The Sober Curious Movement and the Shift in Drinking Culture

Picture this: Twenty years ago, your local bar after a long week. You look around and everyone has an ice-cold glass in their hand. Flash forward to today. At first glance, nothing has changed. You still look around to see a glass in every hand. But this time you can’t assume what’s in it. 

The Shift 

The Sober Curious movement has grown into a full cultural shift. Younger generations have been adapting to a Sober Curious lifestyle. Drinking culture has evolved beyond cutting out alcohol entirely and has sparked a revolution of functional beverages. In the past, if you did not drink, abstinence was your only option. Now, with endless options of adaptogen ingredients and infinite possibilities of functional elements, abstinence has diminished while selectivity has taken its place. 

The Rise of Non-alcoholic Beer

Non-alcoholic beverages have evolved significantly over the past decade. Non-alcoholic beer was once an incomprehensible thought. O'Doul's arrived in the 90s as one of the first non-alcoholic beers on the market. Skepticism followed — what was the point of drinking a beer that did not contain alcohol? But over time, non-alcoholic breweries began to enter the conversation. Go Brewing has been the fastest-growing non-alcoholic brewery this year. Go offers a wide range in the non-alcoholic beer space and brews a new beer each month for beer club members. With the large variety, there is something for every kind of drinker. 

A New Social Scene

For older generations, alcohol served as a social glue and played a large role in culture. Today, young adults are gravitating toward activities that do not involve alcohol at all. Alcohol is no longer perceived as the default and has been replaced by clear-minded human connection, wellness routines, community events, and activity-based hangouts. There have even been completely non-alcoholic bars and bottle shops that have begun to open and serve as a third space for sober curious people. Notably, social media has played a large role in people’s desire for human connection reducing the reliance on alcohol in social settings. 

The Mental Hangover

One thing to consider is that this is a generation that grew up with endless access to information about health risks and the monumental shift in mental health awareness. For most, the decision not to drink comes from mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression. The term “hang-xiety” comes into play as younger generations have realized the catastrophic effect on their mental health the day after drinking. Once people realized that changing their drinking habits actually had a positive effect on their mind and body, functional beverages and mocktails took the place of your basic Miller Lite. 

While there is still a large population of younger generations consuming alcohol, it is significantly lower than in the past and likely will continue to decrease. The culture has shifted, the demand is there, and the options have followed. Go Brewing was built for exactly this moment. Whether you are fully sober, Sober Curious, or just looking for something different at the end of a long week, there is a Go Brewing beer for you.