As someone who has recently given up alcohol (48 days down, but who's counting?), one of the biggest challenges has been re-calibrating the ways in which I view and approach socialising.
Now, I'm not the first person to lose sight of themselves at the intersection between queerness and Australian drinking culture; Sydney's nightlife was quite literally my gateway into the LGBTIQ+ community and, the internet aside, for many years gay bars remained the primary way I met others I could relate to.
Curious, I recently decided to explore the different options available to those like me - or others who might simply be looking to add a dash of 'wholesome' to their week. I couldn't believe the number of alcohol and substance-free queer-led initiatives taking place around the country.
From friendly sporting teams, craft meet-ups, and bush-walking, to sober dances and life drawing, it seems there is no shortage of platforms to socialise and engage with like-minded members of the LGBTIQ+ community.
Here are a few of the wonderful queer and queer-friendly meet-ups and initiatives I found!
Dance & Soup!
This queer and all-inclusive sober dance has been set up for those who love to dance.
The Sydney-based event is pegged as a "no-frills celebration of moving to music, aiming to bring a vibe of joy, respect, peace and free expression" - however, for founder Prince Aydin, there was a far more personal catalyst the upcoming dance.
"The idea manifested over two years ago now," they tell SBS Sexuality. "It began when I was diagnosed with several illnesses. This meant my 'lifestyle' took a dramatic turn, as I was forced to give up all the substances I once used on a day-to-day basis."
Dancing soon became a means of self-love, Aydin says - but they struggled to find queer dance spaces conducive to the substance-free road they were on. That's when they met their Dance & Soup! co-creator, Cath, who encouraged them to take matters into their own hands.
"We decided to create a space which merged dance, movement, music, food, and community," they say. "An evening of communal celebration with friends and friends-of-friends on a loud and charismatic dance floor with all sorts."
"The space has been created to be queer-specific, quite simply because we're queer and enjoy a queer dancefloor which is inclusive to a everyone. This space is everyone's to engage in, as individuals who have come to embrace their desire to dance collectively in sobriety and resistance, coupled with a desire to express through dance."
They add: "The space is what one makes it to be, essentially".
Saturday, June 23 at 4 PM - 8 PM.
Queer Life Drawing
An ongoing series of inclusive life drawing workshops, focusing on queer bodies and the stories behind them. Participants are asked to bring along their own art supplies and paper, with entry by donation and both tea and coffee available.
A sketch by Queer Life Drawing participant Waiton Fong. Source: Queer Life Drawing
"Rapid and simple exercises with fun and challenging twists make this class accessible for everyone, with no prior experience or artistic prowess required," he said.
Inqueering Minds Book Club
While some participants do drink wine, the Newtown-based Inqueering Minds Book Club can just as easily be enjoyed with cheese and a bottle of kombucha.
Inqueering Minds founder Zachary Moore-Boyle tells SBS Sexuality that the group was born from a genuine love for queer literature.
"My friends and I had wiled away many an afternoon discussing the finer points of Maggie Nelson's The Agronauts, or fawning over Audre Lorde and Alison Bechdel," Moore-Boyle says.
He continues: "Looking back, I think this was the slow-dawning realisation of a specific kind of desire; a desire for spaces that celebrate and nurture aspects of queerdom that go beyond the party circuit."
"Reading is its own kind of celebration."
Moore-Boyle says that it's important for the diversity of the queer community to be reflected in the spaces available to them.
"Alternative spaces for socialising, like book clubs and reading groups, are necessary because they not only nurture the interests of persons like myself, but extend our understanding of what queerness is and can be," he says.
According to the Better Read Than Dead website: "Inqueering Minds Book Club will explore the beauty and complexity of LGBTQI+ literature through time. The books each provide but a small glimpse into a rich world of queer perspectives; perspectives that have continually pushed boundaries, imagined new futures, and insisted on the potentiality and concrete possibility of another world"
It continues: "The works will traverse a wide range of genres, including poetry, short stories, anthologies, philosophical works, novels, essays, and auto-theory. Suggestions of some neat books to read are, of course, always welcome!"
We hear that the first meeting had a huge turnout earlier this month, so check it out!
Click here for more information and a current list of books for reading.
LGBTI Elders Dance Club
Curated by All The Queens Men, who specialise in participatory art installations, the LGBTI Elders Dance Club champions the "recreational and social rights of LGBTI elders, creating a regular space for the community that is safe and inclusive". 
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex elders and their allies are invited to attend this free monthly social event, learn new dances, enjoy delicious catering and drinks, and interact with other LGBTI elders and allies.
Source: LGBTI Elders Dance Club
Click here for more information.
Rainbow Riverina Weekly BBQ
Rainbow Riverina in Wagga host a weekly breakfast BBQ at Wagga beach on the Murrumbidgee River. While they don't start up again until September, it's well worth marking it down in your calendar. A kids-friendly event, the get-together offers bacon and egg rolls, tea, coffee and juice for a $5 donation.
Click here for more information.
Gayming!
