O YN B One year, no beer? 1 How going alcohol - free long term can overhaul your life A report by One Year No Beer integrating new YouGov* stats November 20 19 OYNB 2 I N T R O D U C T I O N H E A L T H A N D W E A L T H G O O D N I G H T N I G H T C A P S S H A R P E R M I N D S M O S T C O M M O N W O R K - R E L A T E D M I S H A P S S O C I A L I S I N G S O B E R D I T C H I N G D U T C H C O U R A G E T O P 1 0 M I L L E N N I A L ‘ S H A M E O V E R S ’ N O L O N G E R T I R E D A N D E M O T I O N A L C O N C L U S I O N Contents 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 8 1 1 1 2 1 4 1 5 1 7 OYNB 3 Introduction Attitudes to drinking in the UK are changing, especially among Millennials. An increasing proportion of young people are rejecting alcohol to improve their health, relationships, careers, finances and mental health. So it’s no surprise that Dry January and Sober October have increased in popularity over recent years. However, although periodic sobriety has its benefits, going alcohol - free long term has a much greater impact on our lives: from health, mental wellbeing and work to our relationships. In this report we’ll hear directly from a number of our members who have found that extending their sobriety is creating some significant positive changes in their lives. For this report we launched a piece of research with YouGov in which 2,000 people were interviewed about their attitudes towards drinking. Interestingly, over half of Millennials (54%) are pledging to give up booze for more than just one month in 2020, calling into question whether Dry January and Sober October could soon become a thing of the past. In comparison, only a quarter (25%) of Baby Boomers said they would commit to going alcohol - free for at least a year. Millennials said they wanted to do this to save money (46%) but also for a range of lifestyle benefits: to improve health (43%), lose weight (36%) and reduce anxiety or depression (20%). Interestingly, there is a stigma associated with drinking among Millennials. According to the YouGov statistics, it’s young people who are most likely to wake up feeling guilty after a night out drinking, with 87% of millennials saying they’ve experienced the dreaded “ Shameover ” - a modern word for regretting getting drunk the night before. Our poll shows they’ve felt concerned that they have said something stupid (46%) or offended someone (25%). Whether it is for health, more cash or a fear of shame in this instantly Instagrammable world, Millennials are embracing a more sober society. We’ll speak to a range of experts to find out more about the benefits of going alcohol - free long term which is leading to people having more fulfilling careers, improving their mental health and forming relationships which aren’t built on a boozy night out. By Ruari Fairbairns and Andy Ramage, Co - founders of One Year No Beer (OYNB) OYNB 4 43% Improve health Health & W ealth It’s certainly encouraging that our new YouGov statistics show 43% of Millennials choose to go alcohol - free to improve their health. According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, consuming large amounts of alcohol can cause more than 60 different health issues and hundreds of physical conditions - ranging from cancers, injuries, reproductive disorders and mental and behavioural disorders. Yet our survey paints a picture that Millennials want to change the cultural norm around drinking. In the 1990s the news was plastered with images of boozy lads and ‘ladettes’ falling out of nightclubs after a night of binge drinking. Today, 17% of Millennials say they don’t like missing out on exercise as a result of being hungover, so young people aspire to be fit, healthy and sober. 17% Don’t like missing out on exercise as a result of being hungover “Not drinking is not missing out. It is liberating for those of us ‘all or nothing’ drinkers. Those things you think you can’t do without a drink, you absolutely can! I am now day 170, just two weeks away from six months, AF and I feel amazing. I have just returned from my first ever AF holiday which was brilliant. I love my AF life and have no plans to drink again. I have gained so much from OYNB and I honestly don’t think I could have done it without the OYNB Challengers Facebook group. What an amazing bunch of like - minded people. Always there to offer advice, support and a virtual hug when you need one. I am inspired by them every day and as a result it has pushed me too. “I have lost nearly two stone, I work out six days a week (and LOVE it) and I am completing my big challenge to cycle to London Ride 100 in six weeks. My stress and anxiety levels are the best they have been in years and my relationship has benefited in so many ways too.” Case Study One of the top reasons Millennials choose to go alcohol - free is to save money (46%) and it’s clear the hugely inflated price of alcohol is fuelling a trend towards drinking less. Ten years ago, the average price of a pint of beer, according to the Office for National Statistics, was £2.81. Now it is £3.67 – a 30% increase. The price hike is even more noticeable in expensive bottles of wine, craft beers or spirits. Millennials see this huge cost of drinking and are walking out of the bars and into the gym. They are more likely than any other age group to prefer to spend their money on a gym membership than a night out (16%). 