While the majority of the country tuned in Sunday night for Super Bowl XLVII, with pizza and beer on stand-by, for nearly 300 Chicagoans, there wasn't a beer in sight.
Held at a gymnasium by the Salvation Army's Harbor Light Center near Chicago's West Side, this sober Super Bowl party, allowed recovering addicts and their families, to watch America's game without having to worry about the temptations that are associated with a "party."
Those in attendance were not only able to enjoy the game on a 10-foot screen, but were also able to enjoy more than 100 pizzas that Home Run Inn had donated to the event.
Eric Goplerud, senior vice president of Substance Abuse, Mental Health and Criminal Justice Studies at NORC at the University of Chicago, says that attending an event such as this is a crucial step for people with past addictions.
I think it was a great idea that a big organization such as the Salvation Army, really took an initiative by creating a safe and enjoyable environment for recovering addicts and their families.
Because the majority of Super Bowl parties include alcohol, recovering addicts could have easily found themselves in tempting situations had sober parties such as this did not exist.
"(A sober party) provides an opportunity to get together with other people who are in recovery in a social, exciting event where alcohol is not necessary to fuel or support camaraderie and having a good time," says Goplerud. "It reinforces that sobriety can be fun."
And though the Baltimore Ravens were the Super Bowl Champions, it's safe to say that everyone at this party also left as winners.
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