Sober October is here and we are ready (or maybe desperate) to have a virtual good time! Whether you are newly sober, sober curious, or you’ve been doing the sober thing for a while now, we can probably all agree that 2020 blows chunks. We can’t wait to flag our Facebook account on January 1st, 2021 saying “MARKED SAFE FROM 2020”! (I’ll be wearing my “You’re on mute” t-shirt when I do.)

To help you stay focused and busy without the buzz, we’ve curated a list of fun things you can do virtually to stay motivated, stay healthy, and stay sane. Ok, you might not stay sane. We aren’t in the business of making false promises. We’re willing to let our Sober October freak flag fly and embrace the crazy. Will you join us?

What will October bring? We’ve already been hit by a global pandemic, lockdowns, murder hornets, rioting in the streets, fires, hurricanes, and the insanity that is the 2020 elections. Can someone please check on Betty White and make sure she’s still ok? We’re still not fully recovered from losing RGB, may she rest in peace.

World events may make you want to grab your dish of candy corn and hide under the covers, but we don’t think that is a solution. Trust us, we already did the research. Honestly, there aren’t many solutions for anything that has happened thus far this year. Instead, we here at the Sober Curator have curated a list of things to do to keep you entertained and distracted while you power through the next month sober.

Let’s get this sober, virtual month long party started!

It’s time to lose the booze for Sober October! It’s always a good time to detox the body. Many non-alcoholics make it a practice to go 30 days without alcohol for certain months of the year, with about 20% of Americans participating in Dry January. The benefits of zero-proof living are undeniable. Better sleep, weight loss, mental clarity, improved physical health, less opportunity to embarrass yourself, no substance abuse induced blackouts. We could go on forever.

Whether you are in recovery or just curious about what it’s like, this list of Sober October activities will enhance your experience with some interesting tricks and treats.  Here is our co-curated list of must-do’s for Sober October. We’ve broken it out by time/date-sensitive events first, followed by options that are available all month long.

FREE VIRTUAL EVENT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 5p-6:30p PDT 

To our delight, alcohol-free bars are trending and popping up all over the United States. Join Chris Marshall, Founder of Sans Bar in Austin, Texas, to jumpstart your wellness routine with his panel of food, fitness, and mindfulness experts. Enjoy a cooking demo and find new drink inspiration for the month with a non-alcoholic CEO beverage panel. The good news? It’s virtual. So those of us not in Austin, can virtually time-travel and still get in on the alcohol-free fun. The link to register for FREE is here.

Sober Curator PRO TIP: Need some ideas for mocktails to sip and enjoy when you log in to this event? Check out our recipes from DRY Botanical Bubbly here in our Happy Every Hour section.

DAYBREAKER DANCE PARTY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3rd, 11a-1p EDT – FREE!

Daybreaker is a morning dance community of 500,000+ members in 28 cities around the world that inspires humans to start their day unlike any other—by waking up and dancing in iconic spaces, sober, first thing in the morning. The FREE event on Oct 3 will feature Gloria Estefan, The Wailers, Gipsy Kings by André Reyes, Los Del Río & DJ Jellybean. The Rhythm is gonna get you! Register here.

The Sober Curator team attended their September event to celebrate National Recovery month around the world. It is true that this virtual event will help you to shake your inhibitions, release your stress and get your boogie on.

WARNING: If this is like the last dance party we attended, there could be a portion of dance towards the end of the event, or maybe it’s the “after hours” that might become more adult than one would consider appropriate for an all-ages event. Those of you with little ones, proceed with caution. See you on the (virtual) dancefloor!!!

DAY OF THE DEAD MADCOLLAGE VIRTUAL CLASS – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17th 3p-4:30p EDT – $25 ticket price

Hola! This event is an exploration of Dia de los Muertos. Join a diverse community of people around the world who mark this time of the year with a colorful display of traditional arts and crafts. Learn how to honor your family members’ Day of the Dead style, by creating a “nicho” that will be part of a beautiful “ofrenda” at your own home. Setting up the ofrenda is an activity for the whole family that will bring young and old together in this time of remembrance. The class takes place online, Saturday, October 17th at 3:00 pm Eastern Time and runs until 4:30 pm. Tickets are $25 and you can get them here.

