'Sober Sudbury' group aims to give non-drinkers space to socialize free of the bottle

A Sudbury woman who quit drinking has started a social group for people who are also done with the bottle.

Beth Mairsfounded"Sober Sudbury" with her own journey to sobriety in mind.

"I'm one of those people who, in my recovery, didn't use a 12-step program, and so I didn't have kind of a built-in community of sober friends," she said.

"So, this is meant to be a bit of an outreach to meet other people who are on a similar path, and to do fun things and create more space in Sudbury that's not alcohol-centric."

Now that she's made the choice to live alcohol free, Mairscan reflect on her life with liquor.

"My relationship to alcohol is something I've struggled with since my 20s," she said. "I took breaks, Itook extended breaks. But it wasn't until somewhere in my 50s where I had numerous lemons lineup a number of losses. And I think that took me to a newer level of drinking where I really crossed a line, and it was very destructive."

"I was living this private hell."

'Sick and tired of being sick and tired'

Matt Foy, a Sudbury musician, said he working at a bar when he decided to quit.

"As a musician, touring and things like that, [drinking]sort of becomes expected," Foy said. "Bars and bar owners will often give you free alcohol instead of money. Part of doing the music thing is to be part of the party."

"But on the personal side of things, there was a lot of self medication for depression and anxiety and things like that."

Foy said he woke up one morning, "sick and tired of being sick and tired."

He said his relationships were suffering, including those with his family.

"[I missed out] on a lot of family functions not because I was drinking, it'sbecause I was hungover."

"Alcohol is very sneaky. You don't realize your dependency on it until it's too late," he said. "And by the time it's too late, it's terrifying when you'resober."

Foy's choice to move on to life after alcohol may not have gone down easy at first, but he's now got 17 years of sobrietyunder his belt.

To learn more about the "Sober Sudbury" social group, you can visit their Meetup page.