{"id":28000,"date":"2021-12-06T23:12:02","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T23:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=28000"},"modified":"2021-12-06T23:52:50","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T23:52:50","slug":"sober-curious-mindful-drinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/sober-curious-mindful-drinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindful Drinking is the Answer to Forgoing Your Hangovers for Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you’re sober curious or simply want to ditch your hangovers, here’s a guide to mindful drinking.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

In the past few years, it would seem like the alcohol<\/a> industry is reaching a tipping point. New product categories like hard kombuchas have popped up, purchasing alcohol online has never been easier, and of course, everyone is doing a hard seltzer<\/a>. While you might think the pandemic may have triggered a spike in stress-related drinking, the general trend is actually sloping downward.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u00a0The decline may be driven in part by Millenials (those born from around 1981-1996). Millennials have been deemed by some to be \u201cGeneration Sober<\/a>\u201d for their interest in doing sober streaks or going booze-free altogether. Americans are drinking, on average, 3.6 drinks per week, compared to 4.5 per week in 2015, per a July 2021 Gallup poll<\/a>. It\u2019s the lowest number of drinks per week that the yearly survey has recorded since 2001. Further, only 18 percent of poll respondents believe they sometimes drink too much, down from 25 percent in 2015 and around 33 percent in the mid-to-late 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n

What is Mindful Drinking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Mindful<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

That phrase, \u201cthink they drink too much,\u201d is often the inspiration for the sober curious to embark on a mindful drinking lifestyle. Put simply, mindful drinking, also sometimes called intuitive drinking, is putting an end to drinking without thinking. (It\u2019s become such a community movement, there are even entire festivals dedicated to mindful drinking<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n

Mindful drinking \u201cis centered on being mindful of what you consume and why you are consuming it,\u201d explains Katherine Brooking, RD<\/a>, co-founder of the nutrition news company Appetite for Health<\/a> in San Francisco. \u201cTo drink more mindfully, ask yourself when you drink, \u2018why am I drinking?\u2019 Is it an event, like a wedding or holiday where drinking is part of the ritual? Is it a night out with friends? Are you alone? Is it to feel more part of a group, to alleviate stress or sadness? It\u2019s important to understand the rationale and emotions behind our decision to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Mindful drinking is not to be confused with getting sober due to an alcohol dependency or history of alcohol abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

Laura Burak MS, RD, registered dietitian, founder of\u00a0GetNaked\u00ae\u00a0Nutrition<\/a>\u00a0and the author of Slimdown with Smoothies<\/em><\/a> is familiar with witnessing her parent peers joke about drinking too much or discussing if it\u2019s too early for a drink on the mom text chain. Or do more than just discuss it: \u201cIt can be all too common to down one too many drinks in order to relax after a marathon of a day or week,\u201d\u00a0 Burak says. She recommends assessing if your alcohol intake could be having an impact on your health.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cThink about whether it may be inducing more anxiety or preventing you from progressing in your overall physical health goals like improving your lab work or losing excess weight and if so, abstain for a while or simply cut down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Reflecting on how you feel the morning after drinking may also be enough to convince you it\u2019s time to try mindful drinking: A pounding headache. Dizzy, queasy, and all-around uneasy sensations. Head-to-toe fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n

And while it\u2019s more on the extreme end of things, alcohol consumption is correlated to about 95,000 American deaths per year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>, equivalent to about 260 deaths per day.<\/p>\n\n\n

Rather than popping open a bottle of wine with dinner every night out of habit, or taking shots with friends at the bar on a Friday or Saturday night to be part of the group, mindful drinking involves reflecting on what alcohol is doing for you\u2014and to you\u2014before taking a sip.<\/p>\n\n\n

What Does it Mean to Be \u201cSober Curious,\u201d Exactly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Mindful<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

While being sober refers to long-term abstinence from alcohol, Brooking says that sober curiosity is generally about shorter-term \u201ctrials,\u201d such as Dry January and Sober October when someone might opt to go alcohol-free for the month.
<\/p>\n\n\n

Most people would benefit from taking a breather once in a while just to notice how different our bodies feel without it, Burak believes. If you think alcohol is becoming too much of a mainstay in your life and are craving a healthy break, you can try giving it up for a period<\/a>. \u201cBut like everything, I never recommend going to extremes and completely eliminating anything* you enjoy for pleasure as it can lead to binging,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n

That said, there is a big difference between having a problem with alcohol where you are unable to stop drinking, versus just wanting to take a break, Burak says. \u201cThe line of severity can get fuzzy though and many people are in denial of their excess intake, so of course it is recommended to seek professional help and consider entering a sobriety program if alcoholism is in your family history and is negatively affecting your daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

* If you or someone you know does feel like alcohol is becoming a dependency or addiction, speak to your doctor or call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration\u2019s National Helpline. It is a free, confidential, 24\/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and\/or substance use disorders.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

How Does Intuitive Drinking Compare to Intuitive Eating?<\/h2>\n\n\n

If you\u2019re familiar with intuitive eating<\/a>\u2014the practice of tuning into your body to determine what and when to eat\u2014intuitive drinking is roughly the same concept.<\/p>\n\n\n

While intuitive eating has some core principles<\/a> that don\u2019t apply to intuitive drinking, a few do:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n