Get ready, because there is an exciting global trend called the “sober curious movement” that is changing the dialogue around sobriety. Yet it is not what you think or who you expect that is spearheading it.
Incredibly, it is not the “old establishment” like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), or the usual suspects in the recovery world such as government agencies, therapists or even substance abuse professionals who pioneered it. Instead, it is a cultural shift that was ushered in by millennials (those born between 1981-1996) and was quickly embraced in developed countries such as Europe, America, and Australia.
What Is Sober Curious?
Most agree that the “sober curious” movement began in the UK in 2013 as a way for people who felt like they had partied too hard over New Year’s weekend to challenge themselves to do a 30-day alcohol detox. It started with “Dry January,” where everyone could brag on social media about how they were taking a break from booze, but has since evolved into several global campaigns such as “Dry July” and even “Sober September”.
Family and addictions therapist Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, Ph.D. stated that he believes that the sober curious movement is a “ generational trend,” and this is supported by the fact that it quickly gained popularity in 2018-19 with millennials and people looking to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Embracing sobriety as a lifestyle choice is a powerful tenet, and it will enable more people than ever to rethink their drinking.
The Book That Started a Movement
If there is one person who gets the most credit for bringing the movement to the masses, it would be British writer, activist, and founder of Club Söda NYC; Ruby Warrington. She first published her seminal book Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol; in December of 2018. Promoted as a “judgment-free”, and “bold guide to choosing to live hangover-free” the book firmly established Ruby Warrington as one of the leading voices of the sobriety movement.
Ruby asserts that “reduced alcohol intake is the next logical step in the wellness revolution” while pointing out the absurdity of “a day filled with yoga and greens being followed by a night of pummeling one’s liver at the bar”.
“People are more invested in their overall wellbeing,” said Ruby, “As we change our diet, work out regularly and adopt other wellness practices, it becomes harder to reconcile the way alcohol makes us feel. I think a lot of people are beginning to ask if a few hours of ‘pressing pause’ on stress, anxiety, or loneliness is worth the inevitable payoff the morning after.”
A Replacement for Treatment?
One of the biggest questions about the sober curios movement is how it reconciles itself with the traditional recovery model and is it a replacement for treatment such as rehab. The short answer is that it is not a replacement for treatment if you have a serious Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) diagnosis, but it can be an incredibly useful support for those who are in recovery.
The sober curious movement is about recognizing your drinking habits and changing your behavior. It’s realizing that alcohol doesn’t make you feel good and that you don’t want to drink as much, and it allows you to find support without having to put an “all-or-nothing” label on yourself as you must do in AA.
The Role of Social Media
Without social media, the sober curious movement would not exhibit as it does today and it most likely would not be having the influence has on our social consciousness. There are a plethora of influencers, like Lee Tilghman of @leefromamerica and Jordan Younger of @thebalancedblonde who identify as sober curious by mostly abstaining but allowing themselves to drink every once in a while if the occasion calls for it. Other sober influencers include Austin Cooper, aka Sober Revolution, Abigail Lalumandier, who runs the fashion blog The Sober Style, and food blogger Joy Manning, whose mocktail-dominated account Better without Booze demonstrates a healthy and nourishing approach to sobriety. Sobriety-related hashtags like #sober, #sobriety, and #sober living are significantly rising and have increased by 3x on Instagram from 1.8 per 100,000 users in 2015 to 6.6 in 2017 according to a study by Laguna Treatment Hospital. They also found that 73% of sobriety-related posts were positive and that sobriety-related posts increased during the holidays.
Redefining Sobriety
The cornerstone of the sober movement is redesigning what sobriety means to you as an individual and breaking away from what is considered social “norms” when it comes to alcohol consumption. Emily Lynn Paulson; who wrote the powerful sobriety memoir Highlight Real: Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond the Filtered Light, had this to say, “I think people are starting to question the status quo”. She points to messages that have justified and normalized questionable drinking behavior such as “rosé all day” and “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere” that tell people that drinking will make them happier, richer or sexier. Emily stated, “It is insanity to wake up hung-over, with the knowledge that alcohol makes us feel like crap, yet return to it because we are conditioned to feel that it is something we must do as adults”.
Breaking Down Stigma & Avoiding Labels
The Sober Curious movement rooted in empowering people to choose a more healthy lifestyle while getting support from like-minded individuals who are all on their different paths of sobriety. Writer Ruby Warrington of the Sober Curious book said, “There’s this idea that you’re either a problem drinker or an alcoholic, or a normal drinker who has no issues with alcohol More and more we’re seeing there are shades of grey when it comes to dependence on alcohol”.
This sentiment was echoed by Dr. George Koob, director of the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “The idea that problem drinking can be assessed on a curve is more than an observation, its medical science. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) encompasses a spectrum ranging from mild to severe”.
Avoiding labels and seeking help from community network that is embarking sobriety had the potently to not only help more people than ever live fully actualized and authentic lives but also potentially change the world.
The hope is that this movement, in conjunction with already established modes of treatment at places like The River Rehab for serious alcoholics. The hope is that this combined effort will have a positive impact on future generations by providing a culturally acceptable alternative to social drinking and by helping to remove the stigma of alcoholism in general.
