Are you ‘sober curious’? Join the club

For better or worse, Australian culture has long placed an emphasis on drinking – especially when it comes to social events. From 1974-75 (Australia’s ‘peak beer’ period),our country consumed the equivalent of 500 stubbies per person. But as people begin to invest more in their health and wellness, this looks set to change.

According to research by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, alcohol consumption among Australians has hit a 50-year low. And despite reports of panic buying at bottle shops across the country in March 2020, research suggests that Aussies have been drinking even less while in COVID-19 lockdown.

Following the release of the AIA Vitality Wellbeing Index, which focuses on how four key behaviours contribute to four non-communicable diseases, which in turn lead to 90 per cent of premature deaths in Australia – excessive alcohol consumption plays a leading role, and may lead to cancers and cardiovascular disease. It’s pretty sobering stuff. 

It’s no wonder that Australian drinkers are changing their attitudes towards alcohol and considering healthier options. In 2017, around 63 per cent of Australian drinkers consumed no more than two standard drinks per occasion, with 20 per cent of the population opting for alcohol-free drinks altogether (according to this Drinkwise report). This decline has been met with a rise in a new movement: people throwing off the ‘teetotaller’ identity – and its party-pooper connotations – and adopting a softer label instead: sober curious.

It’s a trend that Chris Raine – CEO of Hello Sunday Morning – has noticed. “There’s a greater level of young people abstaining. The culture is shifting,” he says, although he recognises that alcohol still plays a big role in Australian society.

“Drinking is such a strong part of our culture – whether with friends, family, or in our professional life – that to make a choice not to can be jarring for a lot of people.”

Hello Sunday Morning is helping people make the transition with Daybreak, a digital program that provides a support community for those taking a break from the booze. “[Quitting] can be very lonely; you have to define who you are and what you care about. It’s not always a pleasurable experience, because it's really important to be accepted,” Raine says.

Daybreak provides its community with a network that helps remove some of the loneliness and the negative stigma. “People sign up and commit to their goals, and there’s peer support from those going through the same thing. Then we have coaching with drug and alcohol counsellors – and psychologists, if needed – to support people through trickier moments.”  

But Australians aren’t the only ones making the choice to stop drinking. Author Ruby Warrington (the UK-based writer who coined the ‘sober curious’ label) hosts a podcast that has seen the likes of Moby praising the virtues of sobriety, and alcohol-free bars (which may sound like an oxymoron, but provides an inclusive space where everyone can drink) popping up in the USA, the UK, and right here in Australia.  

So what’s driving this sudden surge? The popularity of general wellness tells part of the story. Globally, the health and wellness industry is worth a staggering US$4.5 trillion, with healthy eating, nutrition, and weight loss making up around $702 billion of that figure.

Raine suggests that the sheer amount of information about drinking has something to do with it too. “Our society is becoming more open to a diverse range of perspectives and opinions, which is reflected in the technology we use. You can find different groups of people with different views so easily. We’re becoming a more tolerant and less stigmatising society, with more people interested in getting help.”

And with more people than ever prioritising their wellbeing, awareness of the physical and mental consequences of excessive alcohol consumption is growing, and the health benefits of abstaining are clear.

Demand for mature non-alcoholic beverages has also hit new heights, offering more refined options than the bar-standard soft drinks, sugary mocktails and – say it ain’t so – cups of tea (yup, at the pub). These days, those who are abstaining can choose to sip on something like a ‘picnic smash’, made with Seedlip – a distilled non-alcoholic spirit – or an alcohol-free lager from Sobah, Australia’s first Aboriginal-owned and run non-alcoholic beer company.

These trends for ‘nolo’ drinks – tipples that have no or low alcohol contents – is being seen worldwide: Bon Appétit has reported that the market for low- and no-alcohol drinks is projected to grow 32 per cent between 2018 and 2022. It makes sense.

As more people question the role alcohol plays in their lives, it looks as though the ranks of the sober curious are set to swell. And in Raine’s opinion, this can only be a good thing. “Anything we use extensively deserves testing extensively. Even a small change in your patterns of drinking can have a significant effect on your mental health, your mood – even just your calorie intake.”

If you’re concerned about your drinking habits, DrinkWise has a comprehensive list of available support services.

Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances 

Copyright © 2020 AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861 AFSL 230043). This is general information only, without taking into account factors like the objectives, financial situation, needs or personal circumstances of any individual and is not intended to be financial, legal, tax, medical, nutritional, health, fitness or other advice.