, organising where to meet which leaves only 20% of your time for THE ACTUAL FESTIVAL! Food?! I used to lose half a stone at Glastonbury, eating wasn't even on my agenda. Look, when you go to a festival and DON'T Drink or take drugs...at first...it feels WEIRD.
Like you're a little lost at a party, the day/evening is no longer broken down into these rituals, go to the bar, buy drinks, find a safe spot to take something... so you feel a little bit like you're twiddling your thumbs... but we've almost forgotten that there's so much more to festivals!
I did NME's feature 'Heading Out' last Summer with one of my best friends Ben (also sober, also liked to party hard in a previous life) - we got given expenses for 'drinks and food' Now trying to spend £200 at a festival when you aren't drinking is SO MUCH FUN! We explored every inch of that festival, we danced to bands, we went on rides, we got stupid tattoo's, we tried out the oxygen bar, we lay on hammocks, we went to the vintage stalls, we were SO excited about what food we were going to eat, we ate ice-cream WITH flakes, we went on the dodgems... we legit squeezed everything we possibly could out of that festival, because we had both made the decision, to not drink it didn't mean we had made the decision to not have fun. Now, I can safely say I had THE BEST time, It's just an adjustment, but we had no 4 day come-down, no ruined bank balance, and laughed all day long! I never even realised how much other fun stuff there is at festivals!
Don't get me wrong, I've had AMAZING times at festivals off my tits, and I don't regret any of the little adventures we got up to, I've ended up in hilarious scenario's and surreal moments, this blog is never about saying that noone should ever do drink or drugs but it's also so great to know that the fun I have at a festival isn't BECAUSE of the drink or drugs, it's really important for me to know that, The fun isn't taken away at any gig or event because you don't drink, there's a whole load of other fun to find and it's really fun trying to find it.
It can be difficult at first and like I said you feel a little restless and there's only so many soft sugary drinks you can have before you start to climb the walls. I always feel like the only person in the entire festival, gig, bar asking for a coffee but it's good! If you try a gig or festival without drinking and can get your paws on coffee, do it!
I heard someone the other saying they were doing dry January but not on (then proceeded to list dates of events etc that they'd exempt themselves) it's funny how we don't even really entertain the idea of going to a friends birthday, a wedding or a festival without drinking, like it's not even an option. I would say for no other reason than a personal experiment try it at least once, just so you know you're not a boring fucker without the booze, that you can still have fun, hold your own in a conversation, still pull a fit boy (or girl) and enjoy the gig!
Some tips:
* Say : 'I don't drink' rather than 'I'm not drinking tonight' the latter gives ppl an ok to try and persuade you
* Go out with ppl who you ACTUALLY enjoy the company of, the less you drink, the more you'll realise who those people are.
* Leave when you feel like it, when you get bored, go. It's at that point your party should be over, drink or no drink. The amount of times I've drunk through the boredom ended up spending loads of money and serotonin for a below average night is more than I'd care to think about.
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