What’s Sober Curious?

What Does It Mean To Be Sober Curious?

Being “sober curious” or “sober sometimes” refers to your choice to drink less alcohol or refrain from drinking completely. It is a lifestyle choice prompted by an interest in the benefits of sobriety rather than a necessity to overcome alcohol addiction.

Sober curious, also called mindful drinking, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to cut out alcohol entirely from your life. Instead, it pushes back at the normalization of heavy drinking. Maybe you are just curious about learning how your body feels when not drinking every day or only choosing to drink on the weekends in social environments.

History Of Sober Curiosity

The sober curious movement stemmed from Dry January, which was trademarked by the Alcohol Concern charity in 2014. This campaign encouraged individuals to take a month-long break from alcohol and quickly gained popularity worldwide, with many similar alcohol-free campaigns, such as Sober October, to follow.

The term “sober curious” became popular in 2018 when Ruby Warrington coined this term and wrote her book, Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol. In it, Warrington discusses topics such as avoiding daily drinking, never drinking more than those around you, and ensuring that your drinking does not negatively affect those closest to you. She also has an uplifting podcast that has gained popularity around this movement called the Sober Curious podcast.

What Are The Benefits Of Limiting Alcohol?

Limiting alcohol has numerous benefits, including:

• Improved gut health
• Brighter and clearer skin
• Better sleep
• Weight loss
• Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease

The benefits of cutting back on drinking are some of the main reasons why the sober curious movement has gained so much popularity. Not to mention, you feel better; you wake up more refreshed, your mind is clearer, your body is stronger, and your mood is brighter.

Improved Sleep

Although alcohol is a nervous system depressant and, as a result, can temporarily make you feel relaxed and fall asleep faster, it increases nighttime awakenings. Therefore, when you drink alcohol, you are more likely to get interrupted sleep throughout the night, even if you do not realize it.

Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep, tossing and turning, or waking up hours before your alarm clock are examples of how alcohol can disrupt your sleep. After drinking too much alcohol before bed, you may wake up feeling groggy, unrefreshed, and sometimes cranky, which can decrease your productivity throughout your day and negatively impact your mood and how you interact with people.

Cutting back on alcohol can improve your sleep quality, and you’ll soon notice that you are having more restorative sleep and waking up feeling rested and refreshed. This can improve mood, concentration, creativity, productivity, and mental performance.

Increased Energy And Hydration

When cutting back on alcohol, you will notice that within time, you will have more energy throughout the day. This is mainly due to your improved sleep cycles and your hydration status. Alcohol is naturally a diuretic, meaning that it removes fluid from your body, leaving you dehydrated. Cutting back on alcohol prevents dehydration and the fatigue that comes with it.

Improved Memory And Concentration

Alcohol negatively affects brain functioning. Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol directly reduces the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory. Unfortunately, the more you drink, the more likely you will develop memory loss and for a longer duration.

Extended and excessive alcohol abuse can also lead to dementia. Alcohol slows down the function of the brain, which transfers information from your short-term memory to long-term memory storage. This is similar to someone sending you a package, but during transit, the package is lost. Your long-term memory storage never receives the memory of the event. The good news is that it is possible to reverse these effects if you drastically reduce or stop drinking for at least six weeks. Within a few months, you may notice that your brain fog lifts, and you can concentrate, focus better, and retain more information, which can be a healthy benefit when learning new hobbies or skills.

Saving Money

It is no surprise that alcohol can bend your wallet or break your bank. Going out for drinks is expensive, and so is purchasing alcohol from the store. Alcohol is not only empty calories on your body, meaning that it has no nutritional benefit, but it also is known to leave you with an empty bank account.

One of the biggest surprises and benefits of reducing alcohol is the amount of money you can save. Every drink adds up. If you have two drinks a day, four days a week, at an average of $10 a drink, you’re spending $80 a week, $320 a month, or $3,840 a year just on alcohol, not including any additional costs like rideshare services or food purchased at bars.

Brighter Skin

Alcohol ages you by drastically increasing your biological age. Chronological age is measured by your birth date, but biological age measures how old your cells are. The more you drink, the more difficult it is for your cells to regenerate and repair themselves.

Biological aging can have an effect on every organ, but the most obvious to the eye is the skin, which is your largest organ. Individuals who consume alcohol may have skin that looks dry and wrinkled, similar to sun damage. This is because alcohol reduces collagen and elastin production, which results in saggy, dull, and wrinkled skin because the cells cannot repair themselves. Reducing alcohol, staying hydrated, and eating a healthy diet can drastically improve your skin health and brighten your skin.

Other Benefits Of Cutting Back On Alcohol:

• Improved mental health
• Improved physical health (decreased risk of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease)
• Improved sexual satisfaction
• Improved immunity

Why Sober Curiosity Is Growing

Interest in sober curiosity continues to grow not only because of the growing interest in the health awareness aspect of this movement but also because there is a major cultural shift around alcohol. People are becoming more health-conscious and are focused on longevity and wellness. They want to live a more mindful and purposeful life.

Younger generations are at the forefront of the sober curious movement and are cutting back on booze by breaking down the stigma associated with sobriety. People are able to connect on social media and see how others are positively affected when they reduce their alcohol consumption. These social media accounts have the power to inspire others to try reducing their intake while having a like-minded, supportive community.

Additionally, a shift in social norms and the availability of alternative options have allowed the sober curious movement to gain momentum. The rising popularity of non-alcoholic beverages like alcohol-free beer and mocktails has made it easier to enjoy social occasions without alcohol. Alcohol-free bars are also on the rise and support non-drinking social gatherings, allowing a person to remain social without the need for alcohol.

How To Get Sober Curious

Going to bars and drinking mocktails, attending book club gatherings, socializing at coffee shops, spending time outdoors, and even sober bars are becoming more popular among people joining the sober curious movement.

Some also try to adopt “alcohol-free days,” where you refrain from drinking alcohol on certain days of the week.

Taking a break from alcohol for a certain length of time is also a good way to evaluate how your body feels without alcohol.

Where Sober Curious Falls Short

Individuals who struggle with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol may not be good candidates for the sober curious movement. If you are dependent on alcohol, meaning that your body feels as though it needs alcohol to function and is at risk of withdrawal if you cut back or stop drinking, the sober curious movement may not be a healthy option because it may increase your risk of dangerous withdrawal symptoms.

The sober curious movement is not intended for people who have an addiction to alcohol to the point that it strongly affects many aspects of their daily lives.

Ready To Quit Drinking?

Those with a dependance on alcohol should detox at a medically supervised detox program and explore professional treatment at a licensed treatment facility. Treatment can reduce your risk of experiencing dangerous alcohol withdrawal symptoms and provide a safe space to explore sobriety. If you’re ready to learn more, contact a treatment provider today to explore your rehab options.