The sober curious movement has officially declawed White Claws. That’s right, White Claw launched a non-alcoholic seltzer so you can now drink flavored water for the same price as beer! But before you assume non-alcoholic White Claw is just evil La Croix, consider the benefits! Generations to come can still maintain their White Claw Girly status while they cheer on Chad as he crushes his zero-alcohol beer pong championship. (Is this where frats are headed?!)
From Dry January to the rising popularity of sober dating, the sober curious movement has become a lasting trend spearheaded by Gen Z. That’s right, the generation that literally just became legal to drink have decided drinking is just not cool anymore.
“The alcohol industry is actually terrified by this sober curious movement,” Casey McGuire Davidson, sober sobriety coach, shared in a recent episode of Diet Starts Tomorrow. “All the big brands are coming out with no and low alcohol beverages. They’re doing this, not because they want to, it’s because it’s the only growing segment of alcohol.”
“The biggest drinkers are actually baby boomers,” McGuire Davidson shared with DST. “And Gen X with mommy wine culture. And they’re trying desperately to figure out how to attract the younger generations again.”
The desperation is coming in loud and clear with brands like White Claw highlighting the benefits of “hydrating electrolytes” as if that’s why we drink hard seltzer. We drink hard seltzer because we hate ourselves and don’t have the self respect to order a vodka seltzer for $18 at the bar!!! We drink hard seltzer because it helps us spot other White Claw Girlies in the wild, so we can steel ourselves against “I actually like beer” girls who also happen to love sports and trucks and dick. What is so hard to understand about that?
We’ve come full circle pic.twitter.com/Jq0AjAQBZ7
— c a i t l i n (@hello__caitlin) January 10, 2024
Why Is Gen Z Obsessed With The Sober Curious Movement?
First of all, what is the sober curious trend? It’s the most annoying people you know bragging about how they’re “trying to drink less” as they judge your second glass of wine at dinner. But don’t worry, they probably have a vape on hand or consider themselves “Cali Sober,” which just means they smoke weed before bed (cuz same).
If you want official stats because you don’t believe me (fair). Let me put it this way, Australia was dubbed the drunkest country in the world in 2019, and yet in the same year, the National Drug Strategy Household Survey found the proportion of people in their twenties abstaining from alcohol had more than doubled in the last two decades. TLDR: If the Aussies aren’t drinking, you know it’s a big fucking deal.
So, why is Gen Z drinking less? It’s a mix of a rise in wellness as a lifestyle and the lingering impact of the pandemic. For example, sober dating made a lot of sense when the bars were closed and your first date looked like a socially distant walk. (Fond memories 🤮)
Aka, don’t be surprised if you see Etsy selling “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my sativa” signs. In the meantime, enjoy a non-alcoholic White Claw, I guess!
