In today’s society, there is a strong push from young adults to prioritize their health in ways that were overlooked in the past. With Gen Z’s push for work-life balance, setting boundaries, therapy, and Whole Foods, we have also seen a push towards healthier choices. This push has led to a movement called “sober curious.” In this movement, people evaluate their relationship with alcohol to determine its value in their lives. This movement follows the trend of users being “California sober,” where individuals were sober from alcohol but used marijuana recreationally.
What Does It Mean to Be Sober Curious?
The term sober curious was started by an author named Ruby Warrington. Being sober curious, as defined by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, means “being mindful of these habits and choosing when and if to drink – instead of doing so out of habit, or to meet social expectations.” This trend of being sober curious spread over the internet because it challenged users to redefine their relationship with alcohol rather than fully cutting alcohol out.
This movement has allowed its followers to evaluate how drinking also impacts their bodies while also removing the stigma that they may have a problem with alcohol. Do you get “Sunday scaries” or hangover anxiety? Do you wake up unable to have a productive following day? How is alcohol impacting your quality of health? These questions have allowed users to not only take control of both their mental and physical health, but they have also given them insight into pattern recognition.
Health Trackers Reveal Alcohol’s Hidden Effects
Especially in today’s society with health trackers like Oura Ring, Apple Watch, Garmin, and Whoop, people are even more aware of how alcohol impacts their bodies in ways they couldn’t see before. Alcohol use can show up with a high resting heart rate at night, leading to unproductive sleep and recovery. Users report lower readiness and sleep scores on their health trackers following nights of drinking.
Financial Considerations
In today’s world, where the cost of living is the highest it’s ever been, people are questioning why they would spend as much on alcohol when life itself is so expensive. With bars and restaurants having mixed drinks listed at $20 a drink, people are questioning the importance of alcohol in their lives due to the expenses as well. A report shows that sales of nonalcoholic beverages, including nonalcoholic spirits, beer, and wine, increased more than 40% between 2021 and 2023.
The Growing Market for Alcohol-Free Alternatives
All of these reasons combined, plus the push for a healthier lifestyle, trends like “Dry January”, “Sober October,” and even “75 Hard” have all pushed for a temporary lifestyle change that is calling to remove alcohol. Through these reasons and trends, there has been an uptick in bars and restaurants offering alcohol-free options on their menu. Lots of stores now even offer adaptogenic drinks to replace buying alcohol. You can walk into Target today and buy a six-pack of adaptogenic drinks that contain things like lion’s mane, lemon balm, and sometimes ashwagandha, all used for improving mood and mental clarity.
More Than a Trend: A Shift in Lifestyle Choices
People who have tried reducing their alcohol intake have reported better sleep, improved moods, increased energy, financial savings, and even better social awareness. This seems logical considering how alcohol works as a sedative that interacts with several neurotransmitter systems that are vital in the regulation of sleep.
Overall, sober curious is not the label it is made out to be for those choosing this lifestyle to no longer drink, socialize, or even be fun. Being sober curious is a social movement to live a healthier lifestyle, in whatever is useful to its user. It gives those who are aiming to take control of their health a label and/or group of people who are making similar choices while also feeling comfortable with exploring what cutting back on alcohol can look like for them.