Written by: Jessica Betancourt, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
A few years ago if you had brought non-alcoholic beers to a party or asked for the Mocktail menu at a restaurant, you likely would have been met with some eye-rolls and closed-ended questions. "Are you sober now?" "Are you pregnant" "Are you on antibiotics?"
A few years ago, you might have felt awkward in becoming visible with your newfound self-awareness that – you just don't want to drink alcohol the way that you used to, whether that is not at all or in some form of mindful consumption.
But what can no longer be denied by many is that drinking less or not at all has become pretty popular. And not only that but in a few years we will likely look back and see that it was also a movement within mainstream culture. If you look around, you can already see the indicators of this happening.
1. A plethora of alcohol-free options and designated non-drinking months
Dozens of new non-alcoholic beer and wine options are popping up daily. The artistry of the faux-tail/ mocktail is looking second to none. Kombucha is everywhere – hard and soft versions. Dry bars are not just for Utahans anymore, and going for a walk around the neighborhood instead of opening a bottle is coming back as an evening pastime. We have Dry January, Sober October, and any other month that you can find a rhyming or alliterative abstinence word for can gain momentum both with returning participants and those who are sober-curious. Remember September, anyone?
2. The shared sentiments of people who are opting out of consuming alcohol
There used to be a felt (or vocalized) sense of shame or embarrassment around saying that you were abstaining from drinking. It required an explanation or a doctor's note. To tell the truth, when I became visible about my experience in healing myself from Alcohol Use Disorder, I was a bit afraid. I had fears of losing friends, of being required to define myself in regards to alcohol, not being accepted by various communities for not labeling myself Sober, and just generalized anxiety around making myself available for criticism. But all of these fears, both mine and the collective are paling in comparison to one thing. The lived experience of feeling liberated and alive when alcohol, AND the thoughts that create an obsession around it, are removed.
If you've even experimented with drinking less alcohol in recent years then you know that alcohol minimization has been one of the most underestimated life upgrades of our time. There's a weightlessness that accompanies waking up clear-headed, not rehashing regret from the night before. There is a physical sense of becoming more sensitive to and respectful of your body's needs and noticing how vastly better you feel when you abstain from drinking.
You notice how your perceived aging process slows or improves. Your relationships transform allowing you to release the ones that no longer serve you and to nurture ones that may have been neglected. Your whole sense of self feels regenerated and grateful for life. And perhaps most importantly for some, you notice that your capabilities are much greater than you previously believed. You see that you CAN handle upset, you manage stress well, and you do prefer healthier alternatives to making yourself feel better, as in utilizing a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
3. The coming of age generation
They may be vaping and phone-obsessed but if you look at the Gen Zers, they are not exactly shoulder tapping in front of the liquor store, stealing booze from their parents, or hiding in the park with paper bags over 40 oz beer bottles. They are seeing and witnessing the downfall of alcohol addiction from the generations preceding them and they are much more objective about what negative effects alcohol credibly has in a person's life. They probably notice the change in people's personalities when they drink or they notice how their parents or their friends' parents use alcohol and they don't feel drawn to use it in the same way to relieve stress or to bond with their own friends.
In contrast, you may notice many older people who still chain-smoke and drink hard liquor in copious amounts, which seems like outdated behavior for the most part by today's standards. Where I live there are still people who smoke in restaurants, and it feels a little bit Stone Age.
What is important to notice here is that everything is constantly changing and shifting in our external realities based on the changing evolution of people's level of consciousness. This is what a zeitgeist is. For many people, this is a very exciting time to be alive and participate in a movement that enhances not only our well-being but improves the legacy of those who will come after us.
If you are new to the sober-curious, drink-less, mindful drinking experience, and you'd like a bit of support in changing your behavior around alcohol, feel free to get a copy of my complimentary Beginner's Guide to Mindful Drinking. And start your journey towards greater health and wellness now. Now IS the time!
Jessica Betancourt, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jessica Betancourt is an RTT trained hypnotherapist and Certified Transformational Life Coach specializing in addiction transformation with an emphasis for Alcohol Use Disorder. After having gotten clear that her own drinking habits had become problematic, she successfully re-trained her brain using meditation, hypnosis, spiritual practices and subconscious reprogramming to heal her relationship with alcohol. She now works helping others to do the same with their addictive tendencies, which may have also included but are certainly not limited to: smoking, food, cocaine, marijuana, and sugar. She is a mom of 4 and lives in her adopted country of Spain with her Spanish husband and she dies an ego death every day
