Does club culture still exist or are sober socials the new go-to?

Young people are increasingly ditching the club scene and opting for alcohol-free events for the sake of their health and because of the cost-of-living crisis, research has found.

The latest data from the Health Survey for England for 2024 found 24% of North East adults surveyed said they had not drunk alcohol in the last year.

Club managers in the region said there had been a cultural shift with more people skipping clubs for sober social events.

General manager of the Middlesbrough Empire, Jordan Jefferson, said his venue had had to "diversify" and if it had remained as just a nightclub it "wouldn't have survived".

He said the venue had expanded its offering after new management took over in 2024.

It now offers daytime and children's events and was recently the chosen venue for filming a Bollywood video.

He said the main struggle with operating nightclubs now was "physically getting" the people in.

Jefferson said: "You just can't open your doors any more and the people be out there, because the streets are actually empty.

"You've got to drag them out as opposed to them just coming out."

He said the culture had "definitely changed" and the urge to club was still there, but not on a weekly basis as it used to be.

"I think people are now choosing to spend the money a little bit differently as opposed to the general week to week club scene," he said.

"I think long gone are the days where you'd get paid on a Friday and then go blow it on a Saturday."

Adela Rokytova and her partner Tomasz Marusiak, both 25, set up am.society - a Newcastle-based group that runs monthly, social events.

The group is not anti-alcohol, but promotes events that are alternatives to drinking and tries to gives people the confidence to come alone and make friends in different social settings.

The events take place at various locations, including cafes, parks and beaches.

Adela said when she moved to Newcastle from the Czech Republic she knew "literally no one" for almost a year and a half, as a result of the Covid pandemic.

She set up the group as a way to meet others, and for people moving to the area to help them get out of the isolated position she was in when she relocated.

She said: "I want to have something where everyone can come and feel like themselves."

The group celebrated its first anniversary in February.

She said it had been a varied and busy year with events such as surfing, vision board-making and pilates, with the goal of connecting people and building friendships.

The group does not hold exclusively alcohol-free events, but drinking is not at its core and that is why many members join, Rokytova believes.

Tatiana Coelho, 25, who lives in Sunderland, moved from Portugal to go to university in Newcastle.

She said she initially struggled to settle in because she does not enjoying drinking.

She said: "I knew that the reputation was lots of clubs and night outs and I was struggling to fit in that environment and lifestyle.

"So I didn't have many friends because everyone from uni was going out at night."

She said she avoided going out because she knew she would be the only one not drinking and "people make out as if something is wrong with you".

However, at am.society events she says she feels "equal with everyone" because "everyone goes alone and is vulnerable".

Umaya Begum, from Darlington, started university in September and said she found it difficult to settle in due to the majority of Freshers' Week events being centred around alcohol.

She said: "I think it is really hard to meet new people and make friends when every event is drinking and you're putting yourself in an environment that you're not really comfortable with.

"I don't think anyone should have to do that."

She said that she found it easier to make friends, after joining societies she knew would not have events with drinking at their core, such as the Bengali society.

She said she was more at ease at occasions which centred on well-being and building connections in an alcohol-free environment.

She said: "I just think they're more inclusive. You meet a larger range of people and it's more diverse."

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