Sharing her personal life story Millie Gooch says she started using alcohol at university. The strong alcohol norm in universities led to many nights of heavy alcohol use followed by hangovers and mental health issues the next morning. At one point she started to use alcohol to cope with anxiety and depression but soon found out both the issues became more severe after using alcohol.
I stopped drinking alcohol to improve my mental health,” said Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society, as per Accent.
As a 26-year-old, I found myself in a negative spiral where I tried to alleviate my anxiety and depression with alcohol, but only woke up the next day with more anxiety and deeper depression than before.”
Millie Gooch, Founder, Sober Girl Society
Drawing inspiration from the audiobook “The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober” by Catherine Gray, Millie Gooch started to branch out to experiencing sober life with new activities such as yoga, dancing and writing.
Sober Girl Society began with her need to connect to other like minded women who chose the alcohol-free way of life.
I started reaching out to other millennial women who, like me, still wanted to go out with their friends and have fun, I just wanted to remove alcohol from the equation.”
Millie Gooch, Founder, Sober Girl Society
Now Sober Girl Society has become a global platform for sober women to share tips, sources and recommendations and connect with others who share the same lifestyle. In the home country of Millie Gooch, England, they also organize popular events for sober women to have fun while being alcohol-free. One of the most popular events is “Diva Dancing” where everyone gathers to dance and have fun without being self-conscious.
The community is 103,000 people strong on Instagram.
A handbook is also on the way to being published, on January 14, 2021.
When choosing the alcohol-free lifestyle finding others who share similar ideas are motivating and supports in continuing the lifestyle amidst the pressure of the alcohol norms in society.
Finding other women like myself, understanding that I am not alone and or was unsuccessful because I could not handle alcohol, has been wonderful.”
Millie Gooch, Founder, Sober Girl Society
There are big plans ahead for Sober Girl Society with more events in the pipeline which are currently on hold due to the pandemic. An app which connects sober women across the world is also on the table.