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[Transcript Below]Where you hear people say, “You know, Jesus drank wine,” okay, I don’t know if I’m going to include that one. My name’s Chris, and I’m glad you guys are here because I can’t do this alone.
So, I’m going to talk about the Sober Curious Movement. In a lot of my posts, I like to use the hashtag #SoberCurious. I recently bought the IP for sobercurious.me, and I’m going to be creating something there soon. I love the Sober Curious Movement because it’s an open-minded, explorative approach to alcohol-free living. I think society would be a lot better without drinking, frankly, and not just because I’m a recovered alcoholic. I can tell you from talking to people who didn’t have a drinking problem but quit drinking anyway, that their lives get a lot better. Their sleep improves, they have way more energy, and they’re crushing it at work. So, if for no other reason, it’s just a practical thing.
Why is Sober Curious or the hashtag #SoberCurious catching on? Why are people into this? One reason is productivity and career focus. Many professionals are prioritizing their careers and personal growth, seeing alcohol as a potential hindrance to their goals. Well, they’re not wrong.
In the past, I remember when I first attempted to quit drinking and would try to date, like go out, put myself out there. I always had to explain why I didn’t drink. It was funny, like, I don’t smoke either, but I never had to explain why I don’t smoke. But I always had to explain why I don’t drink. People are still like that a little bit now, but these days, you can just say, “Hey, I don’t drink,” and people don’t press you about it as much because so many people don’t drink. I believe social media has made it more accepted and easier for people to be open about it.
The health implications are pretty obvious. I can’t imagine anyone arguing that alcohol is good for you. This isn’t a controversy. Specifically, the mental effects and clarity are huge. Another reason people are cutting back is the economic cost. Alcohol, both financially and in terms of health, is leading many to rethink their consumption.
I used to live in LA, but now I live in Austin. When I would take a date out in LA, having to pay for drinks was ridiculous. Drinking isn’t cheap, and depending on where you live, it’s even worse. These days, there are a lot of sober activities and social events where alcohol isn’t needed to enjoy them. It’s funny because it’s actually natural to do things sober; it’s unnatural for us to be intoxicated. It’s surprising how boring some things are without alcohol, but that’s only because we’ve gotten used to being intoxicated.
Another factor driving this trend is the rise of mocktail marketing. Most restaurants, especially the nicer ones, have mocktail menus or at least a few options. I know people who don’t have a problem with alcohol but just prefer a mocktail when they go out because they want to wake up feeling good the next day.
Now, I’m going to make a bold statement: people are starting to realize that they feel better without alcohol.
There are also recovery-adjacent individuals. These are people who, unlike me—a recovered alcoholic—may not identify as having a substance use disorder, but they know alcohol is causing problems in their life. They might not be full-blown alcoholics, but they recognize that life would be better without drinking. In the past, society hadn’t caught up with this idea, but now it’s becoming easier for people to make that choice. Plus, the science is there to back it up.
Once I got used to socializing without alcohol, I realized my conversations were more real and authentic. There’s no fake glossy filter you get when you’re buzzed and more outgoing. You might be bubbly one night, but you wake up the next day not feeling the same way toward the person you were gregarious around. It wasn’t really you, and it wasn’t really them either.
So, the social lubricant argument—I mean, sure, alcohol can help loosen you up, but you can learn to become more outgoing without alcohol. I had to learn this firsthand. I can go on trips to Vegas for several days, have a blast with people who don’t drink, and I don’t feel awkward. It’s just an adjustment. It’s like when you’re a kid, and you socialize without alcohol. Then as you grow up, you learn to socialize with alcohol. Later, as an adult, you have to readjust to doing it sober, but it’s just an adjustment. The reward is that you have more authentic connections with people when you’re sober.
Finally, I want to leave you with this thought about the Sober Curious movement: it reminds me of the Truth Initiative that came out years ago about smoking. It was this campaign to inform young people that smoking was killing them, and that it wasn’t cool just because it was in movies. Drinking is similar. Every other movie scene has someone sipping scotch, looking sexy, but it’s just a marketing ploy.
The Truth Initiative was an American public relations campaign aimed at reducing teen smoking in the U.S., funded by money obtained from the tobacco industry through a huge settlement. They spent two decades fighting tobacco use and prevented millions of young people from becoming smokers. My mom smoked for 60 years, and it destroyed her heart and lungs. She died a horrible death because of it. If my mom had been an alcoholic and died that way, I’d feel the same about alcohol.
I’m a recovered alcoholic, so of course, I love the idea of the younger generation drinking less and avoiding the same path. Anyway, I just wanted to talk about the Sober Curious movement because I’m going to be getting involved in promoting it. Like I said, I got the IP for sobercurious.me, and although there’s no website up yet, it’s something I’ll be talking about on this channel.
Leave your comments about Sober Curious. For those of you out there who are sober, share what your current streak of sobriety is. Bonus points if you want to mention the health benefits you’ve noticed along your sobriety journey.
