Young people were sick of seeing the older generation drunk, decided it wasn’t cool, and alcohol lost its grip on society.’ We’re constantly warned we’re a nation of binge drinkers, but in fact, only one in seven women and one in four men now drink more than the recommended 14 units per week. Or, as Salway puts it, ‘We probably hit peak booze five years ago. A recent study in The Lancet found that since 1990, UK alcohol consumption has dropped by almost 10%, and almost a third of all alcohol sold in England is consumed by just 4% of the population. ‘We initially appealed to women under 25, but now we have an equal male/female split and lots more over-30s.’Īnd mindful drinking isn’t just ‘a London thing’. ‘When we first started, people thought we were mad, and it would never catch on,’ she says. One of the pioneers of the trend, Catherine Salway, founded dry cocktail bar Redemption as a London pop-up in 2014 and has seen the mindful drinking trend continue to grow ever since. But even if it didn’t convince you to go teetotal, you might have chosen a more mindful, conscious approach to booze.

Taking part in Dry January or Sober October can jolt us into recognising how much of a habit it’s become to reach for a glass of wine or a G&T after a tough day. As seems to be customary these days, we tend to start with an extreme, and settle into something far more achievable and balanced.

Mindful drinking