By Lucy Pegler

Katherine and I first met in an online sober community forum; both middle lane drinkers who had decided that alcohol was not serving us anymore. Realising we lived in adjoining villages and had a love of cold-water swimming, a friendship quickly formed. Katherine is a PR consultant and I’m an ex-specialist nurse, turned Pilates and fitness instructor. Our lives, on the face of it, were pretty good. Our stories are different, but neither of us drank daily. We weren’t waking up and pouring vodka on our cornflakes and had no rock bottom.

However, we had both developed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and realised moderation was not something we were good at. So, we ditched the booze all together. Absolutely loving our new sober lives and all the benefits it brings, we wanted to meet other likeminded people and support them in their journey. We have decided to start a local sober community covering Hurstpierpoint, Hassocks, Ditchling and surrounding areas for women who are sober curious, already sober, or just don’t drink.

We want women to realise that sober isn’t boring and you don’t have to drink alcohol to have fun. It’s not always easy going against the grain when alcohol is so normalised and glamourised in everything we do. However, having a sober community to lean on can make the journey a whole lot easier. You can expect coffee catch-ups, walks on the Downs, sea swims, meals out, Pilates, lots of laughter, new friendships and a whole lot more as the community grows.

If you can relate to our story and you’d like to join us, we have a private Facebook group called Sassy and Sober in Sussex. Hope to meet you soon.