Fun and Sobriety Are Not Mutually Exclusive

AUDIO – DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING –

April 13, 2022 – Your friend says to you, “Let’s get drunk and have some fun.” Or maybe they say, “We got so drunk last night—wasn’t that fun?” Depending on the person making these statements and their specific background and relationship to alcohol, such sentiments may be totally benign. But even so, they reinforce the idea that drinking is a prerequisite to having fun as an adult. To put that misnomer to bed, the most recent episode of the The Well+Good Podcast focuses on why it’s totally possible to have fun without drinking—and why normalizing that ability is so crucial. In some spheres, the normality of not drinking (for any reason) has already gained traction, and alcohol brands have had no choice but to take note of the sizable number of folks not ordering alcoholic drinks. New non-alcoholic offerings are making it easier to have a booze-free cocktail, whether you’re in the comfort of your home or a bar or restaurant.

“Up to 30 percent of people in restaurant establishments do not drink,” MJ Gottlieb, co-founder of sober social network app Loosid, says in the podcast episode. “So, suddenly you saw some of the biggest alcoholic brands in the world investing in non-alcoholic beverage brands. And then you saw restaurants doubling down on creating mocktails. They realized [there’s] a very, very large portion of their clientele who choose not to drink.” With beverage conglomerates and the restaurant industry catering more directly to this population, going alcohol-free may be a more seamless move than ever.