Summary

The author observes a shift in societal attitudes towards alcohol, noting that even traditionally heavy-drinking demographics, such as "Dudes and Bros," are now expressing enthusiasm for sobriety and its positive effects.

Abstract

The author, a self-proclaimed introvert, attended a party and observed a significant change in attitudes towards alcohol among the attendees. In the past, the author would have resorted to excessive drinking to cope with social discomfort, and events with a high proportion of "Dudes and Bros" would have resulted in heavy drinking. However, at this party, the author noticed that some men were either not drinking at all or were openly discussing their intentions to quit alcohol, expressing enthusiasm for the positive changes it brought to their lives. The author attributes this shift to changing demographics, better public education, and initiatives like Sober October. The author also mentions that big alcohol companies are acknowledging this trend and starting to diversify into non-alcoholic beverages.

Bullet points

The author, an introvert, attended a party and noticed a shift in attitudes towards alcohol.
In the past, the author would have drunk excessively to cope with social discomfort, and events with a high proportion of "Dudes and Bros" would have resulted in heavy drinking.
At this party, some men were either not drinking at all or were openly discussing their intentions to quit alcohol, expressing enthusiasm for the positive changes it brought to their lives.
The author attributes this shift to changing demographics, better public education, and initiatives like Sober October.
Big alcohol companies are acknowledging this trend and starting to diversify into non-alcoholic beverages.

1 strong new sign I saw this weekend that society is shunning alcohol

This weekend, I had to attend a little party.

I don’t attend parties as a rule because I’m a weirdo introvert who would rather be alone, but alas, I can’t hide 24/7.

This was mandatory fun.

In the past, I would have certainly drunk myself into a stupor in order to cope with my social discomfort.

As I wrote in this piece, I think my introversion (and society’s general disdain for introverts), played a big role in my 15–year battle with excessive drinking.

The demographic of this gathering was varied, but there was definitely a higher-than-usual ratio of Dudes and Bros.

In the past, this would have been a s**t-show of epic drunken proportions.

But the funniest thing happened.

Sports dudes have been a reliable demographic for alcohol makers. (Licensed by the author under the Unsplash+ License)

A big shift is underway

I’ve touched on this before, but one of the biggest obstacles in the past to men quitting drinking was that the media, big alcohol, and society at large have always tied heavy drinking to masculinity.

Ergo, tell another guy you don’t drink and you might hear a homophobic slur in response.

Yet as society continues to shift away from alcohol on the strength of changing demographics, better public education and research showing alcohol’s damaging effects, and initiatives like Sober October, the last domino might be about to fall.

Sober curiosity is finally reaching the dudes

Of course, some of the Dudes and Bros at the party were drinking heavily.

But there were a handful who either weren’t drinking at all or were talking about quitting alcohol — and they weren’t even ashamed to admit it.

In fact, they were really enthusiastic about the positive effects on their lives.

Said one: “I’ve never felt better.”

He’d done Sober October last year, and this time around he was committing to three months instead of one.

We chatted about how much it changes your life, about how much healthier and smarter you feel in general.

“And like, finding happiness in normal things in your life?” I said.

He laughed.

“Yeah, exactly!”

There was another dude at the table who was listening in on our convo and he kind of sounded a bit defeated.

He said he wished he didn’t need to drink and that he might try quitting at some point in the near future.

It’s easy to get down at the start when the idea of quitting alcohol seems impossible. But if you can manage to get through a couple weeks, a whole new world opens up to you.

At first, you think you couldn’t live without it.

Then you try living without it and realize you never want to live with it again.

Big Alcohol is already acknowledging it’s in trouble.

As the CEO of Molson Coors noted last week, Gen Z doesn’t really care for his product. The booze giant is starting to move into non-alcoholic beverages as a result.

This is an encouraging sign for society at large, but a scary one if you’re in the booze business.

If even the Dudes and Bros are starting to shun alcohol, the end is nigh.

Friends, thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this piece, please give it a clap or two so others can find it and let me know in the comments if you’re noticing a shift in attitudes too!

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