WHAT IS '99% SOBER'?
RUNSOC was built to create a social environment away from the pressures and expectations to have to drink at every social occasion.
Removing the expectation from the get-go that it is okay to say No to a beer and that you won't be under pressure to have to opt-in to drink to feel involved, RUNSOC's aim is to enable a social space which facilitates and empowers people to say No to drinking. Equally, if you want to crack a can open, enjoy a pint, or your favourite wine; that's equally cool and supported.
We aren't an anti-drinking cult nor are we going to call people out for their relationship with alcohol. RUNSOC just exists to try break the taboo that nearly all socialising for young adults revolves around alcohol.
Vocal in our support for people, we are often heard across Social Media platforms discussing 99% Sober and cutting down.
HERE'S WHAT OUR FOUNDER HAD TO SAY
Taken from an article written on LinkedIn
"About a year ago [Dec '21] I decided to go ‘99% sober’ and since then everything has changed for the better. Realising you don’t need to have a problem to want to cut down was a lightbulb moment. What is 99% sober I hear you ask?
Well I still drink, just way way less. For example whilst skiing, at Glasto (photo proof [in original article]), at a wedding, and when I met my girlfriends family for the first time, are all times I drank in the last 12 months.
My stance is “I don’t drink” if anyone asks and just have become super selfish with when I do choose. Just makes it easier.
The things I gave up? Work drinks, client drinks, social drinks, birthday drinks, christmas drinks, dinner drinks, boredom drinks, basically everything else… I still attend, join in, and have fun, I just don’t drink. And you know what, after the first few weeks of people taking the mickey out of me for it, loads of people would come up and ask me for tips for themselves to cut down and that it’s something they’d “love to do but just couldn’t do it”.
And it’s that, that feeling of being obliged to opt in all the time which was the issue for me, and it wasn’t until about a month in I started to see and appreciate the longer term benefits that it became easier to say No to people…
I describe living in London as a psychological roller coaster of constant ups and downs, which is aided by battering your own mental health and going out for drinks all the time and feeling less anxious, worried and depressed, or seeing most of my personal mental health issues disappear were pay off enough to continue to say to No and break that peer pressure. If you’re having a tricky time at the mo, drop the alcohol and see your quality of life improve.
The thing I got back the most was my time. Excess hours spent not in the pub after work, that lathargic feeling after ‘just one’ drink, or the biggest time waster of all; being hungover. Getting this time back has enabled me to achieve and grow way more than I ever thought would be possible.
- I started a sober running and networking event in London which has has over 700 attendees!
- I placed 2nd to get on my first ever podium in a half marathon
- I ran my first sub 1hr20 half marathon, a 35min 10k, and 17min 5k
- I placed 18th, 26th and 33rd in City half marathon races
- I lost about 8kg and maintained my body shape change
- Ran my first UltraMarathon and came 22nd
- Ran the London Marathon and messed it up
- Ran in the 10k cross country national champs
- I’ve picked up new hobbies to replace pub time
- My relationships and friendships have become stronger
- And most importantly, my relationship with myself has improved ten fold.
Anyway I’ll stop boring you about me and this annoying post. But just heading into a somewhere that's traditionally alcohol heavy… if you don’t want to drink, you don’t have to. You can say no and you’ll still have your friends, family and fun."
99% SOBER IN THE MEDIA
RUN SOCIAL were guests again on Resiliency In Running following up on our '99% Sober' lifestyles with Liz Newcomer, and how to use your momentum you've gained from DryJan and applying that moving forwards without the safety net of DryJan as a reason to excuse yourself from drinking
RUNSOC were a guest on the podcast Resiliency In Running which we discuss RUNSOC, '99% Sober', with Liz Newcomer and the driving forces behind founding RUN SOCIAL and the pressures which exist for people in social environments.