What is ‘Sober Curious’? Plus, Reasons to Drink Less

She still has an occasional glass of wine, but says the Dry January movement helped her to kick the habit and dodge the social pressures. If you face questions from friends or family, be open and honest about your reasons for choosing a sober curious lifestyle. It’s important to communicate that this decision is personal and centered around your own health and happiness.

Sober Curious vs. Sobriety

• They are usually progressively implementing more sober time into their schedule and considering what works best for them – similarly to the Dry January trend.
• For some, the sober curious movement is a response to the adverse effects of alcohol, such as poor sleep, anxiety, weight gain, and decreased productivity.
• Drinking, once seen as harmless, is now better understood to impact sleep quality, mood stability, and physical health.

Increasing numbers of young people aren’t just sober curious; they are skipping alcohol altogether. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that the percentage of college-age students abstaining from alcohol has grown from 20 to 28% over the past twenty years. The movement has encouraged more sober-focused events such as yoga retreats, meditation sessions, book clubs, online communities, and non-alcoholic dinner parties. In the short term, it can increase interpersonal conflict, cause hangovers, change behavior, and contribute to injuries and accidents. It can leave you tired, cause an inflammatory response that affects your immune system, and interfere with daily life.

What does a ‘sober curious’ lifestyle look like?

Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.

Instead, it encourages mindfulness and intentionality around alcohol use. People who adopt a sober curious approach often do so to discover if consuming less alcohol could improve their lives. The process is about reducing or eliminating alcohol from your life to see how it affects your well-being, mental clarity, relationships and overall quality of life. For every person, the granular details of a “sober curious” journey will depend on their goals, motivations and relationship with alcohol to find what feels right and supports the best version of themselves. It’s a shift in the way people and generations are interacting with and thinking about alcohol use.

There are many resources and communities available to support you along the way, whether you’re looking for information, inspiration, or connection with others who share your goals. Here, we unpack the sober curious movement, potential benefits and challenges, and where to get more information, or help and support. “Often when you go to a social event, you realize, wow, there are a sober curious lot of people here that aren’t drinking or drinking very little,” he says. “Many people have this idea that if I don’t have a drink in my hand at a social event, people are going to think I’m strange or weird.

More and more people are toying with the notion of drinking less. Here’s how to get started

Critics argue that sober curiosity might oversimplify the challenges of mindful drinking or moderate drinking that individuals with alcohol use disorder face. (13)  For those who have struggled with addiction, the journey to recovery is often a lifelong winding road. The sober curious movement has its roots in the changing attitudes towards alcohol consumption and wellness that began to emerge in the early 2010s. As more people started questioning their relationship with alcohol, a new paradigm of mindful drinking began to take shape.

• The movement gained momentum quickly, in part because it allows people to explore living a more sober lifestyle without making the commitment to give up drinking entirely.
• At social events, she asks for her bubbly H₂O with a slice of lime, which helps her to blend in as it resembles a gin and tonic.
• The movement encourages people to examine how much, when, and why they drink alcohol.
• “After reducing your alcohol intake, mentally you may feel more intentional, more present, and more connected to those around you,” says John Herman, co-founder of non-alcoholic beer brand BERO.
• It doesn’t require a major life change or a firm commitment to sobriety, but rather an open-minded curiosity about how your life might improve with less alcohol.
• The sober curious approach invites individuals to reflect on their drinking habits and how alcohol affects their relationships and overall quality of life.

Being Sober Curious means exploring sobriety and drinking less—not from a place of restriction but from a place of curiosity. It’s not about following strict rules or labeling yourself; it’s about asking questions and making intentional choices about alcohol. You may not feel a need to quit entirely, but taking a break might help you find more productive ways of managing challenges. One study found that after being sober for one month, people experience decreases in blood pressure and a lower risk for alcohol-related conditions. Marisa Savic, PMHNP-BC is a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who received her nursing and master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently the National Lead Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at Eleanor Health and her clinical interests include therapeutic communication, evidence-based treatment and nonjudgmental care.

Individualized Treatment

Being sober curious is about reflecting on what impact alcohol has on your life. Some use it as a way to be more creative in their downtime, either looking up or creating mocktail recipes to try or seeking out new ways to engage with friends that aren’t centered around a bar. Whatever the reasons for taking a break from alcohol, studies have shown there are a great deal of benefits. The sober curious method is a process of experimentation, where people might choose to take breaks from alcohol, try alcohol-free days, or even engage in temporary challenges like “dry months” (e.g., Dry January or Sober October). The method empowers individuals to make conscious decisions rather than follow the default behavior of consuming alcohol at social gatherings, celebrations, or out of habit.

When you know you’ll be in a social setting that involves alcohol, preparing your response ahead of time helps you stick to your decision in a situation where you might feel swayed. People participating in month-long sobriety challenges also reported increased energy and productivity, better sleep, and weight loss. The Surgeon General released a statement in January 2025 warning of the risks of drinking, even in moderation. There’s evidence to link alcohol use to an increased risk of developing several types of cancer. If you are interested in learning more about what it means to be sober curious, check out Ruby Warrington’s book or her accompanying podcast.

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It’s rarely questioned, and when it is, it’s often framed as a problem to fix. If you’re weighing the benefits of short-term sobriety, focus on what you’ll gain, not drug addiction treatment what you’ll lose. If you’re ready to try a sober lifestyle, here are some first steps you can take to get started. Going sober curious allows you the opportunity to see how sobriety or moderation might fit into your life. In cases where you have been drinking heavily or frequently for some time, it is a good idea to have your detox supervised by a medical professional to manage potentially risky withdrawal complications.

One of the joys of the sober curious lifestyle is discovering the wide range of alcohol-free alternatives available today. Whether you’re at a social event, dining out, or relaxing at home, there are plenty of delicious and satisfying options that don’t involve alcohol. “Lowering alcohol intake can help improve function, cognition and health,” says Deborah Freeland, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Cutting back, she adds, can also help reduce one’s risk of falls, driving impairment and cognitive decline, which are already high-risk conditions in older adults.