Make it OK

If you follow along with my monthly Charlotte adventures in this column, you know that I aspired to carry out my first Dry January. I regrettably fell off the wagon halfway through the month thanks to Snowmageddon and I highly doubt I was the only one. We were snowed in, my neighbors offered a build-your-own bloody mary bar, and we played Cards Against Humanity — innocent enough, right? And with the social hour doing good for my soul, I mounted the wagon again the next day without regret.

During my month of semi-sobriety, I experienced many clear-headed revelations — one of which is this: Being sober doesn’t have to be boring. There are so many fulfilling things to do around Charlotte that don’t involve alcohol!

My husband and I ventured out for a “date day” on a rainy Sunday afternoon. He manages a restaurant, which means he works most weekends. Our downtime together is limited and therefore precious, so we sought out local activities to spend our quality time on sans-alcohol.