The Rise of Post-Alcohol Living

In Great Britain and America a new movement is gathering momentum. Millennials are turning their backs on alcohol in huge numbers. A flurry of online communities for non-drinkers have emerged. The media is awash with terms like sober curious, mindful drinking and positive sobriety. London's first AF (alcohol free) bar opened it's doors this month. Huge numbers descended on the Club Soda Mindful Drinking Festival and millions took up the Dry January challenge.

There are multiple forces in play here with distinct agitators at work, from millennials fed up with 'hangxiety' to women-centric communities fed up with patriarchal support systems, from health conscious go-getters to serious problem drinkers looking for new ideas. More disenchanted factions are bound to join the party.

The various elements within the wider movement may have distinct demographics, motivation and objectives but they all share a common desire to forge new sober identities. And they all draw on solutions from mindset-change psychology formulated by pioneers such as Allen Carr, Jason Vale and Annie Grace. These exciting counter culture dynamics represent the start of a sea change in attitudes towards alcohol. The perfect storm is brewing and the old world order is beginning to crumble.

Recent criticism that the movement represents a health fad for the middle class widely misses the mark. Of course there are physical and mental health benefits to quitting or moderating alcohol consumption and that's really important. For many these health benefits are huge. For some, life saving. But the model the new movement embodies is universal. It works as well for serious problem drinkers as it does for those looking to avoid weekend hangovers. And make no mistake, the wider movement encompasses a broad cross section of society. This is not just about the health benefits though. We are witnessing communities and individuals creating new sober narratives, new language and new social identities.

In common with the wider movement, post-alcohol living has two components. First, it's a fight back against ideology and language that stigmatises and shames. It's about reframing toxic narratives to create a positive social identity. Second, it proposes a modern set of solutions.

Let's first talk about language and identity. Post-alcohol living is the antithesis of the recovery narrative. As former drinkers this is about reclaiming our sense of authenticity. Rather than let ourselves be defined by language that paints us as subnormal, inadequate, defective and diseased, like 'recovering alcoholic', we use a new lexicon designed to engender a positive self-image. We identify as genuine, unbroken and whole. On our journey we are blossoming and thriving. Not only is this a better reflection of our lived experience, it promotes self-determination and frees us from the limitations the recovery mindset imposes.

We have a different set of values too. Post-alcohol living is about drawing a line under the past, focusing on the present and looking forward to the future. We feel proud for surviving addiction and waste no time blaming and shaming ourselves for getting addicted in the first place.

We don't indulge in self-consolation because we are not grieving for alcohol, because gratitude in the context of the stigma we are fighting is inappropriate and because our sober adventure is very much of our own making.

Crucially, we see our journey in the context of a society that actively promotes the highly addictive drug on which we became dependent. In post-alcohol living we are survivors, not sinners.

And the solutions post-alcohol living proposes are also radically different. This is not so much about dealing with day-to-day cravings. This is about deprogramming from false beliefs.

Rather than list the pros and cons of drinking we work towards understanding that the perceived benefits of alcohol are in fact illusory. We don't talk much about triggers because once we have broken the spell alcohol holds over us we simply don't want to drink anymore. Many of us quite happily frequent regular bars and alcohol-free beer is a popular choice.

It's about a fundamental shift in our core beliefs around alcohol, not about battling addiction. In the end we fully embrace an alcohol-free lifestyle and look forward to the great adventure that post-alcohol living brings.

To be able to experience this revolution unfolding is truly a privilege. With the decline in alcohol consumption and the rise in sober living a new breed of emotionally enlightened individuals will emerge - a new generation of increasingly self-aware citizens, adept at talking honestly with each other, collectively thriving. And as well as providing health benefits to millions, support networks for previously disenfranchised factions will open up, saving countless thousands from the nightmare spiral of addiction. In challenging times this movement represents a dazzling beacon of hope.