Could The Rebranding Of Sobriety Change Our Attitudes Toward Drinking?

Beyond the sober-friendly bars and inventive mocktails popping up on menus, there’s a whole world of workshops, online and real-life communities, alcohol-free parties and social media-based “programs” to help people cut down on drinking.The growing “sober curious”—or “elective sobriety”—trend is attracting not just people forcing away a drinking problem, but the full spectrum of non-drinkers.“Sobriety is getting rebranded,” author Virginia Sole-Smith declared on the website Medium in April. Sole-Smith, the author of The Eating Instinct, examines this budding lifestyle movement. Is it a trend, or something more? In the writer’s own words, “Is this just wellness culture in overdrive? Or is the U.S. starting to change its relationship with booze?”As Sole-Smith notes, while 64% of people keep their drinking at moderate, “low-risk” levels and do not qualify as having alcohol use disorder, that doesn’t mean their drinking habits are problem-free.“We’re finding a lot of unhealthy patterning buried within that ‘moderate-drinking’ group,” said Timothy Naimi, MD, a professor at the Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health. “I think many of us now recognize that alcohol consumption exists on a continuum and a lot of us are consuming alcohol to excess on a regular basis.”Joy Manning, who nurtures real-life and online sober communities with her friend Annie Baum-Stein, told Sole-Smith that their sober happy hours attract “the full spectrum” of people who choose not to drink.“We definitely have people who strongly identify as alcoholics in recovery and are doing the whole 12-step lifestyle. But there are also people who just want to embrace an alcohol-free life and see that as a positive upgrade,” she said. “And then there are people who do drink, but are just sick of every event revolving around alcohol.”“Sober experiments” like Dry January and Sober October challenge drinkers to lay off the booze for a month at a time. Even for people who don’t identify as alcoholics, it’s a chance to cut back and reflect on drinking habits.“I think there are more and more people who are saying, ‘Hold on, I’m concerned about my drinking and I would love a way to work on that where I don’t have to explain it all to people.’ That’s what these sobriety experiments can be,” said Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure.Lahey said that before she was ready to fully embrace meetings and around-the-clock sobriety, she would stop drinking here and there for months at a time. “I don’t see those as failed attempts at sobriety, I see those as times when I was starting to really look at my relationship with alcohol.”As Erin Shaw Street of the Tell Better Stories movement told Sole-Smith, “The dominant cultural message is that alcohol is a lifestyle accessory.” But not for long, it seems. “Elective sobriety” is becoming more popular and less taboo. Being sober is no longer lame—it’s a lifestyle choice. And there are a growing number of venues and supportive communities that now cater to this lifestyle.This budding movement encourages us to be conscious of our drinking, no matter how disciplined we are. It offers a chance to step back and reflect. And that’s a good thing.

Walgreens To Train Staff In Mental Health First Aid

Walgreens’ latest public health initiative aims to teach pharmacists and staff how to identify and respond to signs of mental health or substance use issues.Through a partnership with the National Council for Behavioral Health and the American Pharmacists Association, the national drug store chain is training staff in mental health first aid—an 8-hour course on “mental health literacy, understanding risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, and strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations,” the company stated.“With the growing need for services and resources to help those living with mental health conditions, as well as substance use and addiction, we can play an important role by giving our pharmacists and certain team members the training to help those in crisis,” said Alex Gourlay, chief operating officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance.More than 1.5 million people in the U.S. have completed the course.“One in five people experiences a mental health or substance use issue in a given year and it’s likely that most of those individuals use a pharmacy’s services during that year,” said Linda Rosenberg, CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health.This year, Walgreens will have installed safe medication disposal kiosks at all of its locations. It also offers naloxone without the need for a prescription.In 2016, the company launched Walgreens.com/MentalHealth in collaboration with Mental Health America to provide a resource that connects people with treatment options, free screening tools and information such as “How to Manage Anxiety Medications” and “Helping a Family Member Who Has PTSD.”Another major retailer, Walmart, is supporting community mental health by establishing a mental health clinic in a store in Texas.Last year Walmart opened its first clinic in its Carrolton, Texas store, with plans to open more nationwide. The clinic is staffed by a licensed social worker and offers treatment for anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues and more.“People don’t know how to find a behavioral health or mental health professional. People don’t know where to go and what to do,” said Dr. Russell Petrella, president and CEO of Beacon Health Options, the company that collaborated with Walmart to open the clinic. “We’re trying to mainstream behavioral health services.”