“IN SEARCH OF THE SANDERSON SISTERS: A HOCUS POCUS HULAWEEN TAKEOVER” – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30th

It’s all just a bunch of Hocus Pocus and we can’t wait! For only $10 you can have your ticket to the hottest pandemic-safe Halloween event of the year, featuring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and spectacularly spooky guests—all to raise funds for New York Restoration Project’s critical environmental and social justice work. Come in for a spell!

Guess what? They’ve got some pretty spooky merch worth checking out too!

SANDERSON SISTERS GIFT SHOP

Get excited! Virtual events mean you only have to get dressed from the neck up! ColourPop just launched their brand new limited edition HOCUS POCUS Collection and you can #addtocart here. 

ALL MONTH LONG:

FREE COURSE FROM TEMPEST

This 4-week mini-course from Tempest, will teach you how to incorporate the benefits of a sober lifestyle into your daily routine. Pause, reflect and reevaluate as you learn new ways to set intentions, practice self-care, and stay connected.  Each week you’ll get a short lesson, journal prompt, an activity to try, plus an end-of-week recap with extra resources.

EXPLORE THE MAGIC OF TAROT 

These decks of 78 illustrated cards have been around since the 14th century and represent overarching themes, archetypes, and mundane, day-to-day situations. Tarot is gaining popularity as a tool to tap into self-awareness, build intuition, gain clarity and enhance creativity. There are a variety of virtual classes being offered on Eventbrite ranging in price from FREE to $120. You can check them out here. The Mystic Parlor offers a beautiful selection of Tarot decks here.

WORK IT OUT WITH THE PHOENIX

Taking care of your physical health is paramount in recovery. The natural high from physical activity is a powerful stabilizer and just makes you feel good. The Phoenix is a sober active community that fuels resilience and harnesses the transformational power of connection so that together we can rise, recover and live. Local chapters offer FREE in-person, virtual, and on-demand classes and events-all in the community.  The only requirement is 48 hours of sobriety. Since you’re going all-in on Sober October, you’ll have that covered. Find a class today! Check out all the crazy cool things The Phoenix offers here. 

UP YOUR VOLUNTEER GAME

We know that it is better to give than to receive. Helping others is a key component of sobriety and being a good human. COVID has turned the world upside down. There are many in need and a wide variety of opportunities to serve. Since helping others gets you out of self, this is a sure-fire way to refocus any thoughts of drinking. Check for opportunities to serve your local food banks, blood banks, and recovery communities. Meals on Wheels and American Red Cross also need volunteers.

360 VIRTUAL TOUR THE NEON MUSEUM IN LAS VEGAS

The Neon Museum is offering a brand new virtual tour that lets guests from all over the world experience our collection. The 360 Virtual Tour allows visitors to move freely around in a virtual scan of our Neon Boneyard and explore sign descriptions, historical images, and content from the museum’s archival collection.

Last November, for my son’s Golden Birthday (he turned 23 on the 23rd), we spent 23 hours in Las Vegas in celebration. I had the opportunity to visit The Neon Museum, fondly nicknamed the Neon Boneyard, which is not too far from Old Las Vegas. Without a doubt, if I find myself in Vegas again anytime in the future, I would add this stop to my travel itinerary. For only $10 you can time travel there with their 360 Virtual Tour.

GET YOUR BINGE ON

And by that, we mean a Netflix binge, not an alcohol-induced binge to be clear. You can check all of the good stuff that is coming to Netflix in October right here. 

Love a chick flick? Then Emily in Paris may be exactly the fix you are looking for.  Season one kicks off this romance series about a marketing executive landing a dream job in Paris.

Musical lyrics your jam? Based on the podcast, Song Exploder does some deep dives into your favorite songs including artists such as R.E.M., Alicia Keys, Ty Dolla $ign, and more.

Need some Adam Sandler in your life? Us too! This Adam Sandler holiday special featuring Kevin James, Julie Bowne, and Maya Rudolph will get you in the mood for all things Halloween.

Saving the best for last? When it’s time to lay down your weary head, you’ll find comfort and safety with the final season of Schitt’s Creek, the hit comedy that just picked up multiple awards at the Emmys.

Happy Fall ya’ll! That’s our Sober October virtual round-up and we hope you found some fun things to do while staying sober too. Why? Because drunk never looks good.

Do you know about something super cool happening in October that we missed that you think our readers would want to know about? Then slide on into our DM’s and give us the scoop! You can email us at [email protected] or catch us on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.

RESOURCES ARE HERE IF AND WHEN YOU NEED THEM!

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.

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