Source: Melbourne Gaymer
According to Perth Gaymers' Christian Mendoza, the group deliberately organises events during the day or at public gaming spaces in order to reach as wide a variety of people as possible - particularly those "that felt like they couldn't really fit into super-extroverted parties or clubs."
"Over the years we have seen a much more diverse group of people attending our events," Mendoza tells SBS Sexuality, noting that events can be particularly popular with female and trans members who might feel otherwise uncomfortable in male-dominated spaces.
You can find more information and connect with other members here: Melbourne Gaymers, Sydney Gaymers, Perth Gaymers.
Queer Stitch and Bitch
Held from 4.30pm - 5.30pm on the first and third Sunday of each month at Melbourne institution Hares & Hyenas, Queer Stitch and Bitch is "a group for queer and queer-friendly people of all orientations and genders who love getting creative and crafty!" 
According to the group's Facebook page, the get-together offers up a wonderful opportunity for members of the community to come together in a friendly environment to share projects, skills, and a laugh.
Source: Facebook
Click here for more information.
Unicorns Fitness
Held in Sydney and Melbourne, Unicorns Fitness offers a fun way to get fit and healthy in an inclusive and friendly environment.
Melbourne Q&A (Queer & Allies) Bush-walking
According to their Facebook page, The Melbourne Q&A Bushwalkers is "a friendly and informal group of people who like the idea of getting out of the house on a Sunday and going for a walk".
"Around the middle of last year I found myself really struggling with the marriage equality campaign and the impending postal survey and I knew a lot of our community were too," Tomlins tells SBS Sexuality.
"I thought I'd just love to escape it now and again and do something completely unrelated to marriage equality - something I didn't have to organise or worry about."
She adds: "I'd always loved bush walking, but hadn't done much since the kids were born and that seemed like a nice idea. I could just turn up on the day with my lunch!"
Source: Provided, Jac Tomlins / Facebook
"One Sunday morning I did a Facebook post asking people if they knew of a group. I didn't really mind if it was queer or women or even straight, as long as I could just join up and go. It soon became clear that a lot of people loved the idea - and suggested I start one if one didn't already exist."
"Not quite what I was aiming for, but I gave in and started Q&A."
"It became clear on those first few walks that people really wanted to do something different, healthy and restorative - something that was good for their mental and physical health," Tomlins recalls.
"They were struggling. We all were. It was really therapeutic at that time and has continued to be a very positive space for everyone who comes along."
Click here for more information.
The Wendybird, Brisbane
Located in Brisbane, the Wendybird is a volunteer collective of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) people of individuals who value the role of community and belonging for all people, who are working together to intentionally create, grow and develop a safer and always supportive community that is diverse, welcoming and inclusive.
With get-togethers planned throughout the year, all Wendybird events are open to the whole community and the group invites all LGBTIQ people, their families, friends and allies to attend.
Sydney Spokes bike riding
Sydney Spokes started in 1986 after Sydney man Allan Hildon placed an advertisement in Campaign magazine, looking for local cycling buddies. Four people went on the first ride and the group has gone from strength to strength ever since.
“I was quite surprised that anyone actually turned up," Hildon said of the response. "I was even more surprised that they kept coming”.
Whether you're a novice, experienced cyclist, or someone returning to cycling, the Sydney Spokes is a group for all members of the LGBTIQ+ community interested in cycling.
The group in 1989 Source: Sydney Spokes
Meeting every weekend, all rides are ranked as easy, medium or hard and are led by a friendly, experienced ride leader.
Click here for more information.
Queer Reading Group Sydney
Presented by The Lifted Brow and hosted by journalist and podcaster Benjamin Riley, Queer Reading Group Sydney meets on the third Thursday of the month at Better Read Than Dead in Newtown.
From the group's Facebook page: "In the wake of last year’s marriage equality reform, for the first time in at least a decade Australia is staring down an uncertain future for queer politics. If the field is wide open for what comes next, can we make space for thinking about what it means now to be queer in Australia?"
Source: Queer Reading Group Sydney
"By digging into the rich past and present of queer writing from Australia and around the world, Queer Reading Group Sydney will be a place for these conversations."
Click here for more information.
Sydney Stingers water polo
Having just added its first two women's teams and a further five men's teams, the Sydney Stingers are bigger than ever.
According to their website, the Stingers’ mission is to "provide an inclusive, friendly environment to learn, play water polo, train and socialise."
Anyone is welcome to join, regardless of experience - however, water polo does require strong swimming skills and endurance. New players are encouraged to join and actively develop the skills required.
The club trains each Saturday morning at Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre and holds its swim squad on Wednesday nights at Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool at Mrs. Macquarie's Point.
Click here for more information.
Rainbow Ranters Toastmasters Canberra
A Toastmasters Club setup specifically for LGBTIQ+ people and their allies, Rainbow Ranters offers a wonderful way to develop your leadership and public speaking skills - all while meeting new people and enjoying a lovely bite to eat.
Meetings are held every second Wednesday evening at 6.30pm in Canberra.
