The Sober/Curious movement?

What I dont like about this movement is the whole black and whiteness of it. Calling it a sober movement. I can enjoy responsibility a few drinks here and there, and be sober. Having a glass of wine with dinner doesn't make me drunk or affect my health. Now having 2 will impair driving legally and having 3 one may be heading to drunk (disclaimer: depending on body type; DUI laws etc..)


I have a friend who has been 20 plus years sober, he has already found his "safe" places to socialize, but He doenst have an issue when we go out to dinner and I order a beer.


American culture has often demoralizted alcohol. Often the perception is any drinking is extreme drinking. I mean its the only country where one can legally buy a gun but has to wait 3 years to drink. Maybe it has to do with some religious background in the US. (cant buy beer on Sunday thing) ?? Even my muslims friends will go to normal bars, but wont drink alcohol, was never an issue. Or not allowing under 21 in bars. or sitting at the bar.

Europe is totally different, I moved here years ago. Here establishements where everyone, ,even kids can join is normal biz. There is no need for a SOBER movement. Since babies, our kids have joined us wine fests, pubs, biergartens etc.. One table might be drinking cokes and water and the other beer, Or a group of adults where half are not drinking and the other half none. I have also noticed growing up in the states, people simply drank faster.. servers coming by when half empty ( can I get you another?). Gotta turn those drinks, tables for tips and money.. In europe people sit for EVER to finish a coffee, a beer or a glass of wine can be nursed for an hour.

I can say that when I go back to the states, especially WDW I am part of this "sober" movement. The cost of alcohol in the USA is simply outrageous. I am talkiing the levels of Sweden, who is known be to be bad due to taxes. Paying 7 dollars for a beer or 12-15 for a half glass of wine is INSANE. Maybe I am spoiled living in germany but we pay a fraction when out... Do its diet coke for me most of the time when out dining in the states.
 
It's nice to be in an environment where not drinking alcohol doesn't deem you as "weird".

This makes me sad our culture is like that, See my post above. it is true about our drinking culture. Moving overseas opened my eyes on that. I also have a friend who is recovering 20 plus years sober. He will always have that bit nervousness in the back of his head he will fail and will often avoid bars, temptation. But he told me he knew he was going to be ok when he was able to ( many years later) meet a friend in a bar and know he can order a coke and he will be ok. It was uplifting.. It is a mental thing. You CAN go to a bar and not drink. Knowing and acting on that was part of his recovery. Best wishes for BF
 
This makes me sad our culture is like that, See my post above. it is true about our drinking culture. Moving overseas opened my eyes on that. I also have a friend who is recovering 20 plus years sober. He will always have that bit nervousness in the back of his head he will fail and will often avoid bars, temptation. But he told me he knew he was going to be ok when he was able to ( many years later) meet a friend in a bar and know he can order a coke and he will be ok. It was uplifting.. It is a mental thing. You CAN go to a bar and not drink. Knowing and acting on that was part of his recovery. Best wishes for BF

I know I'm just one opinion and my thoughts/experiences are anectdotal, but I think a lot of this started when the drinking age changed from 18 to 21. I am old enough that in my state, when I turned 18 I was allowed to drink. When I went off to college, I was allowed to drink. I got married very young and moved to another state that had just turned 21 and I was not grandfathered in so I went from being able to legally drink to not being able to drink. For me, I was not much of a drinker, but you could already see the 20 year olds starting to "pre-game" in their rooms before going out, and so on.

The age change certainly created a binge drinking culture on college campuses that I still see to this day with my own adult children. Young adults wanted to drink, it was against the law, so the learned to drink irresponsibly. The learned to push more alcohol when, if legal, they would have probably "learned" to drink in a more normal manner. I think that all bled over into their behaviors as adults. The drinking behaviors of young adults today are definitely much more different than the behaviors of my peer group when we were that age. We definitely drank, but the whole mindset of it was more of an afterthought. Of course, with social media now, advertisements, and all that, mixology/cocktails and learning and appreciating wine is something that just wasn't there for the average person, so that is a change also. I don't think that's a bad thing at all, but it certainly does change the culture of drinking in the U.S.
 


My first thought was either theraphy circle let's introduce ourselves or church group. People at normal " bars" do not stand in a wide open circle with tons of bubble space. i I usually up to my friends face speaking so they can hear me.

My first thought was they went outside and found some people and told them to “stand here and hold this” and took the picture. Doesn’t look fun at all.

Now a bar with loud music and dancing and mingling all without alcohol would look much more appealing. But just a circle of people? We can do that at the house for much cheaper alcohol or not.
 
My first thought was they went outside and found some people and told them to “stand here and hold this” and took the picture. Doesn’t look fun at all.

