Despite the pressure to drink, movements that question alcohol consumption are gaining followers
Have you ever heard of “sober shaming”? The term, in English, refers to the act of causing shame or embarrassment to someone who decides not to drink. You know that person who widens their eyes when someone refuses a glass of alcohol at a party and says, “What do you mean you won’t drink? Not even a sip? It’s just for toasting!”
As an article published by Cisa tells us, the shame of sobriety is not always subtle: some people are defined as boring or even stop being invited to parties or meetings because they avoid alcohol.
“Just having to justify why you don’t want to drink is already an example of this social pressure. This can cause people to completely avoid situations involving alcohol or withdraw to avoid negative social consequences,” he points out the text.
The fight against “sober shaming” was the theme of a campaign by the NGO Alcohol Change UK, in 2021. At the time, activists recalled that 1 in 4 people want to reduce the amount of alcohol they consume. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to exercise self-control, partly because of this pressure.
Sober shame x sober curiosity
Although the pressure to drink is prevalent, especially among men, movements against “sober shaming”, such as “sober curious”, have also grown in several countries.
According to journalist Ruby Warrington, author of a book that popularized the term, being “sober curious” means being curious, that is, questioning every impulse, invitation and expectation to drink, rather than following the dominant culture of drinking with one eye closed. alcohol consumption.
Sober October and sober bars
The practice of “Dry January” or “Sober October”, the proposal to spend an entire month without consuming alcohol as a form of “detoxification” after a period of excess, has also become common. Studies have already shown that even a short period of binge eating or abstinence like this can benefit your health.
“Cocktails,” or non-alcoholic cocktails, as well as “sober bars” (bars that do not serve alcohol), are a growing trend in several countries, especially among generations Z and Millennials, according to a survey conducted by NielsenIQ, in 2022.
While many soft drinks are still very expensive, such as Ritual Beverage Co.’s charming Zero Proof “spirits,” and several brands of non-alcoholic wines and sparkling wines, today there are several options for enjoying a night out without resorting to soda or non-alcoholic beer .
Nobody should be embarrassed
While no one deserves to suffer any kind of “shaming” (whether for not drinking or for drinking), the truth is that questioning alcohol consumption can have a huge impact on people’s health and well-being.
Even though the habit of drinking is normalized practically everywhere in the world, excess alcohol has an embarrassing impact on the country’s budget. Research published by Agência Fiocruz shows that this consumption represented a cost of approximately R$18.8 billion in 2019.
This amount corresponds to 3.5 times the amount allocated for the operation of the People’s Pharmacy Program, as well as 7 times the amount spent on the care, control and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (sexually transmitted infections transmissible).
Of this total, R$1.1 billion refers to direct costs with hospitalizations and outpatient procedures in the Unified Health System (SUS). Indirect costs, which amount to R$17.7 billion, include productivity losses due to premature deaths, lost working days, absences and early retirements due to illnesses associated with alcohol consumption.
The study Estimation of direct and indirect costs attributable to alcohol consumption in Brazilcarried out by Fiocruz Brasília, at the request of the organizations Vital Strategies and ACT Promoção da Saúde, it was based on the estimates of deaths attributable to alcohol carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and took into consideration a total of 104.8 thousand deaths that year, which means an average of 12 deaths per hour.
Given these numbers, it seems surreal that anyone still practices “sober shaming.”
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
