If you woke up with a sore head and a flood of ‘hangxiety’ a few times over the festive season, “drinking less” may be on your list of New Year’s resolutions. The sober curious movement has seen an increasing number of people, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, considering an alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced lifestyle.

With 2026 in full swing and resolutions hitting a crossroad, sobriety experts have weighed in on how young people are ditching the boozy beverages. 

Today, we’ll take a closer look at how this movement is impacting people’s health and relationships, as well as the alcohol industry as a whole.

Before we dive in, today’s newsletter discusses some difficult themes. Support is available via the National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015. For 24/7 crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

The term ‘sober curious’ was coined in 2018 by author Ruby Warrington in her book Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol.

Sober curious people are, generally, interested in reevaluating the role of alcohol in their lives, rather than cutting it out entirely.

A 2025 study by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) shows that 44% of Australians who reported drinking in the past year want to consume less or stop drinking altogether.

Sober curiosity can take many different forms. For example, someone who is “sober curious” may participate in initiatives such as Dry July or Febfast, or choose to avoid alcohol at parties and weddings. 

Podcaster and wellness advocate Dominique Elissa quit drinking in October 2024 after a period of sober curiosity. 

“ Those first three months are so difficult to stick to sobriety…  but [after] the one year mark… I don't even think about alcohol,” she said.

Alcohol has been associated with higher rates of injury, chronic disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. 

These physical health concerns are what motivates three in four sober curious Australians to reduce or stop their alcohol consumption, according to FARE. One in two cited mental health reasons, and 37% want to improve their sleep. 

Sobriety can also stem from alcohol addiction, with some abstaining due to a personal or family history of addiction. 

The latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that people in regional and remote communities are more likely to drink heavily.

Sober in the Country is a charity that supports rural and remote Australians affected by alcohol harms. Its founder, Shanna Whan, told TDA:“In remote areas of Australia… we are 150% more likely to experience harm from alcohol, and yet, we are also desperately lacking in services or support that make sense for rural people.”

Sober in the Country’s core message, that it’s #OK2SAYNO, is “all about mateship, choice, and respect, whatever the choice of drink in hand is.” 

Young people are increasingly adopting “sober curious” attitudes to drinking.

A U.S-based study from December 2024 found that 65% of Gen Z and 57% of Millennial respondents were trying to drink less in the new year.

Of the sober Gen Z participants, 52% said they just don’t want to drink alcohol, while 42% of all Gen Z respondents said they are drinking less to improve their mental health. 

30-year-old Dominique Elissa stopped drinking after reevaluating her once-healthy relationship with alcohol.

“As I got older and got into the party scene, it kind of shifted. I became reliant on it to fall asleep, to mask my thoughts, to calm my nervous system down,” she said.

“Now I’m at the other end, it does the complete opposite to your nervous system.”

The sober curious movement has led many brands to manufacture zero and low alcohol alternatives to traditional beer, wine and spirits. The alcohol-free beverage market is growing by 8% annually, with a projected value of $US43 billion ($AU64.7 b) by 2027, according to data from ANZ.

Zero-alcohol beer production is also estimated to grow from 150 million litres in 2024 to around 300 million litres in 2028.

Alcohol Beverages Australia Executive Director Alistair Coe said “a lot of people are hearing the moderation message and being really deliberate about what they drink.”

Coe believes that producers are “changing and innovating according to that demand” ensuring consumers have got “the right drink for the right lifestyle”.

Among those producers is non-alcoholic beer company Heaps Normal, launched in 2020 by Andy Miller, Ben Holdstock and Jordy Smith. 

Miller said since founding Heaps Normal, the culture has “shifted from [it] being weird not to drink.. to [it] being weird to ask somebody why they're not drinking”.

Rather than opting for soft drinks, water or coffee, Miller feels that an alcohol-free beverage that is “full of flavour and interesting and sophisticated… fits into a different occasion.”

However, Whan (Sober in the Country founder) warns alcohol-free products replicating their boozy counterparts can be the wrong product for some sober consumers.

“To those in early fragile recovery please be really cautious around drinks that imitate alcohol. For some, they’re safe, but for others - they’re linked to relapse,” she told TDA.

Miller acknowledged this experience, while emphasising that Heaps Normal wants to “decouple the idea of beer and alcohol” as “two separate things”, so people can create memories around beer “that are actually nothing to do with alcohol.”

Alcohol can sometimes feel like the main event at summer barbecues, Sunday sessions, music festivals, and sunshine-filled picnics.

Elissa said that finding an alternative that you enjoy can be helpful to feel comfortable in social settings. For her, it is matcha.

“ I love the motion of having a drink and ‘cheers’-ing it, but it doesn't need to be alcohol,” she said.

“ If you have a glass that looks like an alcoholic drink, no one will even question you; so if you don't wanna even talk about it, don't worry.”

If someone around you is trying to drink less this year, Elissa’s advice is: “Bring a non-alcoholic drink or make a non-alcoholic punch and don't make them feel uncomfortable".

“ Really cheer them on for it,” she said.

Whan echoed this sentiment, encouraging loved ones “to chuck something in your eskies for your mates who might be drinking less, or not at all.”

“Because that’s how easy it is to be part of saving and changing lives,” she said.

National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015; Lifeline: 13 11 14

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