Ten years ago, teenager Ezrah Waith was in a bustling nightclub on the Gold Coast's glitter strip, with lights flashing and music pumping, when he had an epiphany.
Key points:
- The number of ex-drinkers rose from 1.5 to 1.9 million Australians between 2016 and 2019
- Weight gain and hangovers were among the reasons for giving up alcohol
- Distillers are filling a gap in the market by making low and no-alcohol spirits
"I just remember standing in the middle of Sin City and realising I didn't need alcohol to be myself," Ezrah said.
It was almost sacrilege in the schoolies' capital of Australia, where drinking alcohol is a veritable right of passage for many.
Now 30, Ezrah and his wife Tyrene are proud to remain booze-free and it seems their sober lifestyle may be catching on.
According to an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) triennial survey, the number of people who had ditched the drink rose from 1.5 million to 1.9 million between 2016 and 2019.
Weight gain and hangovers were cited among the reasons.
The AIHW report found the proportion of ex-drinkers had fluctuated since 2001, but 2019 recorded the highest proportion of ex-drinkers over that period.
The coronavirus pandemic may have disrupted people's drinking habits in 2020, however, the AIHW said no clear patterns had emerged yet of the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on alcohol and other drug consumption.
Under the radar
Christmas parties and work social gatherings can often be an irritating experience for the sober-minded, but the advent of no and low-alcohol drinks has allowed people like Ezrah and Tyrene Waith to fly under the radar.
"It's not so much that the questions annoy me, but it gets repetitive after a while if you are constantly explaining why you are not drinking," Ezrah said.
"I like non-alcoholic beer and gin and tonics; I've found ones that are quite enjoyable. They taste very similar [to an alcoholic drink].
"It's more socially acceptable to drink non-alcoholics. When you are not drinking, people think you are not having fun.
Sober curious
Faye Lawrence is the founder of Untoxicated, a non-drinking network of 8,000 Australians who socialise over morning teas and activities like mini golf and camping.
They are part of a growing movement called "sober curious".
Ms Lawrence said whether people drank alcohol or not did not have to be "black or white".
"It's about having that sense of curiosity and picking for the individual what works for them and how they want to show up in the world.
"It's that mindful drinking, where one day you might have an alcohol-free vodka or wine, and other days you might want to go out with mates and have a big night."
Ms Lawrence said "cool, fun and attractive" alcohol-free alternatives helped non-drinkers overcome the fear of missing out.
"We're social animals, we also want to fit in and if you turn up and have an alcohol-free cocktail, no-one is going to notice that you're not drinking, so a big deal doesn't have to be made about it," she said.
Filling a gap in the market
With the rise of the sober curious, Burleigh-based distiller Catie Fry is tapping into a market that traditionally only catered for beer and wine drinkers.
Ms Fry is the first distiller in Australia to produce a zero-alcohol and mid-strength range of white spirits.
"You'd call them a botanical vodka, but they're crafted very much like a gin."
Female focus
The distiller's inspiration came after being treated "like a house plant" during her two pregnancies, when the only drink options were water or juice.
"It's distilled in exactly the same way; I work with 21 different botanicals all up in my range of three infusions and I craft my botanicals with a wheat-based spirit," Ms Fry said.
The mother, wife and entrepreneur said she was also determined to change the culture of the male-dominated distilling industry.
"I didn't have much of a chance to be in the distillery uninterrupted, which I get. You can't have kids running around in the distillery, someone's got to look after them," she said.
"But I got excluded a little bit, so I bought a copper still and experimented when the kids went to sleep."
Her three varieties are marketed to a female audience, but the mother of two said she was surprised by the overwhelming interest they had from men.
"People said if I was too feminine or female-focused, then you'll lose half your market and alienate men," she said.
"Little wins like this for women show young girls that they can be a distiller too, or have their own distilling company, or mechanic shop, or anything really."
Ms Fry hoped her company would help bring about a shift in the drinking landscape.
"Things are changing and there are so many amazing craft distilleries that are getting with the times and becoming more inclusive so look around, be proud and you'll find others who want to come along with you," she said.
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2021-01-16 23:19:00Z
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