Getting Sober in the Bay Area Has Never Been Easier

A group of sober living folks in San Francisco. (Castro Country Club)

As is paramount, let’s start by saying your writer here is not a substance abuse counselor nor a medical professional. This is just my experience and my opinion about something I’ve found critical in my own life over the last decade: Finding a life outside of alcohol and most drugs. I say most because we also won’t wade into caffeine, nicotine, or even the devil’s lettuce, or, as Reefer Madness put it in 1936, “marijuana, with its roots in hell.” You do you, whether it be total asceticism or California sober or whatever.

What I’m here to write about is living life on life’s terms, dealing with the day to day in sobriety. Drug use and it’s scary outcomes are on many Bay Area residents’ tongues these days, and for good reason. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) via SFGATE, San Francisco County had a decrease in fentanyl overdoses in 2021 — the last full year for data availability — than 2020, but its still the highest for deaths per 100,000 residents of the nine Bay Area counties.

I’m also not here to associate any drinking or recreational drug use with some inevitable fall from grace resulting in death. Still, for those of us who wrestle with self-control and overindulgence, things can get dicey. I’ve found about 18 months of sobriety as of writing, and I’m thankful for that. If you’re looking for a chance to get clean in the fall of 2023 in the Bay Area, you’re in luck: Things are brighter for those hoping to change than ever.

Sober living groups

There is a dizzying amount of community groups and organizations wherein one can find a supportive community. Alcoholics Anonymous is a polarizing treatment for many, but it’s worth noting that just as San Francisco is one of the most binge-drinking friendly cities in the country it is also home to robust AA meetings from Marin to San Jose. The Castro Country Club, a sober-living outpost in the heart of the Castro District, turned 40 years old in 2023. Ben’s Friends, a restaurant and service worker’s sober group, opened its first San Francisco chapter in 2022, as well, operating out of Che Fico on Divisadero Street.

For those young folks feeling weird about programs and groups that may not have many people they know, there’s the International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous and the Golden Gate Young People’s Committee (GGYPAA) hosting all kinds of events from Russian River floats to camping weekends of fully sober people. There are even sober-curious dance parties from groups including Isness and those like it.

Even in the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus there are sober-living groups. (SFGMC)

Hella activities to keep you grounded

Getting a new lease on life can be a positive way to find motivation for a full life outside of booze. Indeed, Bay Area local Robin Williams got right with himself by cycling all throughout Marin County in the twilight of his life. But there are activities for those less bike-bound, too. Rigorous cold water exercise helped Outer Sunset’s Giulietta Carrelli get her life together, resulting in toast temple Trouble Coffee, and both surfing and swimming can be positive for anyone — as long as one is being safe. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, which just auditioned new members in fall 2023, even has a sober community within its expansive and loving ranks. Though the gay and queer community can often revolve around nightlife, it doesn’t have to anymore.

There are myriad outdoor activities in the Bay Area. (Jake Longero)

Changing social norms

The Bay’s love of drink caught up with the region’s love of innovation at some point and the result was a slew of nonalcoholic options. In Hayes Valley San Francisco’s first nonalcoholic bottle shop, Boisson, opened in 2022, and there are even fancy NA beverage pairings at high-end restaurants. Moreover, there is an increasing acceptance of leaving alcohol off the menu at all kinds of restaurants and events, parties and engagements. The dreaded “oh you aren’t drinking” question stings a lot less in the Bay Area these days. If that’s the fear keeping you from giving sobriety a try, remember what Dune’s Paul Atreides preaches: Fear is the mind killer.