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There is a movement afoot! Can you feel you it? Have you actively been on social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and others and you have noticed a real uplift in people showcasing their sobriety or reduction of alcohol intake? Perhaps this has made you take a long hard look at your own drinking levels and wondering, how much is too much? Am I drinking every day? Perhaps I should see if I can take a few days off or quit altogether? if so, then you my friend, are sober curious!

I see it all the time, in fact, it is impressive to see that the younger generation now seems to have removed the ‘it’s cool’ to go out every night and get drunk beyond belief attitude. Sure, the media will still show images of people out on ‘freshers’ week (not so much at the moment with Covid-19), however, there does seem to be a real shift. Is it a case now that drinking consistently and to excess is becoming a middle-aged problem?

What the stats say

I don’t like to completely rely on statistics when looking into issues with alcohol, for a number of reasons, which include; 1) they aren’t real-time results, so they don’t show exactly what is happening right now, especially with the Covid-19 which will have a major impact on people’s drinking behaviour. 2) Stats can be flawed as they are only as reliable as the people reporting them and they only show the number of cases actually dealt with. We know that alcohol addiction is something that can be hidden away.

It is, however, still good to look at statistics from independent resources to get a view of the trend and it makes for some interesting reading. If we look at the report from Alcohol Change (https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-statistics) they have highlighted the following:

• Since 2005, the numbers have fallen in terms of amount of alcohol consumed in the UK and the proportion of people reported drinking. The trend of decline is showing greater in younger people.
• In 2017, it was recorded that men are more likely to drink than women and those people that fall within the age brackets of 45-64 were in the highest bracket for drinking.
• The mortality rates of alcohol related deaths are highest amongst people aged 55-69.

What we do know, is that even with the trend decreasing, alcohol addiction is still a major problem, not just in the UK but across the globe. The stats only tell us so much and they don’t go into the personal destruction it can cause to individuals and their families. It is interesting to see that the trend is falling for drinkers within the younger age brackets. Is this due to movements such as sober curious?

Recommended Article – 20 Things I have learned after 4 months of not drinking alcohol

What is the sober curious movement?

What I love about the sober curious movement is that it is inclusive for all. There is no judgement. Whether you have completely removed alcohol from your life, or you are adapting changes to your lifestyle to decrease the amount of alcohol you consume, with the end goal to become alcohol-free, this is an all-inclusive cultural movement.

Unlike sobriety, sober curiosity is having the option to reduce alcohol intake for health-related reasons, whether physical or mental. To be sober curious, is to realise that you need to consider your alcohol intake and to assess the impact it is having on your life, but not necessarily being ready to fully commit to sobriety.

The rise of the movement has seen fantastic momentum with influencers on social media who have turned alcohol reduction into something that should be aspired to, as well as calendar dates such as ‘dry January’. Being sober curious is to look at yourself and to question and to be open to change.

My own sober curious experience

I knew way before I started my sobriety 2 years ago that I needed to take a long hard look at my drinking, so I guess you could have called me sober curious then! However, if we go back 4-5 years ago, I was in complete denial about the problems with my drinking and how it was impacting every aspect of my life, from my family through to work, not to mention my physical and mental health.

I knew I needed to make a real change to my life for the better. I didn’t want to wake up hungover, feeling a lot older than I am. I wanted to stop having alcohol control my emotions, where I would panic if the wine rack was getting low. I wanted to stop feeling like I needed to drink to be able to enjoy any social function, I wanted to stop my hands shaking after a heavy night of booze. I wanted to stop.

I really started to look into sobriety, from checking out sobriety influencers on places like Instagram and looking on YouTube at ‘sober help videos’ and it shocked me to realise that I really did have a problem with alcohol. Everything they were talking about resonated with me. I had been in my own world for all those years and it was like a vale had been pulled back and the realisation struck me.

Where are you?

Are you sober curious? Have you (like I did) taken a long hard look at your drinking or has a chord struck due to family members or people you care about highlighted a concern about your level of drinking? If so, then I implore you to look further into it. Self-critiquing is never easy, but the old adage of ‘where there is smoke, there is fire’, is definitely true in terms of alcohol and alcoholism.

You have the power to change. Just because your past was confined to drink doesn’t mean your future has to be. The rise of the internet and social media sites has allowed movements such as ‘sober curious’ to gain real momentum and in my opinion, this is an excellent thing. Give yourself this gift of sobriety and I guarantee you, you will look back at your life in the following months and years and thank yourself, as will the people you care about.

As part of besober.co.uk, I have a fantastic support group on Facebook. There are people who are sober curious and others who have been sober for years. I would love for you to be a part of it and you can access the free group here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1960061840706240 It’s a completely private group and your safe space to share your opinions, concerns and your journey.

I also have an awesome YouTube channel where I post regular content around sobriety and the sober curious movement. If you are wanting to get some help or advice on becoming sober, or you are just looking into ways to reduce your alcohol intake, I know you will find some really useful information from the videos available.

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