5 Sober & Fun Ways To Celebrate An Alcohol-Free Halloween

There was once a time when Halloween was just… well, different.

It was all about innocently dressing up like your favorite horror film serial killer (Freddy Krueger was my go-to-option), hitting the local neighborhood armed with a winning smile or, if that didn’t work, that box of eggs that you snuck out of the family refrigerator right under your Mom’s nose, and with the sole purpose of getting enough candy stuffed into your pockets that another trip to the family dentist’s became inevitable.

Ah, the exuberance and innocence of youth.

“How sweet… Fresh meat!” – Freddy Krueger, from “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors”

Fast-forward 10 years, and Halloween had become about something else for me. Dressing up had become totally optional, hitting the neighborhood now involved getting as wasted on drugs and alcohol as possible (my pockets maybe hiding the assortment of pills I’d snuck out of Mom’s medicine cabinet – yep, right under her nose), and my purpose was finding a nearby house-party, full of my college peers, and all of them as high and as drunk as me.

Times change, as does our idea of having fun. My college friends moved on, and I remained high and drunk. Right now, and after quite a few more years that have involved serious drug addiction with an unhealthy dose of alcoholism, virtual homelessness, dead-end jobs, and a seemingly dead-end existence, my idea of fun is completely different. A stay in a drug rehab in Philadelphia, and over 7 years of being drug-free and sober will certainly do that to you.

Thankfully, I’m back to being more like that mischievous 9-year-old dressed in my baggy, black and red-striped jumper with my funny, aluminum foil fingers.

Nowadays, across the U.S., Halloween is all about partying, getting high or getting drop-down drunk, and the search for “candy” is not as innocent as it sounds. For someone in addiction recovery, that really can be the stuff of nightmares, and just as scary. Yep, Halloween now for recovering drug addicts and alcoholics needs to have just one sole purpose – staying sober.

With that one sole purpose in mind, here are “5 Sober & Fun Ways to Celebrate an Alcohol-Free Halloween,” courtesy of someone who now definitely prefers a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup to a $30-bag of cocaine from a dubious local dealer.

So, here they are:

1. “Sober Halloween” Organized Events

Fortunately, sobriety is finally becoming a fashionable way to enjoy yourself, and many U.S. events coordinators have picked up on this, running a huge number of special festivities tailored to an alcohol-free Halloween celebration. All you need to do is a quick Google search for “sober Halloween events” adding the U.S. state you live in, and – Boom!

For example, if you live in Maryland, and you like serious rock music, check out the Sober Rock 2020 Halloween Bash, organized by a local rehab recovery program – a 100% drug and alcohol-free night of your favorite air guitar moves. Alternatively, in Pennsylvania, you can find a whole range of October events by visiting Funtober’s Halloween Events 2020 page. From there, you can access all the other U.S. states, too.

2. Organize Your Own “Halloween Get-Together”

If you’re part of an addiction recovery support group, why not suggest a special Halloween gathering at your next meeting? If not (although you should be in some sort of support group – just saying), organize your own event with friends from your recovery network.

3. Volunteer at Halloween

Feel like you want to do some good for the community? Why not volunteer this Halloween at a local shelter, care home or orphanage? Check those near you to see if they need any volunteers to help with Halloween parties, or other events. Volunteering is the perfect way to give back. You’ll remain sober, and you will have done some good for others, too

4. Be a City Tourist During Halloween

Every major and mid-size city in the U.S. promotes any special, themed events in their city online during Halloween. So, hit Google again, and see what’s happening across your closest cityscape. For example, here in Philadelphia, PA, check out the city’s page for things to do this Halloween, like a night tour of Eastern State Penitentiary…

5. Scary Movie Night

Lastly, then again, how about that Halloween favorite – a scary movie night? See, I knew I could bring it back to Freddy… And when I say “scary movie,” I’m not talking about that comedy-horror flick. Watch films that will make you truly cringe, such as Host, La Llorona, Possessor (Uncut), or #Alive – all from this year (if that hasn’t been scary enough anyway…)

Sober Nightmare…

Let’s quickly recap:

1. “Sober Halloween” Organized Events
2. Organize Your Own “Halloween Get-Together”
3. Volunteer at Halloween
4. Be a City Tourist During Halloween
5. Scary Movie Night

However you choose to spend Halloween this year, either choosing one of the options below, or discovering an alternative to these, have fun, stay safe, and wake up… still sober. Enjoy!