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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/15/last-orders-how-we-fell-out-of-love-with-alcohol>
"Cheers and mazel tov! We’ve made it halfway through January. Yes, our bodies
endured a pounding through the festive frivolities, but through that
excruciating cumulative hangover we somehow survived. Our recycling bins have
been collected, those bottles of bubbly out of sight and mind. New-year-new-me
resolutions can now be abandoned. Anyone fancy a pint?
Or this year, does another round feel less appealing? You’re far from alone if,
in 2023, you’re considering calling time once and for all. Welcome to the era
of the sober-curious; the apparently ever-growing movement of people exploring
what life could look like alcohol-free. Among young Brits, the numbers look
irrefutable: between 2002 and 2019, the proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds in
England who reported monthly drinking fell from 67% to 41%. And while the stats
don’t show older adults putting down the plonk on a permanent basis, something
is shifting. According to Dry January’s organisers, this year one in six UK
adults who drink alcohol are attempting to participate. Alcohol-free beers were
once a fringe choice; today they’re found nationwide on supermarket shelves. No
longer do 0% orders come with a side of pregnancy questions or bemused stares.
Until recently, I’d assumed my millennial peers to be distinct from this new
generation of abstainers – that this was firmly the preserve of Gen Z. But
recently, I’ve noticed a change. Now there’s a steady stream of posts appearing
on my social media feeds in which friends – in their late 20s or early 30s –
announce that they are embarking on sobriety journeys of their own.
Often, these are people quitting not because of what might traditionally be
perceived as a drinking problem. Most have simply decided they’re better off
without. It’s even seeping into dating: according to the app Bumble, a third of
its British users are now more likely to go on a dry date than they were
pre-pandemic. And nearly two-thirds of us believe sober dating leads to more
lasting connections."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
