During my senior years of high school and my early college years, I remember impatiently counting down the months, the days, (and if I’ll be honest… seconds) until I turned 21. All around me , at dinners, out-of-home meals and even watching SATC make Cosmos look eye-catching, I watch people sipping seductively from coupes and gracefully from glasses. Drinking, it seemed, was the epitome of elegance – and it was a natural milestone that confirmed my appearance as an adult.
But a few years and a life-changing pandemic later, that idea of elegance has completely changed. Like many others, the past two years have given me the opportunity to reflect on my habits — and reevaluate my relationship with alcohol. I wouldn’t call myself a big drinker, but my late twenties body makes waking up with a hangover a million times worse than it was in college. And to be honest, sometimes I just want to curl up with a cup of tea instead of meeting drinking parties.
Again, i’m not alone while wondering if there is another way. If we don’t need a drink after a long day, or if we feel overwhelmed, awkward or stressed, there’s no need to drink a glass of wine. Join: the rise of sober curiosity — and the best books on sober curiosity to help you dig deeper.
Featured image of Belathee.
What is a sober curious lifestyle?
Lauren Sandoval, FNTP, a health coach and founder The Health + Happiness Method, previously told CS which she defines as sober curiosity as “exploring your relationship with alcohol rather than an all-or-nothing approach. Sober curiosity means you stand a chance of finding a balance that works for you — there’s no hard and fast rule for that.”
This is perhaps what I love most about the sober curiosity movement — it takes a light-hearted approach and highlights the importance of developing a mindful relationship with drinking. Of course, this is different from the problem of alcohol abuse. Usually, people who consider themselves sober will abstain from drinking because of the health benefits, not because they consider themselves alcoholics.
If you’re exploring a sober curious lifestyle, Sandoval shared some of the health benefits of cutting back or cutting out drinking that can help sweeten the deal:
- weight loss
- Improve liver function
- reduce anxiety and depression
- stable energy
- better digestion
- Easier menstruation and fertility
- Improve immunity
- Better food and lifestyle choices
“Even cutting back a little bit can relieve some of the stress the body puts on, helping the body heal itself,” says Sandoval.
Going through the best books for the curious will change the way you think about drinking.