46% Save money Kirstan Bradley, 45, West Yorkshire, 170 days AF OYNB 5 Good Night Nightcaps Contrary to popular wisdom, having a nightcap doesn’t help you sleep. It might help you nod off more quickly, but it reduces REM sleep making you wake up feeling sluggish and tired Elite sport sleep coach, Nick Littlehales , explains that drinking can start a vicious circle with your health: "Alcohol is the big sleep, human recovery disrupter, that can lead to so many mental and physical behavioural changes that easily become addictive. It affects our internal biological clocks, bodily functions, suppresses and un - suppresses key hormones at the wrong times and it can very quickly be used to camouflage other developing concerns. It may well sedate you into sleep, but the price you pay is poor sleep quality, abnormal human functioning, ongoing in ever increasing deteriorating cycles." The effects of just one night out can disrupt you for several days afterwards. Almost a fifth of Millennials have woken up on a Monday still with a hangover from Saturday. And there is a lot of regret around drinking. A huge 87% of those surveyed say that they have felt guilty after a night out boozing Almost a fifth of Millennials want to drink less to improve their sleep. Z z OYNB 6 Sharper M inds OYNB members are shaking off this fog of too much drinking and a bad night’s sleep. Your brain is hugely affected by regular alcohol consumption and when people ditch the sauce they see dramatic changes. Dr Phil Hopley is a consultant psychiatrist at Cognacity , a leading mental health and wellbeing consultancy. He works with a wide range of people to help them achieve sustainable high performance through optimising their health and wellbeing. His analysis shows the huge impact of drinking on brain functioning. He said: “Alcohol is associated with a range of cognitive changes, including: impaired memory (from forgetfulness to blackouts), slowed processing speed, confused or abnormal thinking and poor decision - making. Generally these effects are mediated by the depressant effect of alcohol on our pre - frontal cortex (the part of our brain responsible for ‘executive’ functions). Social drinkers generally recover from these effects once alcohol is metabolised and excreted from their system and any associated physical impacts (e.g.: dehydration – alcohol acts as a diuretic) are normalised.” “For regular heavy or chronic drinkers the news is not so positive – we see a range of more serious cognitive developments including reduced attention span, memory loss, loss of visuospatial abilities, reduced ability to think abstractly, confabulation to cover gaps in memory, diminished grey matter in the brain and even dementia.” Alcohol’s impact on the brain is in turn having an impact on the workplace. A whopping 50% of Millennials say they have had a work - related mishap due to drinking. That’s one in two young colleagues saying that they struggle to perform their job properly because of alcohol. Almost four in 10 people have gone into work hungover, having a huge affect not only on their personal careers but also the office dynamic. OYNB 7 Case Study : Kathleen DuBois, who is on the leadership team of a USA - based professional trade association 621 days AF “My life is exponentially better without alcohol. My career has improved in many ways since going alcohol - free. Last year I made a major, major shift in my career - after 16 years of leading a marketing company (that I owned) I decided to move on from the entrepreneur life and take a full - time position with another organisation. Anyone who has moved on from their own business knows just what a big move this was for me and I simply don’t think I would have made the shift (and I’m so glad that I did) had I not had the clear - headedness of being alcohol - free. I now travel nationally, lead an amazing team that is dispersed throughout the USA and am in a position where I get to exercise my entrepreneurial spirit and creative bent and feel extremely grateful.” “I am more confident. I feel that I’m a much better leader. My ability to make good work - related judgements and decisions have improved tremendously. I have made dramatic improvements in better managing the money that I earn. I wake up every morning without an alarm clock anywhere between 4am and 6am and am able to get an early start to my day. I am able to travel for business extensively and keep up with a very intense pace and work schedule.” OYNB 8 OYNB 9 Case Study : Ben Pearce 32, Surrey 32 days AF “I had started