Workers Challenge Japanese Tradition of Drinking with Bosses

The younger generation is shaking up tradition in the Japanese workplace.These days, “millennials” in the US are drinking less and more venues are catering to sober patrons, according to recent headlines. Apparently, this generation―those between the ages 22-37―is generally more mindful of drinking habits than their parents’ generation.There seems to be a similar trend happening in Japan as well. According to a recent Bloomberg report, young people in Japan are shaking things up in the workplace, in particular by skipping out on drinks with the boss and co-workers―a practice called “nominication" that is ingrained in Japanese culture. (Nomu, the Japanese word for drink, plus communication.)Some say that getting after-work drinks with the boss is a great way to de-stress and break the ice between managers and employees. But to others, nominication is unproductive and excludes parents of young children, especially mothers.As Bloomberg reports, “Some women in particular often resent having to entertain their superiors after a long working day.”Saiko Nanri, a banking unit executive at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. and mother of two teenage daughters, decided to ditch the tradition altogether. She notified her team that she will not participate in nominication. So far, she says, she’s gotten positive feedback from her employees. Parents in particular expressed their appreciation. “It’s not as if I have any special knowledge to share with my staff by drinking with them every day,” she told Bloomberg.Bloomberg observed that “bonenkai”―office parties at the end of the year that are often many employers’ “biggest and booziest” events―is also falling out of favor among millennial workers. A survey from last November showed that more than half of 20-somethings have little interest in these parties.Here at The Fix, we’ve also observed the growing popularity of mindful drinking. It’s easier than ever to live a sober lifestyle. Alcohol-free “mocktails” are becoming more sophisticated, “sober bars” offer a place to socialize, and the market for low- or no-alcohol beverages is growing.It will be interesting to see how this trend progresses and how drinking culture―abroad and stateside―will evolve over time.

Moby on Sobriety: "We Can't Hold On to Crazy, Magical Thinking"

In his new book, Then It Fell Apart, producer/DJ and music artist Moby reflects on his rise to stardom in the early 2000s while struggling with destructive dependencies on alcohol and drugs.Moby (born Richard Melville Hall) has been sober for the past 11 years, during which he's continued to create new music—most recently Long Ambients 2 (2019), his follow-up to 2016's Long Ambients 1: Calm Sleep—and oversee several ventures outside recording, including a nonprofit vegan restaurant.The new book—which picks up where his previous memoir Porcelain (2016) left off—details his attempts "to fix childhood trauma with egregiously bad and clueless adult decisions. Not surprisingly, it didn't work."That early trauma—which included sexual abuse and his father's suicide—was only exacerbated by his ascent to fame with albums like 1999's Play and 2002's 18. Though his music had made him globally famous, Moby reports in Apart that he was plagued by loneliness and panic attacks, which he began experiencing after using LSD as a teenager."My belief, before I got sober, was that fame was going to fix my feelings of inadequacy," he told San Francisco's KQED. When that didn't work, he turned to drugs, alcohol and sex. "I longed for things to work in that way," he recalled. "I wanted to be fixed by these unhealthy external things." But as he discovered, the combination only added to his internal misery.In 2002, Moby sought to gain sobriety and insight into the reasons for his personal struggles. He finally stopped using in 2008, and has remained clean since then. Of his journey, Moby said, "Part of sobriety—and a degree of spiritual fitness—is that we can't in adulthood, hold onto crazy, magical thinking."Then It Fell Apart ends just before Moby became sober; he told KQED that he's saving that part of his story for a third volume, which will focus less on recovery and more on his pursuit of spiritual integrity. "I'm not a Christian, but my life is geared towards God, understanding God, trying to do God's will," he said. "Keeping in mind, I have no idea who or what God is."He's also learned to enjoy his time just outside the glare of the celebrity spotlight. "It's really nice to just accept age, accept hair loss, accept diminishing commercial viability," he explains. "Accepting these things and trying to learn from them is a lot more enjoyable and a lot healthier than angrily fighting entropy."

Arnold Schwarzenegger Told Son To Skip Pot, Get High On Life

Movie star and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger terminated his son’s pot habit with some well-timed fatherly advice. Four years ago Arnold Schwarzenegger told his son Patrick, now 25, to skip the weed and get "high on life" after Patrick showed up to Easter brunch stoned. Patrick shared the story on Instagram this weekend, which fell on both Easter and 4/20. “FUN STORY: Few years ago (4 exactly) showed up lil high to Easter brunch... classic. My old man asked why... said 'I dunno makes thing more fun.'"Arnold wasn’t convinced and told his son he shouldn’t need drugs to appreciate life.  “He replied how much more fun do you need to have, life is so good. I’m high on life. I never want anything that would take me out of my current life. Being high on life is better then [sic] anything else,” Patrick recalled in his Instagram post. The off-handed conversation had a lasting effect on Patrick, who is following in his dad’s footsteps and working as an actor and model. “Haven’t smoked since then… just HIGH ON LIFE NOW,” he wrote. “Happy & healthy & can’t thank god enough to see another day!” he wrote alongside a smiling selfie of him flashing a peace sign. “Happy 4/20 sorry if that was a buzz kill lol.”Schwarzenegger was serious about smoking pot when it came to his family, but as governor of California was relatively pot-friendly.When he was governor he downgraded the penalty for possessing pot, long before recreational cannabis use became legal in the state. However, at the time he wasn’t ready to speak out in favor of legalization. "Well, I think it's not time for that, but I think it's time for a debate,” he said in 2009, according to the Guardian. “I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues [are worth considering]… I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs. What effect did it have on those countries?"During Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilder years he appeared in a documentary taking a hit of marijuana. He also joked about sharing a joint with Obama back in the 1970s, something that never actually happened. However, Schwarzenegger made an elaborate sketch about how the then-president wouldn’t share. 

