Reducing alcohol consumption through the sober curious movement

Investigators:  Prof Paul Ward,  Dr Michael Savic, A/Prof Sarah MacLean, Dr Belinda Lunnay, Prof Antonia Lyons, Prof Tonda Hughes, Kerry London

Funder: NHMRC

Alcohol consumption is socially accepted in Australia and places where alcohol is not served are rare. However, alcohol remains a major public health concern. Since COVID-19, alcohol consumption has increased even more, increasing non-communicable disease risks, social harms and economic costs. The socially engrained nature of alcohol consumption adds complexity to designing successful reduction approaches. Rather than implementing another intervention, we will undertake a natural experiment on the 'sober curious' movement, which got momentum through social media influencers promoting the idea of reducing alcohol consumption for wellness. The increased demand for alcohol-free substitutes has driven a massive increase in the availability of alcohol-free wines, beers and spirits in retailers, bars and restaurants.

This project will be undertaken in 3 stages. Stage 1 will examine the supply-side of alcohol-free products. A social media analysis of marketing by alcohol-free producers/distributors will generate an understanding of their techniques and which population groups they target. In-depth interviews with producers will create evidence on the intentions behind making alcohol-free products available, their target market and if/how they balance providing nonalcoholic products alongside alcohol. Stage 2 will be a qualitative study with three case-study groups who have high alcohol consumption - male construction workers, LGBTQ+ people and young adults in rural/regional areas. This stage will provide a deep understanding of the reasons for their alcohol consumption, the potential for alcohol-free products in their lives, and possible interventions for reducing their consumption in a sustainable way. Stage 3 will involve Deliberative Symposia with non-alcoholic beverage producers/distributors, representatives from our casestudy groups, public health professionals and policy makers to develop co-designed interventions for alcohol reduction in the case-study groups.

This project is a collaboration between Monash University, Torrens University Australia, La Trobe University, University of Auckland, Columbia University, George Institute for Global Health (Australia), and Flinders University

Publications:

Ward PR,  Savic M, MacLean S, Lunnay B, Lyons A, Hughes T, London K, Caluzzi G, Pettigrew S, Pennay M, Meyer S, Duncan T, Lee N (2025). Reducing Heavy Drinking Through the “Sober Curious” Movement in Australia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Research Protocols. Jun 10;14:e72631. doi: 10.2196/72631