Rock-A-Holic - Sober Climbers

# 🧗‍♂️ Welcome to Rock‑A‑Holic: Clean & Sober Rock Climbing

A climbing community for people who choose clarity, connection, and adventure — without booze or drugs.
Whether you're sober for 24 hours or 24 years, you’re welcome here.

# 🧗 WHAT IS ROCK‑A‑HOLIC?

Rock‑A‑Holic is a clean and sober climbing community created in San Francisco by Michael Dorame, founder of the original Get Your Climb On (GYCO) — a group that grew to 5,000+ climbers and traveled everywhere from Yosemite to Thailand.
This new chapter is more intentional, grounded, and heart‑centered — a space for climbers who want:

• A sober community
• Real connection
• Adventure without chaos
• A supportive, inclusive environment
• A place where climbing is healing, not performative

Whether you're sober, sober‑curious, in recovery, or simply prefer clarity over hangovers — you belong here.

# 🌍 WHO THIS IS FOR

Everyone who wants to climb in a clean, sober, supportive environment:

• New climbers & seasoned crushers
• LGBTQIA+ community
• People of color
• All gender expressions
• Introverts, extroverts & everyone in between
• People in recovery (AA, NA, SMART, Dharma, etc.)
• Sober‑curious folks
• Persons with visible & invisible disabilities
• Veterans, at‑risk youth, misfits, miracle‑makers
• Anyone who’s found healing or meaning through climbing

If you're sober for 24 hours or 24 years — you’re welcome.

# 🧘 MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

Getting clean and sober is a huge step — but it’s not the whole journey.
Mental health, emotional regulation, and self‑compassion are essential for staying grounded.
In Rock‑A‑Holic, we honor:

• Mindfulness
• Compassion
• Emotional safety
• Respectful communication
• Checking in with yourself and others

We’re not therapists — but we are a community that believes in taking care of the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.

# 🌟 WHY SOBER CLIMBING WORKS

Climbing isn’t just exercise — it’s medicine. Here’s why it helps people in recovery thrive:

• Natural dopamine from movement, challenge & flow
• Community built on trust, not alcohol
• Mindfulness through breath, focus & presence
• Healthy risk with healthy reward
• Structure & routine that support sobriety
• Confidence from topping out routes
• Stress relief & nervous system regulation
• Identity shift: from “addict” to “athlete”
• Purpose, belonging & real connection
• Joy — the kind that doesn’t come from a bottle

If climbing helped save your life — or you want it to — you’re in the right place.

# 🧭 WE ARE NOT A 12‑STEP PROGRAM

Rock‑A‑Holic is not:

• A 12‑step meeting
• A therapy group
• A treatment program

We’re a climbing community.
But if you ever need support, we’ll help you find it:
**📍 AA SF — https://aasfmarin.org**
**📍 NA SF — https://sfna.org**
**📍 SMART Recovery — https://www.smartrecovery.org/local/**
You’re never alone here.

# 🧗 WHAT DO WE CLIMB?

• Indoor climbing (Mission Cliffs, Dogpatch, Berkeley Ironworks, etc.)
• Outdoor top rope, sport, trad & bouldering
• Canyoneering, alpine & mountaineering (seasonal)
• Occasional travel adventures

We share gear, knowledge, and rides when possible.

# 🛡️ SAFETY FIRST

We promote a safety‑first culture:

• Gear checks
• Belay tests & intro classes
• Watching for wear & tear
• Supporting new climbers
• Sharing knowledge openly

By joining, you agree to climb responsibly.

# 🎒 NO GEAR? NO PROBLEM.

Rent or borrow from:

• REI
• Sports Basement
• Local gyms Climbers in our meetups
• While we are not climbing guides we’ll help you learn knots, belaying, and technique.

# 📊 CLIMBING GRADES

• Rope (YDS): 5.0 → 5.15
• Bouldering (V‑Scale): V0 → V16

Start where you are. Grow at your own pace.

# 🚗 OUTDOOR CARPOOLS

We encourage carpools to save gas, reduce impact, and build community. We can share more about that on individual outdoor meetups we coordinate.

# 📅 MEETUP ETIQUETTE

• Cancel early when possible
• Communicate if plans change
• No‑shows: 3 warnings → possible removal
• Respect the time and energy it takes to organize events

# 🌟 WHAT WE’RE ALL ABOUT

We climb to grow.
We climb to heal.
We climb to connect.
We climb because it makes us feel alive.
Rock‑A‑Holic is a place where climbing might just save your life — because it saved ours.

# 📜 POLICIES

• Respect all identities
• No discrimination or harassment
• No drugs or alcohol at events
• Unsafe behavior = immediate removal
• Leave no trace outdoors
• Turn on notifications for updates

# 🎓 TRAINING & EDUCATION

We partner with experienced climbing guides through SAANO Adventures or Outdoor Adventure Club which offer classes lIke:

• Anchor building basics
• Lead climbing refreshers
• Outdoor safety workshops
• Movement & technique sessions
• Optional guided trips through trusted partners

**Check out Outdoor Adventure Club here: https://outdooradventureclub.com/**
**SAANO Advenures here: https://www.saanoadventures.com/**

# 💬 CLOSING NOTE

Climbing is more than a sport — it’s a lifeline.
Whether you're reaching your first foothold or topping out a dream route, you're part of our family here.
Welcome to Rock‑A‑Holic.
Let’s climb clean, climb strong, and climb together.

# * Rock‑A‑Holic

For climbing inspiration, visit our YouTube channel which Includes a film I wrote and produced called Rock-A-Holic, a story about how rock climbing saved the lives of 3 recovering addicts:
**👉 https://www.youtube.com/@Rock-A-Holic**