October is the spooky season, and almost everyone gets into the Halloween festivities. These festivities are fun but not always sober-positive. The idea of “Sober October” was started to raise awareness in the United Kingdom and raise money for people suffering from cancer, but it has become such a popular challenge that it is not necessarily tied to just that cause anymore. The challenge is to pledge to be sober from alcohol or other substances for thirty days.
Sober October can be fun! The association between fun and alcohol is one of the hardest challenges with sobriety, but people have been having fun without alcohol for centuries, and you can too! This can be an opportunity to see what life is like without a substance. If are sober curious, this is a great opportunity to commit for a month and get a glimpse at what life would be like without substances. A brief abstinence can help you weigh the benefits and frustrations of sobriety. If you are worried, even a small amount, about your using habits, this challenge can help you recognize how it feels to get urges but not act on them. A month does not sound like a long time, but it gives you an opportunity to see what a sober life would look like, and to see how challenging stopping would be for you. There are so many health benefits that you will experience in only a month. If you still want to go places where alcohol is served and don’t want to be the odd one out, try a mocktail and dive into festivities.
Below is a list of some Bloomington events in October that are sober friendly:
Starlite Drive-In Trunk or Treat Double Feature
Date: Thursday, October 12 Time: 4:00 pm
Location: Starlite Drive-In
Admission: Free
Double feature Hotel Transylvania and Addams Family. There will also be a trunk or treat before the films start.
Barn of Terror Haunted House
Date: Every Friday & Saturday in October plus Halloween night
Time: 8:00 pm-12:00 am / 8:00-10:00 pm on Halloween
Location: 8792 Old State Rd 37, Bloomington, IN
Admission: General admission is $12.00 per person; children 10 & under are $8.00 each. Tickets at door, cash only.
For a good Halloween scare, go to the Barn of Terror, Indiana’s sixth-best haunted house.
Fowler Pumpkin Patch
Date: Every Tuesday – Sunday throughout October
Time: 4PM-7PM during the weekdays and 10AM-7PM on the weekends
Location: 5060 N. Greene County Line Rd. Bloomington, IN
Admission: Free You pick pumpkins, corn maze, hayrides, and an animal barn.
The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch
Date: October 14th, 2023
Time: 10AM-3PM
Location: Monroe County Courthouse Lawn
Admission: Free
Come pick out your very own handmade blown glass pumpkin at the 14th annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch! We will have over 1000 glass pumpkins for display and sale spread out on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn like a real pumpkin patch.
October Big Day Wetland Birding Hike with Cathy Meyer
Date: Saturday October 14th
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve
Admission: Free, must register online at Sycamore Land Trust
This is a hike guided by expert naturalist Cathy Meyer, looking at local kinds of birds and enjoying a hike with others and helping collect data on the preserve’s birds. Wetland Bird Walk with Wild Birds Unlimited Date: Friday October 20th Time: 8:30 am-10:30 am Location: Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve Admission: Free, must register online at Sycamore Land Trust. This is a local hike hosted by a local nature shop, Wild Birds Unlimited, to help people spot local wildlife and learn and experience nature.
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