Eminem Celebrates 11 Years Of Sobriety

Hip-hop superstar Eminem marked a milestone of sobriety on Instagram with an image of a medallion and the caption, "11 years - still not afraid."The rap veteran (real name Marshall Mathers) has spoken in depth about his struggle with and recovery from a dependency on prescription medications, which he described in 2013 as "dark times… mostly due to taking a lot of pills and f—king drooling on myself."Since then, he has rebounded both personally and professionally, as evidenced by the reception for his most recent album, Kamikaze (2018).Mathers told Rolling Stone in 2011 that his dependencies on Vicodin, Ambien and Xanax began while he was filming the semi-autobiographical, Oscar-winning 8 Mile in 2002."We were doing 16 hours on the set, and you had a certain window where you had to sleep," he recalled. Ambien "knocked me the f—k out," which led to a prescription and constant use combined with the opioid painkiller Vicodin."I was taking so many pills that I wasn't even taking them to get high anymore," he told Rolling Stone. "I was taking them to feel normal. I want to say that in a day I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium. And Vicodin… maybe 20, 30?"In 2007, Mathers tried methadone, which he was told was "just like Vicodin, and they're easier on your liver." He soon began consuming large quantities of that drug as well. "My doctor told me the amount of methadone I'd taken was equivalent to shooting up four bags of heroin," he said in 2009.In late December of that year, Mathers suffered a catastrophic overdose that left him unconscious for two days. But after only a week in the hospital, the rapper returned home, where weakness and exhaustion led to a torn meniscus, which in turn led to a relapse, seizure and a return to the hospital. "That's when I knew," he recalled. "I could either get help, or I am going to die."With the aid of a rehab counselor, a rigid exercise schedule and the support of friends in recovery like Elton John, whom Mathers described as "like my sponsor," he committed to sobriety and in 2018 celebrated a decade of clean and sober living. The experience has given the rapper perspective on the addictions that have run throughout his family and his career."Rap was my drug," he said in 2009. "It used to get me high, and then it stopped getting me high. Then I had to resort to other things to make me feel that… now rap's getting me high again."

Denver Votes To Allow Social Marijuana Use

The city of Denver, which was a leader in the recreational marijuana legalization movement, is moving forward with plans to make it easier for people to open businesses that allow social consumption of marijuana.  Councilmember Kendra Black introduced a measure that would relax the rules dictating how far businesses that allow marijuana consumption must be from recreational centers, childcare facilities and other protected establishments. The city council passed the measure by a 9-2 vote on Monday (April 15). The measure will open an additional 2.2 square miles of space for cannabis businesses, the city said.  “There are many people who we have heard from who want to open a business but cannot find a location,” Black told The Denver Post. Although the city passed a law in 2016 allowing social marijuana businesses, like cannabis cafes, there are only two in town, largely because of the strict regulations.  The law currently requires businesses to be 1,000 feet from schools, a stipulation that will remain. However, the city council measure will allow social-use businesses to operate closer to other community and child-focused facilities as long as they are more than 500 feet away.  Proponents of the measure said that it will cut down on public marijuana use, which is illegal, and reduce the frequency of cannabis being used in front of kids.  Stacy Lynn, who advocates for access to medical cannabis for kids, said that the measure is important for protecting young people. “If they have nowhere to consume, they will do it in front of our children,” she said. “How do you get it off the street? You put it in a closed, secure building.” However, opponents said that the city shouldn’t be strengthening the cannabis industry.  Luke Niforatos, who leads a group opposed to the commercialization of cannabis, said, “I don’t think it’s the job of any member of an elected government to make it easier for a drug industry to make more money, to make it easier for people to use drugs.”  Others, including Councilwoman Robin Kniech, said that the city has spent far too much time tinkering with cannabis regulations.  She said, “There is no evidence whatsoever that kids are at risk from an activity happening in a building they cannot see at 1,000 feet, 500 feet or next door. We have so many huge challenges facing out city, and the time we have spent on this… frankly offends me.”