Sober By Choice: The New Sobriety

“Not for me, thanks,” our friend told the waiter who was about to pour his favorite red wine into his glass. “I don’t drink anymore,” he shared with a somewhat smug look on his face. This wasn’t the “I’m an alcoholic” moment of old. Neither, “I am trying to cut down,” nor “I don’t drink during the week.” This was a new, hard pass. A declaration. And as is often the case with me, I wanted to know why. This, however, is a tricky one – because I am also a big believer in letting everyone live their lives the way they want. I mean, if they aren’t hurting themselves or others, what business is it of mine? But for some reason, this seems like less of a privacy issue, and more of a social movement. And social movements are open for discussion, aren’t they?

In the last year, this societal shift seems to have gained much momentum and attention. What was formerly a change imposed by addiction or health concerns, has become a widespread lifestyle decision that involves people choosing not to drink for a variety of reasons. 

With the recent publicity around the announcement by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, the trend of going on the wagon has only increased. To clarify, also included in this classification are asbestos, radiation, and tobacco. This is the highest risk group. There is no Group 0 if you see where I am going with this. The 2024 AACR report also called for cancer specific warning labels to be placed on alcohol. But this isn’t the first time this categorization has been made. They first declared alcohol a Group 1 carcinogen in 1998, and again in 2007 and again in 2010 in case nobody was paying attention. But the call for the warning labels on alcohol? That was new and surprising considering the links between smoking and cancer were discovered in the 1920s but it took over 40 years before the first warning labels were required on cigarettes. 

Most of the people in our social circle who have stopped drinking have done so for health reasons. They are active, health-conscious people in their 50s who eat right, are extremely fit, get fresh air and try to maintain a healthy stress level. Alcohol no longer aligned with who they were and how they were otherwise living. For this group, I suspect there is also a direct correlation to age. As we get older, it is harder to metabolize alcohol because your liver takes more time to process it, so you hold onto it longer. Hence, even if you don’t drink to excess, you might still have a nice little hangover the next morning.

But how does this line up with the decade’s worth of Blue Zone research (those global geographic regions with the highest concentration of centenarians) that tells us one of the commonalities between all the Blue Zones was that people in them typically drank every day? At least four of the original Blue Zones all enjoyed the occasional glass of wine with dinner and many of them had it daily. However, according to the Blue Zones research, this daily glass of wine for women and two for men seems to be done in correlation with a Mediterranean diet. Like most things in life, these tidbits of advice and guidelines need to be taken into consideration with an overall health profile. Someone who is obese, has hypertension and diabetes, for example, probably isn’t going to reap the same benefits from a daily cup of vino as someone who lives in Sardinia, walks five miles every day and is otherwise in excellent health.

Ironically, one of the touted health benefits of wine is Resveratrol. This polyphenol found in grapes has been found – get this – to have properties that can help lower the risk of cancer, heart disease and dementia. But don’t forget, it is also a Group 1 carcinogen. Huh?

How are we to make sense of it all? I am a health coach and a health columnist, and all the controversial and conflicting information is enough to give me a hangover.

To be fair to the fermented grapes of wrath, I wanted to talk to someone who had a positive spin on wine, so I reached out to Justin Grover, Owner & President of Fine Wines International and local Montecito resident. This is what he shared. “Wine is a great connector of humans; when sharing a glass of wine with friends we feel more connected and in touch with each other, and the conversation feels more elevated. Sharing something that comes from the earth, has been lovingly crafted, and that pairs so well with food – makes us happy.” This opens up a whole other line of thinking about the health benefits of sharing a meal, having a laugh, and enjoying your beverage of choice. Is it the food and the wine, or is it the undisputed health benefits of human connectivity?

Another layer to the “new sober,” is that many people aren’t claiming to be “sober” at all. They are just choosing not to drink, and some are partaking of alternative mind-altering options. Microdosing, for example has become much more mainstream. According to good old Oxford Dictionary, “Microdosing is taking very small amounts of a drug to test, or benefit from, its physiological action, while minimizing undesirable side effects.” Basically, it is taking enough to achieve your desired result. One of the more widely taken substances is psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in over 200 species of mushrooms and are often taken in the form of a gummy or chocolate. 

So, the “I’m not drinking” thing isn’t necessarily a “I’m not impaired” thing. You just can’t order it at The Honor Bar (yet). It seems that this is another issue that has become somewhat polarizing. Yes, drinking has long been linked to depression, fatty liver, stroke, dementia, high blood pressure and more. But is the answer that we can never partake? Is alcohol the new heroin? Just don’t go there. If that is the case, where are the warning labels for sugar? Sugar is highly addictive, is linked to diabetes, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and cancer. Sound familiar? But you don’t see anyone demonizing the chocolate gâteau at Renaud’s do you? Well, at least not by the nine people left in town who still eat carbs. 

I suppose time will tell – and with all things, balance is key. For now, maybe we should try and refrain from judging personal decisions one way or another. There is a big difference between having a drinking problem and occasionally enjoying a glass or two of wine. And making a life choice not to drink doesn’t make someone superior, possibly just healthier. Cheers!