DC ranks as one of the healthiest/most active cities in the U.S. Tons of options from volunteering, cycling, sports leagues, museums, board games clubs, and more.

I drink, but I don't go out anymore. There are a ton of things to do outside of the bar scene.

There are booze free bars and many places offer mock tails, so even if your friends are boozy you can still have a good time and get fancy drinks without getting sloppy!

You'll be fine. While DC enjoys drinking there are tons of sober events and options for folks who aren't about that life. I don't really enjoy heavy drinking (a glass of wine with dinner max) and I've honestly never felt left out or limited.

I think it’s about finding groups of people that share similar interests or activities. For me, it’s run clubs, music meetups/open mics, and photography clubs. That being said, we’re lucky to be in a time where people respect boundaries. I’ve never been pressured to drink, even if I’m at a bar or social event. Most places have mock-tails now too, which make those kinds of places feel less awkward to me.

I’m having a great time in DC and I’m sure you will too!

the Washington Sober Meet Up group is active and fun! I've since moved out of the area but I met a lot of sober pals through that.

Don’t worry, plenty of places have nice drinks that aren’t alcoholic you won’t be excommunicated for being sober

For all that DC likes to drink, people are generally cool if you decline. A couple of friends don’t drink for religious reasons and they’ll sometimes order mocktails or sodas when we’re out but we’ve never had a waiter or bartender say something and I’ve never seen anyone pressure anyone to get one. In my experience it’s not a place where everyone drinks each round of drinks at the same pace, and no one cares if you don’t want to drink.