‘I’m just taking a break’, or, ‘I’m trying something different’ usually does the trick without inviting further questions. Stock up on non-alcoholic options you love, like alcohol-free beers, kombucha, or fancy mocktails. Shift the focus from what’s in your glass to the connections you’re making. Understanding your triggers makes it easier to decide when you genuinely want a drink and when you don’t.
What are the physical and mental health benefits of being sober curious?
- Alcohol is a depressant that can negatively affect mood, cognition, and mental health.
- Living a sober-curious lifestyle may have started among a small segment of the population, but it has grown into a mainstream movement with more and more people exploring a life without — or with less — alcohol.
- Simply saying “no thank you” is always an option, but you might want to prepare some excuses in case people pressure you or try to interrogate your reasons for not drinking.
- Experiment with no- and low-alcohol drinks until you find options that genuinely excite you.
If someone insists on offering you a drink, a polite but firm “No, thank you” should suffice. Drinking is often part of social activities and celebrations, and is also used by some people to cope with stress or ‘unwind’. Also, Banta adds, don’t expect perfection, and the goal is never to punish yourself, only to enhance your life. The true marker of success is being compassionate with yourself and https://iart.news/pitches/find-sober-living-homes-near-you/ remembering your personal motivations for embarking on the path.
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Companies like Liquid Death, a canned water brand that is marketed with bold graphics and slogans that feel like alcohol ads, have also been adopted by the sober curious movement as an alternative to alcohol in social settings. Entirely alcohol-free liquor stores are even cropping up across the country. In addition to reducing your alcoholism symptoms risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, getting sober curious—or giving up alcohol completely—may help boost your mood, improve your immune response and help you shed excess pounds. Celebrities, athletes, social media influencers—and even everyday folks—are increasingly speaking out about minimizing the role alcohol plays in their lives.
How to socialise when you’re sober curious
- For example, you could focus on quality instead of quantity, selecting drinks and alcohols that not only taste good but make you feel good.
- Many young people today see drinking as counterproductive to their mental health goals.
- Adopting a sober curious lifestyle comes with a host of potential benefits, but it can also bring some challenges to navigate.
- Research from Montclair State University reveals that this generation perceives risk ‘everywhere they turn’, seeing more danger in life through social media, mass shootings and the climate crisis.
- Whether through online communities, local support groups, or friends who share your goals, connecting with others can provide encouragement, accountability, and inspiration as you navigate your sober curious journey.
If you’ve heard this flying around before and are feeling a little confused, then feel out of the loop no more! We’ve gathered our knowledge and we’ve also spoken to some of our Contiki Trip Managers who are sober to compile everything you need to know about being sober curious. If you want to take things a step further, you may also want to ask yourself some questions about what it would be like to give up alcohol completely or consume less of it. ”—and then, based on the answer, decide whether you want to move forward and have the drink. “The focus is not on just abstinence, but on the choices we make when the stressors in our lives drive us to relieve them with alcohol rather than in more healthy ways,” says Peimer.
What are the benefits of cutting back on alcohol?
Recent Gallup data shows a 10 per cent decline in alcohol use among U.S. adults aged 18 to 34 in the last decade. Cut-offs cut deep and wide, their emotional impact reverberating far beyond the combatants. Because much of the suffering is hidden, repair is challenging for everyone, not least of all therapists. Legal | Privacy PolicyInformation on this site is provided for informational purposes. It is not meant to replace the advice provided by https://ecosober.com/blog/what-is-sober-curious/ your own physician or other medical professional.
