When 32-year-old Panda stopped drinking alcohol, his life changed for the better. But once an avid club-goer and music lover, he no longer felt comfortable with the night-life scene, being surrounded by drunk people, so his clubbing days came to an end.
Now, thanks to National Lottery funded project GOOD CLEAN FUN, Panda is able to once again enjoy the dance scene.
GOOD CLEAN FUN is an alcohol-free club night that aimed at people in recovery, those who are curious about stopping/cutting down and anyone else who fancies a sober dance.
In this guest blog, we learn more about why he made the decision to live an alcohol-free life and how GOOD CLEAN FUN is normalising sober club nights.
Panda’s story
I would say my relationship with drink was a bit chaotic, my life revolved around drinking. I was known to be the one to party hard and a big part of that was going out to clubs and dancing. I was stuck in this cycle of drinking and I felt quite trapped.
I worked in a bar, and after my shift I felt like I deserved a drink after, I’d then wake up hungover and thought a beer would help the hangover. I knew my relationship with alcohol wasn’t healthy and I felt really unhappy.
I had read a Vice article about a guy that decided to give up alcohol, and a lot of what he was saying really spoke to me. I kept coming back to that article until eventually I decided I wanted to do the same. I had one last blow out on my 27th birthday and told all of my friends and family that I was giving up drinking. I’ve been sober for 5 and a half years now.
It’s been the best decision for me, before I wasn’t able to focus on what I enjoyed, but now I can. I’ve always been quite creative, but never dedicated time to it. I used to make excuses saying it was too expensive to invest in art supplies, but then I would be spending that money on drink. Now, I do invest the time and money, and I’ve now just started art school.
I was part of an exhibition last year and ended up going to an afterparty and realised I really missed the dance scene. I love music and it used to be a big part of my life, but when I stopped drinking I stopped going out. After that event, a friend told me about GOOD CLEAN FUN.
Sober club nights
The club nights they put on are amazing. You’re surrounded by like-minded people and it makes you feel at ease knowing everyone else is sober. Everyone’s there for the same reason you are – they’re their because they enjoy music and enjoy dancing.
It really feels like safe space, filled with a diverse range of people. Even when I used to go out to clubs and drink, I don’t really think I ever felt completely free, I was always too in my own head. But here, I can totally let go. It’s the small things you notice, like I dance differently now, I move my arms more because I just feel completely comfortable in my own skin.
I think the community aspect of GOOD CLEAN FUN is amazing, you just feel so much joy. Amy (Founder) knows how to put on a good club night. She tweaks the set up each time to make it a more chill environment.
You might feel a little awkward when you first arrive, but pretty much straight away people are up dancing. At the last event, it just felt like everyone was so connected on the dancefloor, it was something special.
Sometimes I can feel like the odd one out by not drinking, so I’m glad there’s now a space where I can go where everyone is on the same level.
National Lottery awarded Good Clean Fun
GOOD CLEAN FUN has been supported by National Lottery funding to run a series of alcohol free club nights.
Their club nights usually take place at the Garnethill Community Centre, for more information visit the GOOD CLEAN FUN Facebook page.
The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Blog 