Sober October and the mindful drinking trend
Dry January, Try February and Sober October are all picking up lots of support from celebs and younger consumers.
How's your Sober October going?
Dry January is now a well-recognised global movement that is supported by many who relish the break they give their poor livers after multiple rounds of 'Christmas Cheers' and lots of Happy New Beers.
Abstaining from excess in January is not a bad idea, but to now have a second bite at the cherry in October too?
Well the truth is that limiting alcohol consumption for extended periods in the year is fast becoming a pretty big thing.
Dry January, Try February and Sober October are picking up lots of support from celebs and younger consumers who are keen to use the opportunities to improve their health and limit gratuitous overconsumption of food and alcohol.
Joe Rogan and and his celeb friends are big supporters of Sober October - they are part of a growing contingent of celebrities endorsing the ‘sober-curious’ movement more broadly. It’s a trend witnessing impressive growth. Off-premise sales of non-alcoholic beers are projected to hit $361m this year – almost double that of 2019 pre-pandemic levels, when sales peaked $193m, per Beverage Marketing Corp. Including sales made at bars, restaurants and online, the total number of sales is likely closer to $500m. - via
The Mindful drinking trend has sparked the creation of a host of new non-alcoholic drink brands (beers, wines, spirits) as well as a growing number of alcohol-free bars.
Demand for these products is also strong outside of the recognised zero-drinking holidays which means that more people are choosing to socialise without alcohol as a default.
As big as the alcoholic-beverage industry is, the non-alcoholic industry could be in the future...if not bigger. Without all the regulation attached to it, it's also a hellava lot easier for new players and entrepreneurs to enter the market and make a success of it too.
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Amy Fleming
Gabriela Barkho
Kendra Barnett