Now a bar with loud music and dancing and mingling all without alcohol would look much more appealing. But just a circle of people? We can do that at the house for much cheaper alcohol or not.

That is so true. I wouldn't call that a 'bar' just because the atmosphere looks more like a stuffy dinner party.
Maybe it is because the alcohol makes things more relaxed yet fun and lively, but I'd rather go to a bar and not drink than go to a 'bar' that only serves non-alcoholic drinks.
To be fair though, I don't go out to college bars that are filled with students drinking and partying. I guess if that is how you view all bars then these non-bars are better for you.
 
What I dont like about this movement is the whole black and whiteness of it. Calling it a sober movement. I can enjoy responsibility a few drinks here and there, and be sober. Having a glass of wine with dinner doesn't make me drunk or affect my health. Now having 2 will impair driving legally and having 3 one may be heading to drunk (disclaimer: depending on body type; DUI laws etc..)


I have a friend who has been 20 plus years sober, he has already found his "safe" places to socialize, but He doenst have an issue when we go out to dinner and I order a beer.


American culture has often demoralizted alcohol. Often the perception is any drinking is extreme drinking. I mean its the only country where one can legally buy a gun but has to wait 3 years to drink. Maybe it has to do with some religious background in the US. (cant buy beer on Sunday thing) ?? Even my muslims friends will go to normal bars, but wont drink alcohol, was never an issue. Or not allowing under 21 in bars. or sitting at the bar.

Europe is totally different, I moved here years ago. Here establishements where everyone, ,even kids can join is normal biz. There is no need for a SOBER movement. Since babies, our kids have joined us wine fests, pubs, biergartens etc.. One table might be drinking cokes and water and the other beer, Or a group of adults where half are not drinking and the other half none. I have also noticed growing up in the states, people simply drank faster.. servers coming by when half empty ( can I get you another?). Gotta turn those drinks, tables for tips and money.. In europe people sit for EVER to finish a coffee, a beer or a glass of wine can be nursed for an hour.

I can say that when I go back to the states, especially WDW I am part of this "sober" movement. The cost of alcohol in the USA is simply outrageous. I am talkiing the levels of Sweden, who is known be to be bad due to taxes. Paying 7 dollars for a beer or 12-15 for a half glass of wine is INSANE. Maybe I am spoiled living in germany but we pay a fraction when out... Do its diet coke for me most of the time when out dining in the states.
It's interesting you mention Europe seeing as the article linked in the OP there was information from studies of British people and a small study, but still relevant to the discussion, from the Netherlands.

"A 2016 British study of about 850 men and women who volunteered to abstain from alcohol during Dry January found that participants reported a range of benefits. For instance, 82 percent said they felt a sense of achievement. "Better sleep" was cited by 62 percent, and 49 percent said they lost some weight.

Another study published last year by researchers in Britain compared the health outcomes among a group of men and women who agreed to stop drinking for one month, with the health of a group that continued to consume alcohol.
"They found that at the end of that month — just after one month — people, by and large, lost some weight," says Aaron White, the senior scientific adviser to the director at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "They had improvements in insulin sensitivity, their blood pressure numbers improved and their livers looked a little healthier." The improvements were modest, White says, but the broad range of benefits the researchers documented was noticeable.

To help understand how taking a break from alcohol can influence healthy functioning of the liver, researchers in the Netherlands carried out a separate study to document the biochemical effects of one month of alcohol abstinence.
The study was small. It included just 16 people who had been in the habit of drinking about two drinks per day on average. Still, the findings were provocative, scientists say, and merit following up."
 


Uh, I hate to point out the obvious, but you can do all those very same things at a bar that serves alcohol, too. Just don't drink. But then they wouldn't be able to feel sooper speshul by doing that. :rolleyes:
::yes:: Totally. I find this whole thing really dumb. DH and I are a bit beyond the stage where we "hang out" with friends anywhere but at one another's homes. We'll go out for meals and activities. Our DH is a Gen Y (I guess); he and his early-20's friends spend far more time in coffee shops and games cafes than they do in bars. They feel no need to label this behavior a "movement".
Then there's where I live - in a dry county (surrounded by many dry counties!). Slowly they have started being voted damp, and now finally wet in the most recent years, but for the most part, there still aren't many places available with alcohol- I have to drive and hour - hour and a half to get to a bar! (Or even a drink with dinner!) :rotfl2:
That is SO interesting. I'm not from the US and I didn't know such a thing actually existed.
I thought of this thread today while playing with my son at the beach. A little girl of about 7 came over wanting to join us, and the introductions went like this:

Her: Can I play with you?
Me: Sure. What’s your name?
Her: Sierra. My mommy really likes wine.

:rotfl2:
:rotfl:Clearly somebody needs to teach her kid not to "talk" to strangers.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top