A study in sobriety

I should make a few things clear from the outset of this particular entry. Firstly, I am not T Total or allergic to alcohol or anything else that prevents me from drinking. Secondly, I am not preaching that this is the way everyone should live and you drunks and binge drinkers out there are getting it all wrong. I like a drink, I enjoy the taste of most alcoholic drinks and the feeling of being drunk. This was merely an experiment to see first-hand what it is like to go for a night out in town without the booze.

The Hypothesis

It is possible to have a good night out without drinking. The lack of alcohol should not prevent having a good laugh and a bad dance.

The Method

The meeting point was pre-arranged to be The Apple, the targeted end point was Pam Pam’s, the rest of night was open to interpretation.

The Apple is a great venue for a sunny day/evening offering a plethora of ciders to suit any palate. The temptation to sample one of these was pretty high after a rather sweaty walk but this subsided relatively quickly as a cold drink of any nature was all that was required. An unexpected problem with the plan did however quickly become evident. “Why aren’t you drinking?” seemed to be bugging quite a few of the 14 people out for the night. It was a fair question as a sober person can raise a number of issues to a drinker, mainly the question mark over their ability to get involved with the night and the fact they are going to be aware of and remember the stupid stuff people do and say. With that in mind I figured I had to stick to the plan of being childish enough to match the drinkers and honest enough to know I have done and said enough stupid stuff in my time so give them a bit of break.

After The Apple we ventured toward town via the waterfront. Now this would not normally be the first option for a night out, however I could sympathise with the designated organiser as pleasing 14 people with demands of cheap booze, music and outside space is not easy. Lloyd's Bar it was. Always a busy venue but tonight I could really appreciate the variety in the clientele. Not a real surprise that the vast majority leaned toward (some fully embraced) the ‘chavier’ end of the social spectrum but the age range was huge. Everyone from apparent first time drinkers to people that could well have been their parents/grandparents were there. This place also seemed to highlight something that has become increasingly evident over the last couple of weeks, a lot of people do not know how to dress in hot weather. Despite the negatives there were still rays of light emerging from my current surroundings. It was only about 10pm and already people were drunk enough to dance meaning when Jay Z’s Encore and R Kelly’s Igniition were played I had carte blanche to rap along and ‘dance’ without fear of looking foolish, or any more foolish than anyone else did. This was the point at which I thought my experiment was going to be a success, as soon as the barrier of sober dance moves had been crossed there was surely no turning back.

As the group moved outside drinking games began. Playing drinking rules when you’re on Coke and energy drinks is liking shooting fish in a barrel, for someone as competitve as myself this is a good thing. Two vessels, Howzat and M.I.N.E are incredibly easy when you are sober and it is very funny enforcing the rules to people that cannot believe how many times they were being caught out.

Time to move on and we started the hike up Park Street. A note at this point, drunk people are very slow movers and so it was sometime later before we approached Pam Pam’s. The obligatory queuing outside even though you know it’s not that busy inside was made even more laughable when we joined the 9 other people in the club. I have honestly never seen the place so quiet, I normally have a good night here but the only good thing at 11.45pm this Friday was the amazingly cool air conditioning.  With bar prices now at a premium I felt very happy to pay £1.50 for my bottled water as people were starting to lose faith and heads started to drop. It is at this point when you will come to a cross roads, accept the night has potentially ended early or power through it at the bar. Being male I have rarely, if ever, gone down the first route and it seemed my friends were keen for option number two. Time to leave and find cheaper booze ASAP.

La Rocca, one of my least favourite clubs in Bristol provided the final test of my sobriety. Packed to the rafters, cheesy music and nasty drinks promotions, we hit the bar and then the dance floor. Battling for space to throw some shapes and now having to literally fight off some of the worse for wear revellers who seemed to think I was keen to have utter nonsense screamed at me from very close range the night was starting to get away from me. At 1.45am I was done and headed back down Park Street and into the centre to find my car and head home.

The streets of Bristol were alive with people, I’m not sure I have ever really appreciated it before but there was something quite comforting about the amount of the people around. The warm glow of yellow street lights and the summer weather made for a relatively relaxing stroll. Fair play to Bristol, for a city centre at 2am there was little sign of trouble, aggression or anything along those lines making it feel quite safe. That being said I still feel like this feeling of safety is gender specific and after two stories of women being assaulted in town this weekend I don’t think I would want my wife wandering around alone at night.

The Conclusion

A night out off the booze can still most definitely be a good night. Provided you have; the right mind set, the right people and the right venues there is absolutely no reason you wont have a laugh.

The Evaluation

Being sober is no bad thing. You save money and feel totally fine in the morning it’s a win win. I think if the you can convince yourself your rubbish sober dancing is actually no worse than your ‘great’ drunken dancing you will be just fine. Good company and a good atmosphere are way more important ingredients for a night out than booze it seems.