Diva UK – September 2019

Tastings at Mindful

Drinking Fest 2019

cur

iou

s

Sober

YOUNG ADULTS ARE

CHANGING DRINKING

CULTURE. AND, GUESS

WHAT? QUEER WOMEN

ARE LEADING THE WAY

WORDS DANIELLE MUSTARDE

We have a funny relationship with

alcohol, us Brits. Growing up in the

sticks in the northeast of England, I

was perhaps a little behind some of

my city-raised kin. Still, I was just 15

years old the first time I was served

alcohol at the local village pub, older

boyfriend in tow.

From there came university, and

chants of “Down it! Down it! Down

it!” punctuated our (many) nights out.

Drinking was very much to get drunk.

I didn’t really stop to question the

drinking culture I’d so easily become a

part of until, on one occasion after an

event at the Student’s Union, I woke

up on my next door neighbour’s sofa,

bleary-eyed and with little memory of

how I’d even come to be there. Enter

the most extreme case of “hangxiety”

I’ve ever experienced. Thing is, I’d be

willing to bet that most people my age

have a similar story (if not many).

But, as with much in the world

right now, the cultural tide is begin-

ning to turn. For some time, some-

thin’s been a brewin’ across the UK

• and that somethin’ is less than
  0.5% ABV.

Though studies show that binge-

drinking is still an issue (and, in fact,

may be on the rise amongst older

“YOUNG^ PEOPLE^

TURNING^ THEIR^

BACKS^ ON^ ALCOHOL”

(NHS^ Choices,^2018 )

“NEARLY (^30) % OF
YOUNG PEOPLE IN
ENGLAND DO NOT
DRINK, STUDY (^) FINDS
(The G ”
uardian, October (^2018) )
“THE^ RISE^ OF^ T
HE^
SOBER^ CURIOUS
:
HAVING^ IT^ ALL,^
WITHOUT^ ALCO
HOL”
(The^ Guardian,^ July^2019
)
48 SEPTEMBER 2019
PH
OT
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CL
UB
SO
DA
,^ JA
ME
S^ D
AV
IES
,^ IN
STA
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