As we navigate our journey through sober curiosity, one of our favorite things to experiment with is the “sober night.” The night where you don’t feel like drinking but still want to get out on the town or enjoy a small gathering at home. As we’ve embarked on more and more sober nights, an interesting phenomenon has begun to creep up. After enjoying a few non-alcoholic beverages, we’ll start to notice a slight tipsiness. We’re giddier, more relaxed, perhaps even a little footloose. How is this possible?
Well, according to scientific research, we human beings are able to experience the effects of alcohol without consuming a drop of the good stuff. Ladies and gentlemen: the placebo effect, the hard-wired reward-response mechanism of our brains at work. The simple act of going to our usual watering holes and knocking back drinks from cocktail glasses can produce some of the same buoyant effects of booze.
Is that not the ultimate life hack? You can still enjoy the company of your friends and experience the same social lubrication of a hard drink. You can have the same sensory experience of a craft cocktail, made with non alcoholic spirits (perhaps a New Fashioned using our whiskey alternative). But on a sober night, you remember every interaction, every joke, every moment of bonding. You’re less likely to say things you’ll regret the next day. And you’re sharp enough to end the night at its peak, rather than signing up for an aimless venture to a 3am bar or enduring a long wait at the food trucks. And best of all, you won’t wake up in a fog the following morning with unexplained salsa stains on your face and clothes.
Well, according to scientific research, we human beings are able to experience the effects of alcohol without consuming a drop of the good stuff. Ladies and gentlemen: the placebo effect, the hard-wired reward-response mechanism of our brains at work. The simple act of going to our usual watering holes and knocking back drinks from cocktail glasses can produce some of the same buoyant effects of booze.
Is that not the ultimate life hack? You can still enjoy the company of your friends and experience the same social lubrication of a hard drink. You can have the same sensory experience of a craft cocktail, made with non alcoholic spirits (perhaps a New Fashioned using our whiskey alternative). But on a sober night, you remember every interaction, every joke, every moment of bonding. You’re less likely to say things you’ll regret the next day. And you’re sharp enough to end the night at its peak, rather than signing up for an aimless venture to a 3am bar or enduring a long wait at the food trucks. And best of all, you won’t wake up in a fog the following morning with unexplained salsa stains on your face and clothes.
This is not to say we haven’t experienced sober nights where we’ve felt a tad out of place while everyone else imbibes. That’s to be expected on any sober curious journey. But if you view your sober night as a challenge to see just how much fun you can have without the booze, it makes it feel like a game and reduces the pressure.
It’s up to you how to work sober nights into your repertoire. But with Ritual, it’s all about having the option.
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