Sober curious nation: one in three U.S. Americans are trying to consume less alcohol in 2023 – showing how growing interest in ditching booze is disrupting the alcohol norm in U.S. society.
There’s a growing interest in non-alcoholic drinks, and Gen Z may be leading the change from boozy cocktails to alcohol-free mocktails, finds a new consumer sentiment survey of 1,000 Americans.

Sober Curious Nation: 34% of U.S. Americans want to reduce alcohol use in 2023 

93% of people in the U.S. believe consuming alcohol is a big part of the culture – but that perception is changing.

More and more people are growing tired of the dominance of alcohol in all social environments and events. The sober curious movement is growing and more and more people are interested in reducing alcohol use or quitting.

“Sober curious” is a term that means actively consuming less alcohol or consciously going alcohol-free.

There’s a growing interest in non-alcoholic drinks, and Gen Z may be leading the change from boozy cocktails to alcohol-free mocktails, finds a new consumer sentiment survey of 1,000 Americans. The survey was conducted by NC Solutions.

NCS (Nielsen Catalina Solutions) is a purchase-based ad targeting and ROAS measurement firm serving the CPG industry. Nielsen Holdings is the parent company of NCS.

Alcohol use prevalence and consequences in U.S. society

U.S. government data show that in 2021, 174.3 million people ages 12 and older reported that they consumed alcohol in the past year. This means 62.3% in this age group consumed alcohol in the past twelve months.

Combining past year and past month alcohol use data provides a good picture of the prevalence of alcohol use in the U.S.

62.3%
Less than two thirds consumed alcohol in the past year, 2021
174.3 million people ages 12 and older reported alcohol use in the past year. 62.3% in this age group consumed alcohol in the past twelve months.
47.5%
Less than half consumed alcohol in the past month, 2021
In 2021, 133.1 million people ages 12 and older reported alcohol use in the past month. 47.5% in this age group consumed alcohol in the past month.

In 2021, 133.1 million people ages 12 and older reported that they consumed alcohol in the past month. This means 47.5% in this age group consumed alcohol in the past month, in 2021.

The breakdown by demographic group also reveals how low past-month alcohol use actually is in many communities:

  • 68.7 million males ages 12 and older (50.2% in this age group),
  • 64.4 million females ages 12 and older (45.0% in this age group),
  • 89.4 million White people ages 12 and older (52.2% in this age group),
  • 20.8 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (41.9% in this age group),
  • 14.3 million Black or African American people ages 12 and older (41.6% in this age group),
  • 5.3 million Asian people ages 12 and older (32.0% in this age group),
  • 2.3 million people of two or more races ages 12 and older (43.2% in this age group), and
  • 674,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (37.6% in this age group), and
  • 318,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older (31.0% in this age group).

Alcohol use is most prevalent in U.S. American men and in White people in the U.S. In all other demographic groups, staying alcohol-free in the past month is more normal than consuming alcohol.

This finding is important because it shows that the belief in the dominance of alcohol in U.S. culture does not reflect real preferences people actually have.

The consequences of high levels of alcohol consumption and low levels of alcohol policy measures to protect people from alcohol harm in U.S. society are serious and staggering:

  • 140,557 U.S. Americans die from the effects of alcohol in an average year.
    • Every day, 385 people in the U.S. die due to alcohol-related causes.
  • 10.2% of U.S. Americans over the age of twelve have an Alcohol Use Disorder.
  • Collectively, U.S. Americans lose over 3.59 million years of potential life due to alcohol.
  • 60% of Americans increased their alcohol consumption during COVID-19 lockdowns.
141k
Deaths due to alcohol every year
140,557 U.S. Americans die from the effects of alcohol in an average year.
NCDAS

For comparison and context, drug overdoses killed nearly 107,000 people in the U.S. in 2021. But the political and societal attention to the death toll of alcohol is not nearly at the level of the attention – rightly and importantly – paid to drug overdose deaths.

People in the U.S. are disrupting the alcohol norm as they try to reduce and quit alcohol use

The data show how harmful the pervasive alcohol norm is and the strong belief people hold in the centrality of alcohol in all social events, activities, and relations in the United States. And the data allow a glimpse into the reality that all people in the U.S. would benefit from healthier social norms that do not push alcohol.

That is the context for the new NC Solutions survey.

The survey reveals how people and communities in the U.S. are increasingly disrupting the alcohol norm:

  • One in four U.S. Americans are aware of the sober curious movement, and 34% say they are committed to consuming less alcohol in 2023.
  • While one in three learned about the sober curious movement from a family member or friend, 63% have been introduced to it via social media.
  • 39% of U.S. Americans wish there were more sober bars in their area and 45% are interested in going to a sober bar.
  • More than one in three (36%) have tried alcohol-free beer, and of those who have not, 22% would like to give it a try. Meanwhile, 32% want to try alcohol-free wine and spirits.
34%
People in the U.S. trying to reduce alcohol consumption
34% of U.S. Americans are committed to consuming less alcohol in 2023.
28%
People in the U.S. who already tried quitting alcohol
28% of U.S. Americans have already tried quitting alcohol use at least once in their life.
24%
People who live free from alcohol
24% of U.S. Americans do not use alcohol, according to the NC Solutions survey.

Top Reasons why people in the U.S. go alcohol-free

Over half (56%) of people in the U.S. who do not use alcohol say the primary reason they don’t consume alcohol is simply that they don’t want to.

More women (64%) than men (48%) feel this way.

Among Gen Z people who go alcohol-free, 70% say they don’t consume alcohol because they don’t want to.

56%
Don’t want to consume alcohol
The primary reason why most people don’t consume alcohol is that they don’t want to.

Health ranks second, with nearly one in three (31%) saying it’s why they stay alcohol-free. More men (37%) than women (26%) said staying healthy was one of their main motivations for being alcohol-free, as did 41% of Baby Boomers.

Addiction is also a concern for some Americans. One in five are concerned they will become addicted, and for 28%, addiction already runs in their family. 

32%
Don’t like the taste of alcohol
32% of people who don’t consume alcohol say the big reason is that they do not like the taste of alcohol products.
31%
Protecting health
31% of people who don’t use alcohol say protecting their health is the primary reason.
21%
Saving money
21% of people who don’t use alcohol say saving money is the primary reason.
21%
Improving mental health
21% of people who don’t use alcohol say improving their mental health is the primary reason.

For many Americans, it isn’t the first attempt at reducing alcohol consumption. 29% of people who currently consume alcohol said they’ve tried to quit alcohol before. Most people (80%) stopped cold turkey, while about one in six (18%) used an alcohol-free challenge such as Dry January to get started. More than two in three (67%) succeeded and quit alcohol for the time period they wanted to, joining the almost a quarter of U.S. Americans ages 21 and older who live free from alcohol.

With the alcohol norm dominating social life in the U.S., many sober curious people are looking for social environments where alcohol is not the center of attention. Nearly half (45%) of respondents say they are interested in going to a sober bar, where only mocktails are served. That includes 45% of people who consume alcohol and 47% who do not consume alcohol.

One-third (34%) of U.S. Americans feel younger generations are consuming less alcohol than older generations.

Other sources

U.S. NIAAA: “Alcohol Use in the United States: Age Groups and Demographic Characteristics“

U.S. NCDAS: Statistics about alcohol consumption and harm

Source Website: NC Solutions