At this time last year, I was backpacking around South America.
I had just met a group of friends and decided to travel to Santiago, Chile, with them to attend the Lollapalooza music festival.
I remember how excited we were to spend the weekend listening and dancing to some of our favourite bands in the Chilean summer heat – beers in hand, of course, because that's what 20-somethings do at music festivals in North America.
So when we walked through the gates on the first day of the festival, you can probably imagine our disappointment when we learned that it was a dry, family event.
Upon further investigation, we learned that most events like music festivals in Chile are dry because culturally, family is number one, and intoxication and family don't mix.
Despite the lack of accessible alcohol, my friends and I still had a blast at Lollapalooza. I swear, I'm being honest.
Since I moved to Inuvik two months ago, I have noticed that many organizations emphasize the healthy living and healthy family and community aspect in their events, too.
This past week, I attended Aurora College's Healthy Families Old Time Dance and the Inuvik Healthy Living Fair.
Many events that would typically feature a bar are dry, such as the IRC Cup and the warming centre benefit concert.
Even without a bar, these events are still well-attended and thoroughly enjoyed.
I've been curious about why there is such a strong emphasis on healthy families in Inuvik, so I've been asking around.
Some people that I've asked say they've never really thought about it, and that it's just a part of life here.
Some people say that the emphasis in part of local organizations' effort to reduce rates of alcoholism and drug abuse.
Others tell me that they think the emphasis is a response to colonialism and the residential school system, which have caused significant physical and mental health issues for Indigenous people, and holding healthy family events is one way to heal from this.
Personally, I think that healthy family events are emphasized because they can provide so many benefits to so many people in the community.
Those benefits will be different for everyone, but just as important and useful. The positive impact that these kinds of events will have on you will depend on your life experience and personal struggles.
For me, events like Chile's Lollapalooza and Inuvik's healthy family events serve as a reminder that drinking can be fun in moderation, but drinking is not a requisite for fun.