It's official, alcohol is not cool anymore. Here's how a movement that began in 2018 became mainstream — resulting in a sober New Year's Eve ball-drop

Younger people just don't drink as much as Boomers did at their age, and the trend of moving away from alcohol has been occurring since the aughts.

Millennials and Zoomers are drinking less than Boomers and Gen X did at their age, according to the Washington Post, citing the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study.

Across the pond, where pub culture has been historically pervasive, 56% of millennials consider themselves to be mindful drinkers compared to 37% of baby boomers, according to a September 2019 survey of 2,400 British workers.

Researchers found the number of college students aged 18 to 22 in the US who abstained from drinking increased from 20% in 2002 to 28% in 2018, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics.

Similar trends were seene in the UK, where the percentage of non-drinkers aged 16 to 24 in the increased to 29% in 2015 from 18% a decade prior, according to the study.

 

The move away from alcohol comes as recent research shows few health benefits from imbibing.

No amount of alcohol consumption is safe, researchers who conducted a global study published in The Lancet in 2018 concluded. The report found alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease worldwide, led to 2.8 million deaths in 2016, and accounted for 10% of deaths for people aged 15 to 49.

New research has found a medley of other problems associated with drinking:

• Drinking one glass of alcohol a day can shrink your brain, according to a March 2022 study in the journal Nature.
• Even light drinking during pregnancy can weaken the fetal brain, Insider's Anna Medaris recently reported.
• Light alcohol consumption can increase the risk of heart problems like hypertension and coronary artery disease, per an analysis of 400,000 peoples' health data.
• Alcohol use is associated with strokes in young people, per an analysis of 1.5 million young people published in Neurology.

 

The 'sober curious' movement began to take form around 2018.

The "sober curious" movement is believed to have started in 2018, when author Ruby Warrington published a book with the same name. Other authors, like Holly Whitaker and Catherine Gray, have written best-sellers helping readers take a step back from alcohol. 

"Sober curious" is a purposefully ambiguous phrase, as the movement is inclusive of all kinds of grey-area drinkers, Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society, told Insider's Rachel Hosie.

Gooch said for some people, being "sober curious" means being more mindful of when and why they are drinking. Some sober curious folks cut down or take extended periods of abstinence, while others stop drinking completely.

The movement's prevalence on social media has appealed to young people, especially young women, Insider previously reported. Sober curious influencers post TikToks and Instagram reels detailing their step away from drinking, and partner with brands selling alternatives to booze.

A bevy of non-alcoholic wines, beers, and liquors have cropped up in response to the sober curious movement.

People cutting back on alcohol are looking for alternative drinks: Google search interest in "non-alcoholic drink" and "non-alcoholic beer" hit all-time highs in 2022, the company told Insider. 

Beverage analysts previously told Insider they expect the non-alcoholic drink market to continue to expand as Americans demand more drink options. Analysts said non-alcoholic drinks won't replace booze, but offer the sober curious alternatives that aren't club soda. 

"Consumers want to be really focused on what they're putting in their bodies," Nielsen senior vice president Kim Cox said. "In general, there's been such a huge trend over the last several years towards lower sugar, lower carb, lower calorie in the beverages space."

More celebrities have become open about their choice to cut back from drinking.

Chrissy Teigen has documented her break away from drinking on social media. The cookbook author said the book "Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol" inspired her decision to stop drinking, and celebrated one year of sobriety this July. 

 

Bella Hadid, too, spoke on numerous occasions about taking a break from drinking starting in mid-2021. The supermodel recently said she drinks sometimes and cut hard liquor out completely.

Hadid and other celebrities have founded or invested in companies that make alternatives to alcohol. Kin Euphorics, a wellness brand that sells drinks infused with "functional mushrooms," welcomed Hadid as a co-founder in 2021, and Katy Perry launched a non-alcoholic apéritifs line earlier this year. 

Stores selling non-alcoholic wines, beers, and spirits have cropped up across the country in recent years.

Sober bars and shops have opened up across the country over the last several years: an "elixir lounge" with booze-free spirits set up shop in New York City's East Village this year; a "sober cafe" re-opened in San Francisco in August; founders in Pittsburgh and Houston have opened stores that sell exclusively non-alcoholic beers and wines. 

As many Americans ring in the new year without the intoxicated antics of Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, the sober curious movement will continue in 2023.

As the alcohol alternative drink market continues to expand and interest in sobriety increases, the sober curious trend will likely extend into 2023 and after, young people told BBC. 

"I go to sober parties and parties where people are drinking. I just like being active and hanging out," Jason, a 24-year-old, told BCC. "It's been eye-opening for me to realize you can be young and sober and have very full friendships."