Halloween Sober Style

September disappeared in a flash and now it’s only two weeks until Halloween?! I swear time goes by quicker every year.

Not everyone is big into being spooked, but nonetheless, Halloween is yet another holiday that means we have an excuse to drink.

So, it can be useful to have a box of tricks up our sleeve when it comes to making Halloween plans, even if you don’t want those plans to be scary-themed.

For me, having a bit of organised fun and some creative projects on the go help me when I’m due to be around a drinking trigger.

Even if you intend to hide away on the 31st, you can still get involved in the little bits leading up to Halloween.

We all know that we don’t need to drink to have a good time, so why don’t we get stuck in.

These are some of our favourite ideas at OTI:

1. Prepare a murder mystery night

Murder mysteries are fun to watch, but even more fun to enact. Get your creative juices flowing by making a story that your party guests will act out. Give each guest a character card, and let them mingle to find out things about each other, figuring out clues that will eventually lead to the reveal of...

The murderer...

If that sounds too complicated, you can buy ready-made murder mystery sets online. (We won’t tell anyone).

2. Get decorative

There are endless fun Halloween decorations you can work on in preparation for a party, gathering, or trick-or-treaters. You can make spiderwebs out of painted cardboard, hang witches’ hats from the ceiling (Hogwarts style), or paint fake flowers black and red.

3. Host a scary book club

Not the party type? Love to read? Why not organise to read a spooky classic with some friends and get together to discuss? If you’ve never indulged in Frankenstein, Dracula, or The Shining, perhaps it’s about time!

4. Make a Halloween charcuterie board

Have you ever wanted to make a really beautiful plate of food look a bit gross? Try using meats and cheeses to replicate human guts and flesh to really freak out (and amaze) guests.

5. Halloween gratitude

Okay, people don’t usually give holiday cards at Halloween. But why not take the occasion as a moment to write to some friends and tell them how grateful you are for them, especially around the holidays as a sober person? You can get creative with the design of the card and cover it with stickers, or whatever you like!

6. BYOB

If you’re biting the bullet and going to a Halloween party, BYOB. There’s no problem with bringing your own beverages out with you. If you’re nervous, ask a sober friend to tag along and support you for the ride.

7. Have a pumpkin carving contest

The mess and the smell of pumpkin carving is enough to send some people running, but to me, this is the best sort of fun. If you get a decent prize for the winner you can guarantee you’ll have a great set of Halloween decorations.

8. Movie marathon

To me, this is a no-brainer. Halloween without a scary movie marathon, isn’t Halloween. There are literally 1000s of (terrible) scary movies to choose from. As well as a few half-decent ones. Take your pic.

9. Do a Ouija board

I say it to my friends, family, and anyone who’s ever met me: you will not catch me doing a Ouija board. I don’t know why exactly, it’s just a boundary I have, so don’t push me on it. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun doing it yourself. Keep the freaky factor up and wait for people to start sweating when hands are moving all over the place…

10. Trick or treating with family or friends

I don’t know who decided it wasn’t socially acceptable for adults to trick or treat on their own, but whatever cruel soul made this the norm, you might want to abide by it. If you have kids, have friends who have kids, or young family members, take this opportunity to have a bit of silly fun, nourish your inner child and eat sweets.

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