You probably think your drinking is pretty moderate...ish—a glass or two of red after a long day, a few cocktails to pregame a first date, a series of tequila shots after an awkward Tinder meetup leaves you begging the bartender for some liquid aid.
Here’s the deal though: All this tippling can add up, and these common behaviors—especially that last one—might be a red flag for high-risk drinking, defined as downing four or more boozy bevs per day. More truth: The number of women doing this type of imbibing has soared in recent years. Meanwhile, the number of 25- to 34-year-olds dying from alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver jumped an average of 10.5 percent annually between 2009 and 2016—the most of any agegroup, according to the scientific medical journal BMJ.
And then there are the hangovers. Yeah. All of which tends to make the ever popular dry January—a month of zero alcohol—sound like an excellent idea. But for those who don’t want to get quite so drastic this year, there’s a new style of abstention on the rise: sober curious. The term was coined by Ruby Warrington, author of a new book by the same name. Instead of skipping booze altogether, sober-curious peeps question why they’re drinking in the first place and zone in on how it makes them feel...and that usually leads to cutting way back on their regularly scheduled sauce.
(Not) Cheers-ing to Your Health
This story is from the January 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
the venuture
One summer 2009 night, Julia's manager pulled her aside. A silver-haired gentleman's date was being kind of loud and messy-Julia should intervene, be extra nice to him. She got the okay to take the man up to the roof for a quiet smoke. This guy must be a big deal, she thought.
VICTORIA
Monét fans are having a thrilling 2024. Almost perfect, really, thanks to the artist's seven Grammy nominations, including Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance.
SOUND OF NOW
Thanks to our three cover stars-Kim Petras, Victoria Monét, and Kali Uchis-the future of music looks like something entirely new. More original, more exciting, more f*ck-yesput-this-on-my-playlistright-now. Which is exactly what each of them has been manifesting all along.
You Deserve to Take a Dating Sabbatical
And dare we say...you probably should?
The Chicest Places to Elope Right Now (Sorry, Mom)
An unforgettable vow-filled vacation with your soulmate vs. a lukewarm catered dinner with people you were forced to invite. Yeah, you get it too.
We Need to Talk About the Fentanyl in Your Party Pills
The potentially deadly substance is virtually impossible to see, smell, or taste and it's creeping into drugs you might have once considered \"safe.\"
I Hooked Up With My Friend's Dad on Vacation in Spain
It was an accident. It was also inevitable.
Black-Owned Is for Everyone
A friendly and very important-reminder from beauty editor-at-large Julee Wilson.
Becoming a Surrogate Impacted Every. Single. One.of My Relationships
It looks great on The Kardashians. But the reality can be...messy.
We Need to Talk About Perimenopause
It's a milestone health experience that may come for us all...so why are we so clueless?