Why people are serious about being ‘sober curious’

WHENEVER a hot new trend pops up, it’s often referred to as “the new black”. Often this involves fashion or music. But one of the latest movements to gain traction may surprise some people – has sober socialising become cool? Forget the alcohol ban that was in place only a week ago. What we are seeing is that more and more South Africans are embracing mindful drinking and the industry itself is getting “sober-curious”.

While socialising may once have meant heavy drinking at a bar, these days a night out could just as easily mean an evening of alcohol-free adult beverages.

Ali Bestel, the head of marketing at Loxtonia Cider, a family-owned cidery in the Ceres Valley, said the main reason for this changing preference is the increasing awareness of the harmful side-effects of alcohol consumption. Bestel said the last few years have seen a change in lifestyle with people becoming more health-conscious.

“People are definitely more concerned and aware as to what they are putting into their bodies, as there is a huge increase in the ‘low and no’ drinks sector. We have especially seen a big rise in non-alcoholic options during the current pandemic. More and more people are cutting down on drinking or giving it up completely, for a variety of different reasons such as religion, health and wellness, life-changing decisions, and personal reasons,” she said.

Bestel said sobriety comes with many advantages such as increased energy levels, better relationships and sleep patterns, stable neurology, better skin, more time, and money that is saved. She said that more and more people are becoming “sober-curious” as a way to have a more balanced life.

“Mindful drinking starts with paying attention. You can start by noticing where and when you drink, and with whom you drink, even if you drink alone. You can also start to notice how drinking makes you feel, and how you use it to relate to the world around you. Paying attention to these things helps you understand the part that alcohol plays in your life. Paying attention can also help you understand why you want to change,” said Bestel.

Founder of the South African Mindful Drinking Festival, Sean O’Connor, said: “Mindfulness might be summarised as Attention plus Intention – paying attention to how just one drink affects you mentally and physically, what your reactions are to drinking in a social context, what drinking does to you and for you, and the way you relate to the world around you.”

He says South Africans are awash in alcohol and its effects are increasingly visible. “Drinking is normalised as part of many rituals and rites of passage and is advertised everywhere, but it's not easy to drink in moderation. So many triggers – parenting, stress, hard work, invitations to have 'just one' … People I think are starting to see an alternative, especially one where they do not have to forgo a beverage to join in and feel ‘a part of’.

“Big drinks companies like ABInbev have pledged to make 20% of their drinks non-alcoholic by 2025.

“Non-alcoholic beverages are booming in other parts of the world, and account for the fastest growing sector in the beverage industry. While still small, they are growing as better production methods improve taste, and economies of scale bring down the price,” he said.

Non-alcoholic drinks could prove beneficial for recovering alcoholics who are looking for sober drinking options, or for people who want to cut down on their alcohol consumption.

But how healthy are these drinks? What are the potential health risks for people who consume “non-alcoholic” or "de-alcoholised" beverages which may contain trace amounts of ethanol (less than 0.5% by volume)?

Dietitian, Mbali Mapholi of Mbali Mapholi Inc, says: “In terms of the nutritional profile of non-alcoholic drinks, they might be packed with energy and sometimes more sugar compared to alcoholic drinks. Healthy drinks are drinks that are low in added sugar – less than about 1 teaspoon of added sugar per 100ml.

“On the food or drink label, ingredients are listed by quantity – from highest to lowest. People can identify if any drink, including a non-alcoholic drink, is low in sugar by reading the ingredients’ list,” she said.

Mapholi said that, unlike alcoholic drinks, non-alcoholic drinks do not have a quantity limit. “The concept that is important to grasp is that nutritionally, non-alcoholic drinks are just like sugar-sweetened beverages, and that non-alcoholic drinks are okay to drink in moderation as part of a healthy diet. The individual limit depends on individual nutritional needs and health goals.”