While the multi-year pandemic is thankfully a thing of the past, many people are reassessing their lifestyle choices to look and feel healthier than they did while locked away from friends, work, and family. One of these lifestyle choices in the spotlight is alcohol use. According to the National Institutes of Health, alcohol sales rose by about 3% during the first year of the pandemic – the largest increase in 50 years. Several small studies also suggest that 25% of people drank alcohol more than usual during that difficult time in our history.

Enter the sober curious movement. It was Ruby Warrington who popularized this idea with her book Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol. While the concept isn’t new – Warrington’s novel came out in 2018, and think “sober October” and “dry January” – the examination of our relationship with alcohol is trending.

We spoke with Christopher Thompson, MD, HMDC, FAAHPM, FASAM, a WakeMed addiction medicine physician about all things alcohol – from experimenting with sobriety to recognizing that you may be more than just a social drinker and what you can do about it.

What is the sober curious movement about? Right now, there is a global focus on wellness and the impact stress can have on both physical and mental health. The sober curious concept has been around for a while, but it has become the latest buzz word with this global focus on wellness. The concept centers around being mindful of when and why you drink and looking at how your life would be better without alcohol use. It’s experimenting with sobriety. This may mean taking a break from alcohol for, say, a month, or quitting forever.

While avoiding alcohol is becoming more socially acceptable, it can be harder to navigate alcohol choices with the holiday party season fast approaching – not to mention the general stress that comes with the holidays.

Who would most benefit from sober curious concepts? Individuals who are right around the maximum recommended amount of alcohol consumption (seven drinks a week for women and all genders 65+, as well as 14 drinks per week for men) who do not physically or mentally “need” alcohol, may have success with the sober curious concept of being mindful about their drinking habits. However, there is benefit in recognizing that one is unable to abstain from alcohol and that an individual may need medical help.

What is “unhealthy drinking?” The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Drink Less, Be Your Best web page offers great information about how much is too much, along with risky behaviors. Binge drinking – the most common type of unhealthy alcohol use – is defined for women as having four or more drinks on one occasion. For men, it’s five drinks on one occasion. Heavy drinkers consume more than this per week. Alcohol use disorder starts when patients meet certain criteria, as they would with any chronic disease.

What is the biggest factor for success? An individual must be motivated to cut down or quit, and those reasons need to come from within. It’s a dramatic lifestyle change – one that is very difficult to make. We use motivational interviewing to help a patient determine why it’s important to pursue sobriety. Reasons can vary, from living healthy to saving a relationship, addressing legal issues, navigating financial issues – you name it. Everyone is motivated by different things. We need to first find those motivators and develop a plan. A provider can also determine the best approach to therapy for a patient.

Why are people hesitant to seek treatment for issues with alcohol? A lot of it is stigma, and that stigma is costing people their lives. People wouldn’t hesitate to seek treatment for a serious medical issue, but they feel that admitting they have an addiction to alcohol or other substances shows their weakness. The fact of the matter is, once individuals become physically dependent on alcohol, they must seek medical help to safely quit. Don’t be embarrassed. Don’t be afraid. Talk to your doctor, or someone you trust and connect with for help. 

Christopher Thompson, MD, is an addiction medicine physician with WakeMed Mental Health & Well-Being. He received his medical degree in family medicine and completed fellowships in both palliative care and addiction medicine. WakeMed Mental Health & Well-Being services, programs, and people bring together professionals from WakeMed and throughout the community to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and serve the inpatient and outpatient mental health care needs of adults and children in our area.

WakeMed Primary Care patients can access adult and pediatric outpatient mental health providers through their primary care physicians. WakeMed also has a great relationship with many outpatient community mental health providers through the Network for Advancing Community Health (NABH) and being a WakeMed Primary Care patient is not required to see these providers.

Additional resources: Call or text 988, or reach out to The Alcohol/Drug Council of North Carolina (alcoholdrughelp.org or 1-800-688-4232).