Booze Free in Music City

I can now say that one of the best things I’ve done has been being vocal about quitting alcohol. For the past 11 months, unless I interacted with you in-person or at work, I didn’t bring it up. My Nashville friends have been super supportive about my decisions, but it never dawned on me to post about it. Until now.

Since I launched “Booze Free in Music City”, back in January, I’ve had people come out of the woodworks expressing their support. One of those people is a college friend from West Texas. Earlier this year I saw him posting online about getting sober, and I reached out to him a few months ago about my newfound alcohol-free lifestyle, but we never went super in-depth with each other about it.

Around the time I launched my “Booze Free” Instagram account, he asked me if we could find some time to talk on the phone. We spent a cold January evening catching up about everything. I hadn’t seen him in years. The last time I saw him I was in our college town of Portales, New Mexico, for my sorority chapter’s 50^th anniversary party- and that had to be about 13 years ago. I went to Lubbock to catch up with him and another friend, and we went out drinking that night. I still have those pictures in an album on my Facebook page, and going through them I must admit- we had a fun night. This was around the time Willow Smith’s “I Whip My Hair Back and Forth” came out, and that’s basically what we did. We ran amok in Lubbock’s bar district, and I was whipping my hair back and forth and throwing my leg up in the air whenever possible (yes, I see a pattern in the drinking photos I’ve been posting for you guys). But neither of us are like that now. We both have our feet firmly planted on the ground.

We had a long conversation- an hour and a half to two hours- but one of the main reasons for his call was to admit something to me. I had invited him to my upcoming 40^th birthday party, knowing personally that drinking and non-drinking friends alike will be able to have a great time. He said he was delighted to get an invitation but didn’t know how to respond based on Nashville’s reputation. He said he was so happy to see my announcement of “Booze Free in Music City”, and that he knew I would be standing strong at my own birthday party (which will inevitably be a great time for everyone). He said before I made my announcement, he was scared to be out on Broadway or feel like he would be surrounded by people who constantly wanted to get drunk. I reassured him that that’s not the case at all. I told him that I started working with my birthday venue months ago and picked it because of how great they’ve been about me wanting to make sure there were alcohol-free options for me and my guests. I made sure I wasn’t going to be stuck with an alcoholic drink package or needing to pay more to add in non-alcoholic wines (yes, I did come across that during my search).

My friend breathed in a sigh of relief. He was shocked to hear that bars and restaurants in Nashville have done a great job of adding mocktails to their menus, and it’s not a place where you HAVE to drink. He said he never would’ve guessed Nashville has a sober side to it, and posed an interesting thought, “You know- Nashville has branded itself as a Booze city”, he said. “The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Nashville is heavy drinking and hard partying.” He’s so right. That’s absolutely what you will find here in Nashville. But there’s a lighter side to the city too, and it’s my mission to share that with the World.

I mentioned in my first post that I originally only wanted to stop drinking for 30 days. However, once I started and realized I could still go out and find things to drink that didn’t have alcohol in them, I found it easier to just keep going sans alcohol. I also assured my friend that if we were out and he felt overwhelmed and needed to cut away, that I wouldn’t be offended by it at all. I know I’ve personally gained a confidence in sobriety where I don’t have to be the last one at the party, and I want my friends to feel secure in that too. Whether you live in Nashville, and are considering not drinking anymore, or you are visiting Nashville and don’t know what the city will be like for someone who doesn’t drink- there is a place for you here.

What’s the truth about the Nashville I know?

1. Bars & Restaurants are more accommodating than you think- I always check menus in advance, but the majority of restaurants have options. If you can’t find something, you can always default to an Iced Tea, Lemonade, or an Arnold Palmer!

2. Nashville has a community of people who don’t drink- If you live here, you can and will be able to find like-minded people. I personally have found like-minded friends through Killjoy events and Eventbrite.

3. Yes, you can still go out on Broadway- I personally lead Bar Crawls on Broadway during tourist season (I will get into that in future posts!), and this has helped me to still be social but not feel any pressure to drink (I can’t drink while I’m on the clock). What I have seen on Broadway since quitting drinking, is yes- the energy is high and drunk, but if you want to be out there you can be active and productive there too (think karaoke and line-dancing).

4. Even I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the alcohol-free things to do here- I recently met one of the owners of Cali Sober, and he sent me a list of bars and restaurants where his drinks can be found, here in Nashville, and I was floored. His drinks can be found in bars on Broadway, plus random little dive bars in East. There’s a bar called Mickey’s Dive Bar, and I used to go there every so often with friends. I haven’t been there in a year because I thought it would no longer be a place for me. Now I know I can go back! I was also talking to some friends about a Bourbon Trail tour, and I told them that sounded cool, but I’d never be able to do something like that A) I have never been a fan of whiskey or bourbon, and B) I’d never be able to go to a Bourbon tasting. However, they surprised me by saying their parents don’t drink and this is an activity the whole family can do. They said there’s great history to learn, and you get to see nature and different parts of Tennessee, and there is absolutely the option to go and not drink alcohol. Now, I definitely have it on my list of things to do once the weather gets warmer!

Here are my tips if you’re coming to Nashville, and want to make sure you stay booze free during your visit:

1. Your daytime itinerary can be focused on brunch and shopping (and sitting poolside when it’s hot out)- there’s so much to do here during the day. Between the Gulch, 12South, and Germantown there is a shopping district and a brunch restaurant with your name on it! I also love pools, and in the summer months I feel it’s sometimes too hot to be outside without being near a pool. If your hotel or AirBNB doesn’t have one, then I recommend getting a day pass at the Dive Motel, Drift Hotel, the Graduate, or find an open hotel pool via Resortspass

2. Your nighttime itinerary can be focused on a nice dinner (don’t forget to check out the menu ahead of time!)- Nashville has some wonderful restaurants and rooftop bars. If I was looking to enjoy a nice evening out with friends, I’d consider going to Bourbon Steak for dinner, and then checking out RareBird or see if the Fairlane, the Bobby, or Dream Hotel have a seasonal pop-up at one of their bars (you’re still around Broadway, but you’re not in the thick of it with the Honky Tonks)

3. Party busses are BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage)- I have done a Party bus for a work event and helped stock the drink options. Before I was officially booze-free, some of my colleagues don’t drink and I made sure we had Liquid Death and La Croix’s on hand. You can bring whatever canned item you want, so you don’t have to feel pressured to drink on these at all!

4. You can still go out on Broadway!- If you’re really worried, I’d recommend checking it out during the day. At night, there are bars that have non-alcoholic canned drinks (and I will feature those in upcoming posts!), otherwise my go-to drinks are lemonade or a club soda with  lime. I’ve also heard most bars offer an NA beer option. Last but not least, you can get NA drinks at Jelly Roll’s new venue and Cali Sober at Friends in Low Places. You can also find places to just sit and listen to music, or you can find a Honky Tonk that offers line dancing!