As someone who isn’t officially in recovery, I initially worried it might not be possible for me to be a part of Good Clean Fun. Thoughts ran through my head like…Would I be imposing myself on a community I wasn’t a part of? Could I dance sober? Would it awaken something in myself that might make me question my own relationship with substances in a way that was uncomfortable?
But a party like Good Clean Fun makes no one feel like they don’t belong; whether you’re new to recovery, been aff it for 10 years, or someone, like me, who has found that they don’t need to feel different to feel something special.
What I’ve also learned is that recovery, in the broadest sense, is not just about substances and our relationships with them. These are symptoms of a set of inner conflicts unresolved.
My own journey with how I relate to myself, my past experiences good and bad, my place in the world as a queer person, how I experience my sexuality and gender, all of these internal struggles have manifested in patterns of behaviour that have been a detriment to my inner peace.
Learning to accept ourselves and choose to do better is a fundamental part of recovery, whatever we use as a coping mechanism.
For me, learning to not distract myself as a way of avoiding self acceptance has been a process of recovery. Accepting my gender identity and sexuality has been a process of recovery. Being at peace with my inner world and the world at large has been a process of recovery. Being open to new experiences without insecurity and self criticism is a process of recovering from rejection I have experienced in the past. Spaces like Good Clean Fun have been crucial for this process; places where there is no judgment, where we can learn to love ourselves.
A friend at Good Clean Fun once told me one of the first things you notice is that you can really hear the music; a lack of drunken conversations and inconsiderate shoving means you can really experience the night and its culture. There’s no distraction from getting lost in it. And that’s what Good Clean Fun is all about – truly and presently experiencing something, with friends and strangers.
I’ve been struck by the way that Good Clean Fun has been able to create the perfect mix of a party that is inclusive, safe and liberating, with some of the best sets you’ll hear anywhere in Glasgow. The open, compassionate and accepting cultural of Good Clean Fun makes it one of the most queer friendly parties in Glasgow, whilst being welcoming to anyone who might need to leave a little bit of themselves on the dance floor.
Good Clean Fun has built a brilliant and strong community, whilst allowing new members to make themselves at home. I’m someone who can easily feel out of place at clubs and parties – for me, DJing and performing music is a way that I can surpass that sense of self-exclusion. Whether you like to dance with friends old and new, or just close your eyes, get lost and twirl about (me), the atmosphere lets you do it, without feels any sense that you’re doing something wrong. And did I mention some of the best dancers in the city call Good Clean Fun their home?
What Good Clean Fun has also done, as well as the relationships with the recovery community I have built over these last few years, is make me assess how much alcohol needs to be a part of my social experience. I’ve done sober festivals, sober nights out, sober travelling, and all of these have enhanced my connection to the music.
With reflection, I have found that many of the friends I used to rave and party with in my 20s have stopped going out as we’ve moved into their 30s. For some, the afterparty was the main event. I was always a part of these moments – but I was the last one at the club, the one on the AUX cable more worried about keeping that feeling alive than the 10am booze run.
Being able to find nights in Glasgow that have built a community for older millennial music lovers to keep on dancing has been so important for me. Good Clean Fun, but also Hot Towel, Corie Doon, and Another Peoples Place to name a few.
That’s why I am immensely proud of what Amy and the team have built, and what it has done for Glasgow and its community, sober or not. Here’s to many more incense-infused boogies!