Although alcohol is present in most social contexts, research shows that reducing alcohol consumption has real health benefits.
Photo source: Pixabay
If you feel like alcohol no longer has the place it used to have in your life, that's not unusual at all. More and more people have started to reduce their consumption or adopt abstinence. The data confirms this change. According to an analysis published in 2025 by Circana, 71% of Europeans say they drink less alcohol, and almost a quarter of adults between the ages of 25 and 35 have completely given up buying alcoholic beverages. The trend is not an isolated one: recent Gallup polls show a similar decline in consumption in the United States.
Change is not about radical abstinence, but assumed moderation. People are choosing to cut back on alcohol or cut it out of their daily routine amid increasingly clear evidence that the benefits attributed to “moderate” drinking have been exaggerated and the risks greatly underestimated.
What is “Sober Curious”
When they hear “sober curious”, many people think it's about giving up alcohol for good. It is not. Psychologist Katie Witkiewitz tells DailyOM that things are much simpler: “it's about looking honestly at your relationship with alcohol and seeing if it's doing you good or if it's actually making your life more difficult.” In reality, there are no fixed rules and no obligation to become abstinent. For some, drinking less often is enough. For others, less so. The point is not performance, but observation: what changes when alcohol is no longer automatically present.
For her part, Brooke Scheller, PhD in nutrition, who also works with people interested in changing their relationship with alcohol, says that “sober curious” does not look the same for everyone. For some, it may mean giving up alcohol altogether. For others, just a clear reduction – to drink less often or only in certain contexts, such as special occasions. The central idea is not definitive abstinence, but the conscious choice of how alcohol appears (or not) in your life, she emphasizes, quoted by DailyOM.
According to Scheller, Ruby Warrington – journalist and author who popularized the concept “sober curious” through a book and a podcast launched in 2018 – offered a simple alternative to the classic alcohol explanations. Her approach normalized the idea that you can say “no” to drinking without defining yourself as an alcoholic and without invoking a serious problem. The message is simple: you don't need a label or a dramatic reason to be curious about what life without alcohol looks like.
The idea that alcohol consumed “in moderation” would be beneficial was, for years, widely accepted. Recent research shows that the benefits attributed to moderate consumption have been exaggerated and the risks overlooked. For many, this conclusion completely changes the way they look at habits considered, until recently, harmless. It's not about radical giving up, but a natural adjustment: less alcohol, more clarity on its real effects.
This reappraisal is not superficial. Scheller points out that over the past ten years, research has become much clearer: there is no longer a level of consumption that is considered risk-free. The idea that alcohol “in moderation” is good – for example, red wine for antioxidants – is increasingly difficult to support. Data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016, released in 2018, show that alcohol is one of the leading causes of disease and the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 49.
“The widely held view of alcohol's health benefits needs to be revised. Our data show that the safest level of consumption is zero,” concluded, in unison, the authors of the research.
In subsequent updates based on more recent data sets, the researchers nuanced the recommendations based on age. Their conclusion is that, for people under 40 – a category exposed to greater risks associated with alcohol consumption – there is no safe level of consumption. The same recommendation applies to people of any age who have pre-existing medical conditions. Only in adults over 40, very low consumption might be associated with some benefits, but these are not generally true.
Similar results appear in another large study that looked at the relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular health. The authors of the analysis show that the possible benefits are closely related to the amount consumed. Some moderate drinkers had a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, or aneurysms. However, the researchers explicitly warn that promoting alcohol as a method of cardiovascular protection “would be imprudent,” given that there are other ways to support heart health without the side effects and risks associated with alcohol consumption.
Katie Witkiewitz explains how excessive alcohol consumption is associated with significant health risks, both short-term and long-term. “From accidents, poisoning, sleep disorders but it also has… serious long-term effects, from liver and cardiovascular disease to cognitive decline and cancer.”
Experts also point to the impact on the brain and mental health, including increased anxiety and depression.
What you gain when you take a break from alcohol
“There are many benefits when you cut down or stop drinking alcohol. And the more you cut down, the more benefits appear,” explains Katie Witkiewitz.
Among the first effects that occur after stopping alcohol consumption are better sleep, more energy and a clearer mind. Brooke Scheller adds that alcohol affects gut health, impacting skin, hormones and energy levels, and nutrition can play an important role in both restoring the body and maintaining change.
“Alcohol can disrupt the balance of gut bacteria, contributing to symptoms that go far beyond digestive discomfort: skin problems like acne or psoriasis, headaches or hormonal imbalances,” she says. According to his recommendations, meals high in protein and fiber, along with healthy fats, can stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce cravings—for both alcohol and sugar.
“Many of the people I work with are trying to get their gut health back after cutting back or quitting alcohol altogether,” says Brooke Scheller. She points out that vitamin deficiencies are common in people who drink alcohol regularly, and using nutrition to correct these deficiencies helps her clients “to really feel the benefits” giving up alcohol.
While cutting back is generally a healthy step, experts caution that stopping suddenly isn't safe for everyone. Katie Witkiewitz warns that withdrawal can be dangerous, even fatal, for heavy drinkers. “Sudden withdrawal is not recommended as it can trigger severe, potentially life-threatening physiological reactions,” she explained. For this reason, people who drink a lot and want to reduce the amount consumed should talk to their family doctor about it.
Just because alcohol doesn't offer the health benefits many of us have believed for years and the risks are greater than previously thought doesn't mean an occasional drink is automatically “off limits.” Rather, it means that we have more information at our disposal. Regardless of one's relationship with alcohol, understanding how it affects our bodies gives us a starting point.
Whether you choose not to drink alcohol at all or to reduce the amount consumed, the goal is not perfection, but clarity. And when choices are backed by solid data and a non-judgmental context, it becomes easier to prioritize a good long-term life.
