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Alcohol warning could lead to increase in sober curious
Rihanna announced she’s been sober for a year. Tom Holland launched a non-alcoholic beer company last year. And the “sober curious” movement, famously backed by Chrissy Teigen in late 2021 gains traction every January.
With the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy calling for cancer-warning labels on alcoholic beverages after outlining a direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk, will this be the push the sober curious movment needs?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol consumption is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity
“I was done with making an (expletive) of myself in front of people (I’m still embarrassed), tired of day drinking and feeling like (expletive) by 6, not being able to sleep,” Teigen explained in an Instagram story when she started her sober curious journey.
And she’s not alone. Sobriety has entered the mainstream, with bars opening and thriving dedicated to mocktails. New York City got its first sober dive bar, Hekate Café & Eliker Lounge, in 2022 and is still going strong.
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Holland opened up in recent years about limiting or avoiding alcohol use. The “Spider-Man” star attempted Dry January in 2022, and found that he was “struggling without booze,” prompting him to give up alcohol for an entire year.
“By the time I’d crossed that annual mark I was done,” he told Jay Shetty in a podcast appearance. “I was like, ‘I’m never gonna drink again because this is the best version of myself.”
Holland’s non-alcoholic beer company, BERO, will be available in major US retailers starting this month.
What is the sober curious movement?
There’s no one way to be sober curious, but it comes down to exploring your relationship with alcohol and intentionally drinking less of it.
It could look like cutting out regular happy hour cocktails with friends and switching your martini for a soda, not drinking for a week, or taking part in the Dry January trend and forgoing alcohol for a whole month.
“The sober curious movement challenges societal norms surrounding drinking,” Dr. Amy Myers, who specializes in functional medicine and gut health, previously told USA TODAY. “It allows people to question the role alcohol plays in their life, becoming more mindful of their drinking habits. This movement is a natural extension as health, wellness, and mindfulness are becoming mainstream among the Gen Z generation.”
Low-alcohol and zero-proof beverage sales have grown 11% over the past five years. Giesen Wines, a leading company in the no-alcohol and low-alcohol wine market, saw a 28.51% growth year on year in their non-alcoholic wine category in 2024.
“It has been remarkable to witness firsthand the shift in consumer preferences towards low- and no-alcohol alternatives, and we are thrilled that our dedication to the premium tier of dealcoholized wines has resonated with so many U.S. wine drinkers,” Richard O’Brien, Giesen Director of Sales & Marketing said in a statement. “Younger generations are driving growth that far outpaces industry expectations.”
Millennials are the key drivers of no-alcohol sales growth in the U.S., according to a 2024 analysis. Research shows that 13% of U.S. drinkers consumed both full-strength and no-alcohol products, a 6% increase from 2023. Among Millennials, the rate was 22%, whereas Gen Z (15%) and Gen X (11%) fell significantly behind (though, the majority of Gen Z is below the legal drinking age).
With the sober curious movement hitting the mainstream, a low-alcohol or no-alcohol lifestyle is becoming more socially acceptable.
“It’s no longer ‘weird’ or stigmatized to say you’re not drinking at a party or dinner,” Morgan McLachlan, co-founder of De Soi, previously told USA TODAY. “But with the availability of sophisticated non-alcoholic alternatives, people can participate fully in social rituals while making choices that feel good for them.”
Sober-curious?Here’s what to know about Dry January, the alcohol abstinence challenge
Is alcohol intake linked to cancer?
Murthy said Friday that there is a direct link between alcohol consumption and increased risk for at least seven types of cancer, including cancers of the breast, esophagus, liver and several others. For some cancers, that risk starts at just one drink a day or even fewer, he said.
“While scientific evidence for this connection has been growing over the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognize it as a risk factor for cancer,” Murthy’s office said in a statement. “This advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm.”
In a 2019 survey cited in the advisory, just 45% of Americans said they were aware alcohol was a risk factor for cancer, compared to 91% for radiation exposure, 89% for tobacco use, 81% for asbestos exposure and 53% for obesity. Adding a warning label, he says, can reduce that knowledge gap.
How to explore the sober curious movement
Alcohol use isn’t black and white, explains Nick Allen, founder and CEO at Cutback Coach, an online system designed to help people decrease alcohol consumption by being more mindful about their drinking.
“We’ve created this false dichotomy around the role that alcohol plays in our lives,” Allen previously told USA TODAY. “We as a society have come to think that either you have a drinking problem and you’re an alcoholic… or, as the narrative goes, you’re totally fine and your alcohol habits are completely healthy and you don’t need any intervention or help at all.”
Allen says, in actuality, things aren’t so simple: “For the vast majority of drinkers, it’s clear that there’s an opportunity to be healthier without needing to live this totally sober life.”
The first steps to exploring being sober curious can be jumping on the Dry January trend.
Harvard Health Publishing recommends the following steps for executing a successful Dry January:
- Find a substitute non-alcoholic drink. For social situations or when the craving for an alcoholic drink may be stronger, have non-alcoholic drinks around, like sparking water, soda or mocktails.
- Avoid temptations. Keep alcohol out of the house and bring non-alcoholic beverages when visiting others.
- Create or join a support group. Enlist family and friends to try Dry January, too.
- Don’t give up. Don’t feel guilty for slipping up. Begin the next day and try again.
Contributing: Erin Jenson, Greta Cross, Lulu Chang, Jeanine Santucci, Adrianna Rodriguez, Natalie Neysa Alund
As the awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol continues to grow, more and more people are becoming interested in the sober curious lifestyle. With recent studies showing that even moderate alcohol consumption can have negative impacts on health, it’s no wonder that many individuals are reevaluating their relationship with alcohol.
The recent trend of alcohol warning labels, similar to those found on cigarette packages, could further fuel this movement towards sobriety. These labels would provide information about the potential risks and health implications of alcohol consumption, prompting individuals to question their drinking habits and consider cutting back or eliminating alcohol altogether.
For those who are already sober curious or looking to reduce their alcohol intake, these warnings could serve as a helpful reminder of why they made the decision to change their habits in the first place. It could also encourage others who may not have considered the impact of alcohol on their health to take a closer look at their drinking patterns.
Overall, the introduction of alcohol warning labels could lead to a significant increase in the sober curious community, as more people become aware of the potential risks associated with alcohol consumption and choose to prioritize their health and well-being.
Tags:
- Alcohol warning
- Sober curious
- Alcohol consumption
- Health risks
- Sober lifestyle
- Moderate drinking
- Alcohol awareness
- Social drinking
- Alcohol education
- Responsible drinking.
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