CLOSER NEWS REPORT
The Sober Curious movement is on the rise with more people choosing to drink less or abstain from alcohol completely. Closer speaks to the women who feel all the better for it…
During the UK’snational lockdowns, the stresses of homeschooling and remote working led Emily Latham to drink more, as she used alcohol as a coping mechanism. But it only resulted in intense weekend hangovers and debilitating anxiety.
Emily, 39, from Coventry, says, “Every night I would pour myself a glass of wine, more at the weekend. Although I wasn’t drinking to excess, and I didn’t have a bad problem, I recognised that my drinking had become problematic.
“In July 2021, ahead of my children, Zevi, now seven, and Edie, four, breaking up from school, I knew I couldn’t handle being hungover and the kids being off. I thought I was just going to stop drinking for the summer – but I haven’t touched a drop since. And I feel so much better for it. I wish I’d quit years ago.”
Emily isn’t alone in her change of behaviour towards alcohol. In recent years, there’s been a marked shift in drinking culture with many of us ditching the booze in favour of living a more sober lifestyle.
WELLNESS
More than 130,000 people took part in last year’s Dry January, compared with 4,000 back when it was just starting out in 2013.
It’s estimated 57 per cent of people now abstain from alcohol worldwide.
The “Sober Curious” movement – someone who chooses to drink less or abstain from alcohol completely, for the benefit of their health and wellness – is gaining popularity among celebs, too. Reformed party animals Kate Moss and Lily Allen are now famously teetotal, and model Chrissy Teigen gave up drinking at the end of last year.
Acclaimed rehab clinic, The Priory, suggests that within a week of avoiding alcohol, people will notice improved sleep, energy and concentration levels and, by week three, they could have a reduced risk of heart problems and strokes due to decreased blood pressure.
Millie Gooch, founder of the @sobergirlsociety and author of The Sober Girl Society Handbook, said, “Most people think that being sober curious means being curious about sobriety, and it can be that. But it can also be a permanent lifestyle choice, whereby you choose to become more mindful and aware of your drinking habits and seek to change them in a positive way.”
For Emily, an account manager, the only time she’d been sober since her teens was when she was pregnant with her children.
TRAUMA
Emily, who is married to Sushil, 40, would enjoy a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Prosecco at weekends. Then, when the Cov
