You can also call or text 988 nationwide to connect with local support systems. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. It’s much easier to stop after one glass when you’re not staring at an open bottle. Sticking to the recommended 14 units per week can help you maintain balance while staying mindful. Discover affordable rehab centers near you, offering easy access and convenience.
Engage in alcohol-free social activities
Despite the growing trend, not everyone is immersed in daily interactions and environments that encourage sobriety. This means that communicating choices is important for those around you to support you and seek out new options, activities and opportunities. Stepping back from regular drinking might also involve making different choices about how you spend your time. If getting drinks with friends or dates has traditionally occupied a lot of your time, you’ll need to determine how to navigate these situations. Instead of thinking, “I won’t be able to drink with my friends,” remind yourself that cutting out alcohol may energize you, leaving you open to socializing in more rewarding ways.
Why You Might Feel Regret After Going No Contact With Parents
Influencers and public figures have used their platforms to discuss their choices to embrace sobriety and promote non-alcoholic brands. This visibility appeals particularly to younger demographics, encouraging them to explore alcohol-free alternatives. In response to the sober curious movement, a wide range of non-alcoholic wines, beers, and spirits https://mivoatsa.com/how-to-stop-alcohol-cravings-niaaa/ have emerged. Google Trends data indicates that search interest in terms like “non-alcoholic drink” and “non-alcoholic beer” reached all-time highs in 2022. The “sober curious” or “sober sometimes” movement started as a challenge for those who felt they’d partied a little too hard over New Year’s weekend.
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Mentally, many report better clarity, reduced anxiety, and a general sense of better wellbeing. These improvements can contribute to a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. Sober curiosity is a gradual move towards a new relationship with alcohol.
- Identifying supportive environments and communities becomes crucial for those navigating the sober curious movement.
- That disconnect is what’s prompting more people to step back and consider how alcohol actually makes them feel.
- The result is a series of conversations about how to live a more conscious, connected, and present life.
- When she started her two-month hiatus from alcohol, “I had no idea that that was going to be the last time I drank,” she says.
- Aside from the obvious health benefits of abstaining from alcohol, taking a break from drinking can help you save money.
- Personal attacks, hate speech, or derogatory comments will not be tolerated.
Sober-curious influencers, particularly young women, share content detailing how they have stepped away from drinking, showcasing the positive aspects of sobriety 1. Below, we’ll get deeper into the question, “What is sober curious? We will also discuss the benefits of sobriety and how you can live sober curious a sober curious lifestyle.
Health Conditions
As you consider what you do and don’t enjoy about alcohol, you might choose to have a drink on occasion. This is one key difference between the “sober curious” movement and total sobriety. Alcohol also has long-term severe risks, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and mental health problems. A 2023 study published in JAMA Network Sobriety Open concluded that even low levels of alcohol consumption increase mortality risk.
So where should you start if you’re interested in exploring sober curiosity? One recommendation given by many experts is to begin by journaling. Each time you want to drink, write down what you’re feeling, doing and where you are. It’s a potentially powerful way to understand your motivations and triggers to drink. For some, it’s anxiety and feeling down that calls for a drink, while others desire drinks for celebratory reasons or out of boredom. Knowing your reasons to drink and not to drink will help you find the resolve and real-time awareness to help meet your goals.
Books that explore the sober curious movement
If you’re interested in the book that started it all, check out “Sober Curious” by Ruby Warrington, who spearheaded the movement to reevaluate our relationship with alcohol. Given the social aspect of drinking, it might be challenging to break away from alcohol in group settings, but there are things you can do to ease the burden. Elsewhere, more than 200,000 people took a month off drinking for Dry January or Sober October in 2023, and the amount of quality alcohol-free drinks brands on the market has been steadily – and thankfully – increasing.
Go straight to the bar
Let’s take a look at some steps you can take to help you make the change. There are many non-alcholic beers, wines, and spirits to replace (or temporarily substitute) your favorite boozy beverages. You can try functional beverages (like kombucha) or drinks that maintain the same bespoke feeling as a cocktail without (or with less) alcohol.