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Every Monday morning, you’ll get Social Experiment delivered to your inbox. Sobriety, from a cultural lens. We’ll talk about the societal trends that are shaping when we drink, how we drink, and if we should drink alcohol at all in the first place.

Cutting back or quitting drinking has become somewhat of a trend over the past few years post-COVID. I’m using this newsletter to argue that it’s bigger than a trend for the news cycle. Sobriety, as we define it today, is undergoing a generational shift led by a movement of Gen Z consumers who are redefining societal norms.

Youth culture rejects labels. Gen Z doesn’t want to be put into a box. In the past, we’ve viewed sobriety as binary; either you drink, or you don’t drink. The decision to quit drinking was seemingly irreversible. For example, you ran the risk of being a hypocrite if you continued drinking after 6 months off. It also implied that you hit rock bottom and was seen as a negative signal in some social circles.*

Damp lifestyle. Dry lifestyle. California sober. Weekday sober.

These are a few of the terms thrown around by my peers and friends.

The next generation of sobriety looks, acts and feels very different than anything we’ve ever seen before. The next generation of sobriety wants and needs new systems and structures to help them connect with other like-minded people online in a safe community, track their drinking, get up-to-date information on how alcohol is affecting their body in real-time, and receive guidance and support in a way that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) isn’t the de facto standard anymore.

With great admiration and respect, there’s a lot to be learned from the AA model. Any organization that’s been around for over a century is worth studying. What we know works about AA is that its members keep coming back.

Sobriety is apart of your identity. And everyday you don’t drink, you recommit to that promise to yourself. You might walk into a church basement with fold-up chairs and fluorescent lights in search of purpose, but you show up week after week for the community. To transition from being a sponsee to a sponsor. To give back to the people who helped you. You’re most qualified to help the version of yourself you used to be.

I got sober ~3 years ago, October 4th 2020. I’ve been passionate about helping other people get sober and stay sober as I’ve strengthened my commitment to my sobriety and studied the market to understand how I can help other people like me have it easier than I did. I’ve also successfully coached dozens of people who have passed their own sobriety milestones.

The first year was incredibly challenging. I could’ve used a support network. Getting sober in a major city centered around nightlife working in sales in your early 20’s meant losing a lot of relationships. Whatever I “lost,” I gained back tenfold overtime.

In future issues, we’re going to talk about why I’ve built so much conviction around this space. I’ll interview first movers in the industry who have rushed in to build non-alcoholic bottle shops, beverage brands and tech solutions. I’ll deep dive into some fascinating research studies on Big Alcohol, mental health, addiction and disease. We’ll talk about some key events in US history from Prohibition to the Straight Edge movement. And of course, we’ll talk about the future of drinking (or lack thereof:)

My intention is to use my unique insight to deliver value in your inbox every week. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover, reply and let me know. If you’ve found this interesting, share it with a friend.

See you next week!