The Short Version: SingleAndSober.com offers a niche space for single people who have embraced the sober lifestyle and want a romantic partner who is on the same page. This dating site can help individuals find a date without stepping foot into a bar or club, and it offers an array of resources to support a healthy dating experience. Nearly 25,000 members have created a dating profile on Single and Sober in hopes of finding romance and solidarity in the sober community.
In April 2015, Mike Reed was four years sober and committed to staying that way — but his roommate couldn’t say the same. Mike was frustrated with his living situation, so he began searching for sober roommates on the web.
One search led to another, and Mike ended up typing in the term “single and sober” to see if any sober dating websites came up. He found that options were pretty slim, and the domain for SingleAndSober.com was for sale. Mike bought the URL on the spot and thus entered the online dating industry.
“As someone who’s in recovery myself, I know how difficult it can be to navigate the dating world, let alone online dating,” Mike said. “When I saw the need for a sober dating website, I wanted to create Single and Sober so that sober men and sober women in recovery could find people they’re truly compatible with.”
Single and Sober offers a healthy and mature way to meet new people in the dating world.
Today Mike is CEO and Founder of Single and Sober, an independent dating company that appeals to all types of people in the sober community.
Mike heads up a small and dedicated team that includes a graphic designer, a web developer, and many freelance writers, all of whom stand behind the sober dating site’s mission. Mike said he personally checks Single and Sober on a daily basis to make sure its members are maintaining a respectful tone and making the most of the online dating experience.
Thanks to the Single and Sober team, single men and women can leave the bar scene and traditional swiping apps behind them and explore a niche network where everyone is serious about sobriety and supportive of people in recovery.
Join the Niche Community & Browse Profiles for Free
A single adult can decide to be sober for a lot of different reasons. It could be part of their religion. It could be about losing weight or getting healthy. Or it could just be a personal preference. About 30% of Americans identify as non-drinkers who have not consumed an alcoholic beverage within the last year.
Single and Sober has a strong user base in the U.S., and it is rapidly growing in the U.K., Canada, and Australia. Mike said the dating site currently has almost 25,000 dating profiles that have been manually checked and approved by the team.
Online daters can stay anonymous by browsing the site under a username.
All new members have to supply some personal information (age, gender, city, etc.), provide a valid email address, and write something in the About Me section. Single and Sober also requires users to create a unique username and upload a photo of themselves to complete their dating profile.
These verification tools help keep fake profiles and scam accounts out of the database.
“I’ve set it up in a way that’s secure against spammers and hackers,” Mike told us. “You have to meet certain parameters to get to the point where you can view profiles and search for members.”
It’s completely free to create a dating profile, browse other profiles, and use the search tools on Single and Sober. However, members must upgrade to a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum plan to send private messages through the website. Premium memberships start at $9.99 per month, and the website has a strict no refund policy.
Single and Sober members range in age from young adults to senior citizens. Mike said that people in their mid-20s and early 30s make up a sizable chunk of members, but he’s seen profiles of people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s as well.
“It’s a big range of people,” he said. “The majority of members said in their profile that they’ve been sober X amount of years or are in recovery.”
As a niche dating site, Single and Sober gives a voice to a specific type of dater. Its community is still growing in small cities and rural areas, so, for the time being, sober singles may have to look in neighboring cities or states to find a compatible match.
The Blog Provides Helpful Dating Tips
From the beginning, the Single and Sober team has endeavored to be a friend, wingman, and support system for sober men and women from all walks of life. The team frequently reaches out to the community through social media and provides encouragement and advice about the sober lifestyle.
Single and Sober currently has over 6,000 followers on Twitter and 550 fans on Facebook, and the team is continually working to expand its digital footprint and check in with sober and single folks on the web.
Single and Sober is an uplifting place to network with sober people.
In addition to its dating platform, Single and Sober provides free informational resources to help individuals navigate the dating scene while maintaining a sober lifestyle.
Mike said he makes a point to hire talented and knowledgeable bloggers to contribute to the Single and Sober blog. The blog offers sober dating advice, sober date ideas, and sober success stories written by people who are in the recovery community and can relate to readers on a personal level. They can offer valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of sober dating.
A major theme across the blog is to practice self-care and take things slow in the dating scene, especially if you are just starting your recovery journey. The Single and Sober team urge daters to be sober for at least a year before trying to date and create a new relationship.
“This helps you adjust to a sober lifestyle and learn what you truly want from life,” Mike said.
During the coronavirus pandemic, some sober singles may feel particularly vulnerable, lonely, and tempted to fall back on bad habits. That’s why it’s important to have free online resources to help them stay on the right path. The Single and Sober blog reminds people to stay strong and provides a consistent, positive message about the benefits of dating while sober.
“Using alcohol as an escape might work for a bit, but by this point — nine months into the chaos that is 2020 — you’ve probably realized that drinking doesn’t actually help anything in the long run,” a Single and Sober blogger wrote. “If you’re rethinking your relationship with alcohol, you’re not alone.”
Single and Sober Unites People With Similar Values & Goals
Mike created Single and Sober to meet a need in the dating world. His niche dating website provides a healthy and safe alternative to mainstream apps and sites where “wanna get a drink” is the go-to date invitation.
Single and Sober has made a name for itself as a sober dating site on a heartfelt mission to connect singles with similar backgrounds and lifestyles. It is free to join the platform, browse through profiles, and see what the sober dating world is all about.
Whether you’re in a recovery program or just sober-curious, you can join Single and Sober to meet quality single people who don’t need to drink to have a good time.
“It was a bit daunting in the beginning to realize I’m going up against some pretty large dating sites — but I stuck with it,” Mike said. “I do get emails once in a while from couples who met on the site. It feels good when I hear that folks are connecting on the website.”
