During the latter years of high school and the early ones of college, I remember impatiently counting down the months, days, (and if I’m being honest… seconds) until I turned 21. All around me, at dinners, meals out with family, and even watching SATC make Cosmos look cool, I looked on as people sipped charmingly from coupes and gracefully from glasses. Drinking, it seemed, was the epitome of elegance—and it was a natural milestone that would confirm my emergence into adulthood.

But several years and one life-altering pandemic later, that idea of elegance has completely shifted. Like many folks, the past two years have given me the opportunity to reflect on my habits—and re-evaluate my relationship with alcohol. I wouldn’t call myself a big drinker, but my late-twenties body makes waking up with a hangover about a million times more excruciating than in college. And truthfully, sometimes I just want to curl up with a cup of tea in lieu of meeting for drinks.

Again, I’m not alone in wondering if there’s another way. If we didn’t have to reach for a drink after a long day, or if feeling overwhelmed, awkward, or stressed out didn’t have to necessitate a glass of wine. Enter: the rise of the sober-curious lifestyle—and the best sober-curious books to help you dive in.

Feature image by Belathée.

What is a sober-curious lifestyle?

Lauren Sandoval, FNTP, a health coach and founder of the Healthy + Happy Method, previously told CS that she defines being sober-curious as “exploring your relationship with alcohol instead of an all-or-nothing approach. Being sober-curious means that you have the opportunity to find the balance that works for you—there are no hard and fast rules to it.”

This is perhaps what I love most about the sober-curious movement—it takes a gentle approach and highlights the importance of developing a mindful relationship with drinking. Of course, this is different from an alcohol abuse problem. Oftentimes, individuals who consider themselves sober-curious abstain from drinking motivated by the health benefits, not because they consider themselves alcoholics.

If you’re exploring a sober-curious lifestyle, Sandoval shared a few health benefits of cutting back on or cutting out drinking that might help sweeten the deal:

• weight loss
• improved liver function
• reduced anxiety and depression
• stable energy
• better digestion
• easier periods and fertility
• improved immunity
• better food and lifestyle choices

“Even cutting back just a little can reduce some of the stress this causes to the body, helping it to heal on its own,” says Sandoval.

Scroll through for the best sober-curious books that’ll change the way you think about drinking.