The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
DRINK OR SWIM TIME
Lisa Henry has learnt a very cool dip in a tidal pool is far more refreshing and sociable than chilled wine in a boozer – and the ‘sober-curious’ are growing in number. Rebecca Baird takes the plunge with her
At 4.30pm on a dreary spring Saturday, pubs across Fife are awaiting the evening rush. But while revellers gear up for a night on the town, one former regular cuts a striking figure on the path to Pittenweem tidal pool, opting for a bracing swim in 6C water over boozing. Leven-based mum Lisa Henry organises “sober and sober-curious’”swims in the East Neuk of Fife, where she invites people who don’t drink to dip and spend time together.
And despite the steely skies and cutting cold, the 42-year-old insists she’d “choose this dip over being drunk” any day of the week.
So with the wind threatening to whip our hats from our heads, I follow Lisa into the pool to see for myself why she’s swapped beer goggles for a bikini.
We’re in for five to 10 minutes, splashing and sliding about. It’s what I expected as a keen wild swimmer myself: freezing, refreshing and exhilarating. Good clean fun, on the rocks please bartender.
And it would be easy to say the natural high from cold water immersion beats the hazy hilarity of one too many, and call it a day.
But for Lisa, sober swims go deeper than searching for a buzz. The swimming is beside the point, she explains. The real purpose of her swims is community.
“Wild swimming is about wanting to get together with like-minded sober people and looking for socialising that doesn’t revolve around alcohol,” says the former diving instructor, who hails from Fife but spent several years working in Australia.
“It would be nice to have a group in Fife of people that can come along and speak to others who don’t drink.”
Lisa moved back to Scotland with her infant son Louis in 2020 – the same year that she had stopped drinking alcohol for good.
And when she tried to start over in a new place without booze as a social lubricant, Lisa realised how much of her social life had revolved around drinking.
“I had been living in North Queensland teaching people about diving and there was
and recovery. “When I was in my 20s and 30s, there was a really big drinking culture. Whereas now there’s a lot more people wanting to focus on their health.
“I think social media has a big part to play in it as well,” she adds. “People don’t want pictures or videos of them to be taken when they’re drunk and posted online.”
Indeed, sober club nights have been popping up across major cities all over the UK, including Edinburgh and Glasgow.
But Lisa has noticed there is a dearth of activities in her local area for those who don’t drink, or are actively trying to cut down on their alcohol intake – especially those who aren’t necessarily suffering from addiction.
“I heard someone describe it as being ‘lost somewhere between the pub and an AA meeting’,” explains Lisa.
“There’s this whole area of people going: ‘What about me? What do I do?’”
That’s why Lisa is hoping to foster a community of like-minded sober and sobercurious individuals in the East Neuk through activities which are easily accessible in the area, like swimming and walking.
She thinks it’s important that people can find support for their sobriety outside of formalised recovery programmes.
“The first year is definitely the most important and probably the hardest, ecause you’ve got your first Christmas, first birthday celebration, first holiday and things like that.
“Even my first year, I remember I had a friend getting married the following year and thinking maybe I would drink at his wedding. I went to the wedding and didn’t drink – that’s probably the hardest thing I’ve done.
“I decided I was just going to commit to one year and see how I got on, as that took the pressure off.”
Now four years on, Lisa is comfortable being on nights out and in pubs without drinking. “It just means I don’t have late-late nights anymore, there’s no getting home at 3am,” she laughs. “But that’s a good thing because I’m at a stage now where I don’t want to be doing that.”
And she wants to use her experience to help others who are navigating grey area drinking or are simply curious about how their lives would look if they cut out alcohol.
“One of my good friends came to me a little bit after I stopped drinking, wanting advice on how to do it,” she says.
“And now she’s coming up to three years sober. And I’ve got a few friends who have come to me who are sober curious, rather than taking the plunge and becoming sober.”
Although Lisa admits people “can be awkward” when she says that she doesn’t drink, her experience with any social stigma has been minimal.
“I would say for me, people are more curious than awkward,” she explains.
“I think when people do get awkward and weird, it’s maybe because they feel a bit uncomfortable about their own drinking or relationship with alcohol. But overall, I think people are just curious.
“I definitely welcome people who are just sober curious to come along, swim and chat. It’s all part of the same kind of community.”
Anyone struggling with alcohol issues can seek help at alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk or by calling 0800 917 7650.
Anyone wishing to contact Lisa about sober activities in the East Neuk can email shorelinesoberscotland@gmail.com