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Millennials Are Sick of Drinking

But they’re not giving up booze just yet.

On January 20, 2017, Cassie Schoon rolled into work with a hangover. It was the morning of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, and Schoon, who doesn’t count herself among the president’s fans, had gone out for drinks with friends the night before to take her mind off it. The evening’s distraction left her in pretty rough shape the next day. “I was in this meeting feeling absolutely miserable, and I was like, You know, this is not what grown-ups do,” she says.

Since then, Schoon, who is 37 and lives in Denver, has cut way back on alcohol. “[Drinking] has to be more of an occasion for me now, like someone’s birthday or a girls’ night,” she says. “So it’s once every couple of weeks instead of a weekly occurrence.” Drinking less wasn’t always simple for her: Denver is a young town with a vibrant brewery and bar scene, and Schoon’s social circle had long centered itself on meeting up for drinks. But avoiding booze has been worth it. “I started to realize there’s no reason I can’t see these people and go to museums or go out for waffles or something,” Schoon says.

In the past few weeks, I’ve heard from more than 100 Americans in their 20s and 30s who have begun to make similar changes in their drinking habits or who are contemplating ways to drink less. They have good company: Public-health efforts have helped drive down adolescent drinking rates, and American beverage manufacturers are beginning to hedge their bets on alcohol’s future. Media too have noticed that change is afoot. Recent months have seen a flurry of trend stories about Millennials—currently about 22 to 38 years old—getting sober.

But sobriety, a term that generally refers to the total abstention practiced by people in recovery from substance-abuse problems, doesn’t quite tell the story. What some have been quick to characterize as an interest in being sober might actually be more like a search for moderation in a culture that has long treated alcohol as a dichotomy: Either you drink whenever the opportunity presents itself, or you don’t drink at all. Many Millennials—and especially the urban, college-educated consumers prized by marketers—might just be tired of drinking so much.

Continue reading “Millennials Are Sick of Drinking”

Bartenders Share Their Buzziest Booze-Free Holiday Cocktails For The Sober-Curious Partygoer


– Article by Olivia Harrison, originally published on Refinery29 on Nov. 18, 2019.

PHOTOGRAPH BY REFINERY29.

Christmas trees, menorahs, and New Year’s Eve fireworks aren’t the only things that get lit during the holiday season. Many people — from your tipsy boss at the company party to your whiskey-swilling uncle at Thanksgiving — choose to celebrate this time of year with lots and lots (and lots) of drinking. The 2019 holiday season, however, might involve a little less of that, thanks to a growing trend toward teetotaling. Over the past year, we’ve seen more booze-free bars opening their doors, restaurants adding non-alcoholic drink options to their cocktail menus, and the term #SoberCurious (not to mention #CaliforniaSober) trending on social media. But those looking to continue embracing that sober curious lifestyle throughout what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but is also often the booziest, are going to need something to sip on that still feels celebratory. Which is why we asked beverage experts to weigh in. Ahead, bartenders, beverage directors, and mixologists from all across the country share their favorite festive booze-free drink recipes. With these non-alcoholic beverages, the holiday season will feel as merry and bright as ever.

Continue reading “Bartenders Share Their Buzziest Booze-Free Holiday Cocktails For The Sober-Curious Partygoer”

Travel’s Moment of Clarity: Sober Tourism Is a Real Business

There have always been travelers who don’t drink, but the “sober curious” lifestyle movement has created a defined market of people who are eager for trips, tours, and experiences that aren’t centered around alcohol. It’s surprising that the travel industry has only just started to respond.— Rosie Spinks


From rooftop bars to pub crawls, pool-side happy hours to club nights, alcohol tends to play an outsized role in travel, especially for young people.

For the increasing number of travelers who either abstain from alcohol entirely or who are “sober curious” — meaning those taking a conscious break from drinking — booking standard travel experiences that don’t center around alcohol can be challenging. This is especially true at a moment when solo travelers are open to joining group trips, but may not be so keen on meeting or traveling with people who are interested in pub crawls, happy hours, and partying.

It is all part of a cultural moment that is challenging the prevalent yet unexamined idea that all adults drink by default, unless they have some past that means they stopped. So it’s especially curious that when it comes to travel, the industry is just starting to show signs of recognition that this is a market worth catering to.

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Sober curious: how sobriety is becoming cool.

Forget bars and nightclubs. You’ll find me at one of these sober social venues.

remedy-place-lounge-and-nutritional-bar-2-photo-cred-madeline-tolle-madelinejean-on
Remedy Place is a new “social wellness club” that features a sober bar and lots of high-tech physical recovery modalities, such as whole-body cryotherapy and nutrient IV therapy.Madeline Tolle/Remedy Place

Walking down the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, you’d almost miss the haute, yet somehow low-key, sober club nestled among the bevy of cocktail bars, night clubs and taco huts that serve just the kind of food you have a hankering for after a night of debauchery. 

Of course, the 1.6-mile strip of Sunset Boulevard also hosts CycleBar and Rumble Boxing, because balance

As of Nov. 21, 2019, another wellness-oriented startup has nudged its way into WeHo, encouraging Los Angelenos to trade their boisterous, alcohol-clouded nights for something much quieter, more soothing and, quite frankly, much healthier.

Remedy Place proclaims itself the first-ever “social wellness club,” and while founder Dr. Jonathan Leary may have the pleasure of coining that term, his new endeavor isn’t the first to build upon the “sober-curious” trend currently rising up in big cities (Dr. Leary is, however, allegedly the first to combine the concept of high-tech physical recovery and sober socializing into one seamless institution). 

Wondering what this sober-curious movement is all about and where you can get your hands on a non-alcoholic cocktail that — rather surprisingly — makes you feel just as lively as the real thing? I met with Dr. Leary to discuss sober socializing and wellness, as well as tour the stunning Remedy Place. In this article, I discuss how sobriety is becoming accepted and even celebrated, plus where and how to experience the sober social scene. 

Continue reading “Sober curious: how sobriety is becoming cool.”
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