What Is Sober Curiosity? Exploring The Sober Curious Movement
This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s summer editorial intern Jenna Mindel. Find her on Instagram at @jennamindel. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
A new phrase has entered the cultural zeitgeist, “sober curious.”
It is just what it sounds like, according to Healthline, “Sober curious simply means that you’ve chosen to avoid alcohol for personal or wellness reasons. It involves curiosity about the reasons fueling your desire to drink and the way alcohol affects your life.”
The term was coined by author Ruby Warrington, who wrote the 2018 book, “Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol.” Since then, the term has been used to describe individuals who are curious about what it would look like for them to step away from drinking.
Sobriety in the past has been seen as the solution for addiction to drugs or alcohol, but often those who are sober curious have a healthy or “normal relationship” with alcohol. They are simply trying to see what life is like without drinking, and what benefits may come from that. With the push of wellness content across social media platforms, it is no surprise that sobriety has come up as a healthy alternative to drinking, even if it is moderate.
One thing our generation loves is a “silly little drink.” Basically any fun refreshing beverage, sparkling water, an iced coffee, an energy drink, a cocktail… For many who have taken a break from drinking but miss the habit of having a drink, mocktails are the way to go. Here is a TikTok page dedicated to mocktail recipes if you are interested.
Whether you feel the need to drink everyday or only have it socially, anybody can benefit from taking a break from alcohol. This is a new line of thinking, and something a lot of people will not get when you explain sobriety to them.
As somebody who does not drink besides the occasional (bi-monthly? rarely) cocktail, I will get some funny remarks from friends who do not get my lack of desire to drink. It has never been a religious or a health thing. Those tend to be the reasons somebody does not drink, so people may react strangely when you decline a cocktail even if you’ve never had a “problem”. Frankly, it is an acquired taste that I don’t love and I am cheap. Spending $15 on something I know I will only mildly enjoy that’ll give me a warm fuzzy feeling for an hour does not seem like it is worth it to me. I’d be happier drinking sparkling water!
Along with sober influencers, there are more and more celebrities who are opening up about their sobriety. Here are a handful you may have not known were sober:
Natalie Portman
Tyler the Creator
Lana Del Ray
Blake Lively
Kendrick Lamar
Samuel L. Jackson
Sobriety, at least sober curiosity is growing. People being mindful of their alcohol consumption and how that affects them mentally, physically and spiritually is a new thing. However, it is something that is becoming more normalized because our generation is realizing the many negatives that come with drinking.
Many sober influencers claim that they wake up feeling more energized, and how that energy stays with them throughout the day. Without the waves of energy that come with drinking a depressant, at first it may be a hard adjustment but over time your body can become more stabilized.
Here is a video explaining how cortisol levels (the stress hormone) is impacted when you drink regularly. This also contributes to the grounded feeling sober influencers claim.
It makes me excited that it is becoming more normalized to not drink alcohol. Whatever the reason is, I hope you feel empowered to be sober curious if you think that is something that will add value to your life.
I would love to hear what your favorite non-alcoholic drink is… leave it in the comments below (mine is Dr. Pepper)! Do you have any favorite sober influencers or celebrities?