A Sober, Alcohol-Free Bar Is Opening Outside Chicago

The Chicago area is about to get its first booze-free bar. Set to open later this month, The Other Side aims to serve the sober community in and around Chicago, NBC Chicago reports. The bar is a project from New Directions Recovery Services, a non-profit that provides addiction treatment services. Proceeds from The Other Side will go towards drug education and treatment programs.

The bar will have pretty much everything a typical bar might — couches, pool tables, video games, and space for live music — except for alcohol. The strongest drinks served will be energy drinks. Chris Reed, the president of New Directions, told the Daily Herald that The Other Side will address the sometimes lacking social spaces for the young, sober community. "You can only go to the movie theater and bowling alley so many times," he explains. Reed was inspired by the sober warehouse parties he has been hosting for the last year, and by a sober nightclub he attended in Los Angeles. Below, Reed discusses the makings of The Other Side with the Daily Herald:

· Alcohol-Free Bar to Open in Northwest Suburb [NBC Chicago]
· The Other Side - Sober Bar [YouTube]
· All Chicago Coverage on Eater [-E-]