Turning Tide

Back in January, the Sunday Times predicted that one of the big trends of 2017 would be going sober.

Indeed, increasing numbers of celebrities seem to be jumping on the sober wagon, from Kim Kardashian to Calvin Harris, Blake Lively, Daniel Radcliffe and Eminem.

In fact, whilst heavy drinking is still de rigeur amongst my age group, more than one in five adults under twenty-five in the UK are teetotal. In London, where there's a large Muslim population, it's one in three.

(When I think back to my early twenties I cannot think of one person I knew, or even knew of, who didn't drink).

But perhaps all of this is being bigged up by writers looking for a new story. Many journalists (a notoriously boozy profession) seem to be ditching the drink, so maybe they are just particularly interested in the subject.

You know when a trend really is taking root when the big bucks start paying attention. Like when the food giants started making 'gluten free' options and declaring 'no added sugar' on all their packaging.

And that's what's happening now, my friends.

Tesco announced this week that they are introducing a whole 'low and no alcohol' aisle in the drinks section. They're not stupid - one of the trade magazine's announced that the sector was up 39% in value year-on-year.

Isn't that brilliant?

Up until now, the few alcohol free drinks available have been scattered around, usually on the bottom shelves, meaning that we have to search for ages for a few cans of Beck's Blue or an alcohol free wine, spending far more time than is fair or wise amongst the bottles of Chablis and Saint Emilion.

(I'll never forget my joy at finding a dusty crate of Beck's Blue in a Spar in Cornwall and taking it up to the cashier only for them to look at me in amazement, saying "You know there's no alcohol in that, do you?" They must have stocked it by accident).

It's not just the supermarkets; the global drinks giant, Diageo (who've spent millions worldwide trying to get teenagers to drink more vodka), have invested an undisclosed sum in Seedlip, the distilled non-alcoholic spirit that's become my favourite 6pm tipple.

One of the hardest things about quitting the booze is being made to feel like you're mad, boring or have a problem by everyone you come across, but the tide is turning, and perhaps, one day, quitting the booze will be as acceptable (or even desirable) as ditching refined carbohydrates, sugar or cigarettes.

Happy Mother's Day to all my UK readers, and especially to PhoenixRising who is one year sober TODAY!

Love SM x

Reasons to Quit Drinking #2: Because it's Fashionable

Yes, really.

One of the reasons we're so terrified about quitting drinking is because we have this picture in our heads of the 'sober person.'

'Sober person,' we think, is a sad case loser with no friends and no sense of adventure.

We do not want to be 'sober person', and we're scared that our friends will not want to hang out with 'sober person' either.

Our life is DOOMED.

For as long as we can remember we have equated booze with FUN, with being the life and soul of the party, with being reckless, daring adventurers. Without it we will be less.

It is very hard to quit drinking when you still have that image of 'sober person' in your head, because you will always feel like you are missing out. You need to replace that image with the truth.

And the truth is that 'sober person' is seriously fashionable. Hot, even.

Amongst the middle aged it's still relatively rare to find teetotallers - hence our concern. And, being drinkers ourselves, we have spent years surrounding ourselves with like minded people. We assume that everyone drinks.

But 20% of the UK adult population are teetotal. And the number of under 25's opting to not drink has risen by 40% in the last eight years.

Now, one in four adults under 25 do not drink. Ever. (In London it's one in three).

We, my friends, are down with the yoof. We are surfing that super cool zeitgeist. We are so far ahead of the curve that we can barely see it in the rear view mirror.

The young have a huge number of sober icons blazing the trail for them: Blake Lively, Bradley Cooper, Jessie J, Tyra Banks, Daniel Radcliffe, Russell Brand and Leona Lewis, to name just a few.

Robert Downey Junior doesn't drink. Do you think anyone tells Iron Man that he's uncool because he doesn't get drunk? Hell no!

And of my generation, two of the Sex in the City lasses are sober: Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall, as well as one of the Friends - Matthew Perry.

Amongst the seriously ambitious style leaders, staying sober is seen as necessary if you want to get ahead. Katie Perry says "You have to bust your ass off at (what I do), which is why you don't find me getting shitfaced in bars."

For the young, teetotal is becoming seen as a totally valid, seriously cool, lifestyle choice - not something to be ashamed and embarrassed of.

If you're still not convinced that sober is fashionable, then how about asking the most fashionable person on the planet? The lady who dictates fashion: Anna Wintour. Who doesn't drink. At all. Not even champagne.

Do you think people accuse Anna Wintour of being uncool because she's teetotal? They wouldn't dare! Does she get left off party invitations? No, she goes to three parties a night. Totally sober. She is far too cool to lose her cool with alcohol.

You know what's not cool? That's a middle aged lady with a wine belly and broken veins all over her nose, slurring her words and staggering at a drinks party.

(Actually, the word 'cool' is not cool either. But I can't bring myself to describe things that are not ill as 'sick').

We, my friends, are blazing the trail.

I'm leaving the final words to one of my favourite sober celebs: Ewan McGregor:

"The difference between living life when you're drinking all the time and when you're not is profound."

Love to you all,

SM x