my own business which meant a further commute for me to get to my new central London office. There was a lot of stress from going it alone and the loneliness of being a one man band initially. Business wise it started really well but spending time in London gave me an excuse to have a few beers and meet up with people I knew who worked in the city. Before I knew it, I was drinking pretty much every night of the week. Friday evenings were getting later and later. “After a good day in the office one Friday, drinks were planned at a local bar so we all headed down and before I knew it, I was waking up on the sofa the next morning with absolutely no recollection of how I’d got home. I missed a family event on the Saturday because I was hungover and felt ashamed of myself. I was so embarrassed and immediately knew that all the little inklings I’d had before about drinking too much too often were coming to a head. I wasn’t looking after the things that I care about so much. I knew I had to do something to change. “I have a friend who had completed an OYNB challenge over two years ago and hasn’t ever looked back. I got in touch with him and admitted I thought I had an issue. He recommend OYNB so I signed up to the 28 - Day Challenge there and then. “I’ve signed up to the London marathon so I am running and weightlifting more than ever before. I’ve started to lose weight (despite initially swapping beer for copious amounts of sweets and chocolate). I know it sounds cliché but my relationship with my wife and kids has been so much better in the last month. My wife says I’ve been a joy to be around (if you knew me you’d realise this isn’t said very often) and I’m really excited about continuing this journey. “My life has been turned around and I feel armed to smash 2019 to bits, build my business and reap the rewards in 2020 and beyond.” Historically there has been a culture in this country which too often mixes work with play in an unhealthy fashion. The after - work drinks or the Christmas party can too often turn sour. A quarter of 18 – 24 year olds feel like they’ve embarrassed themselves at a work event - more than any other age group. OYNB 10 Socialising Sober Yet regretful nights of drinking don’t have to be the future. Alternative ways of socialising are brewing. In the past few years there has been a rise in alcohol - free bars, from Sobar in Nottingham to The Brink in Liverpool. Catherine Salway is the founder of Redemption bars in London. In the past few years they have expanded to three alcohol - free sites across the capital:. She said: “I saw that both locally and globally, there was a trend of young people drinking less. However, their needs weren’t being served in London and there were few options for an alcohol - free night. When I started, people thought that socialising sober was a misnomer. At first I struggled to find a range of alcohol - free drinks - there was Beck’s Blue and not much else. Now the market has developed and I serve a range of alcohol - free beer, cider and wine. There’s even alcohol - free spirits and a lovely alcohol - free prosecco. “I love that when people walk through the door of a Redemption bar they can’t make a bad decision. It gives people freedom. They have a fun evening, remember it all and wake up without a hangover. Momentum is growing around sober socialising. You see that in the range of soft drinks now on offer and the big chains innovating the sector.” OYNB 11 “Have you ever been on a date and done something you regret massively the following day? Have you found yourself cringing over deeply personal revelations and wanging on about your ex? Becoming uncharacteristically assertive and bolshy ? Or, worst of all, sleeping with someone way before you actually wanted to? I can guarantee you that statistically ‘everyone’ has found themselves in one of these situations. The main reason why Millennials are choosing to date sober is to know whether or not they really like their date and only a little further down the list, in third place, is the desire to make a deeper connection. Tellingly, the purpose of sobriety on a date as a preventative method is the bedrock of several other reasons: it prevents you saying something embarrassing or offensive and it prevents you from being physically intimate with someone prematurely. “These statistics show how universally alcohol can alter a person’s character, communication style and capacity for decision making. Ultimately you come away from drunken dates without any insight into who the person you are dating is, you don’t know if you are compatible because you weren’t truly communicating with one another. The problem with drinking on a date is not the alcohol itself but the fact that your opposite number gets a distorted vision of you, and the whole point of dating is to get to know one another.” Ditching Dutch Courage From first dates to decade long marriages, not drinking improves relationships with your nearest and dearest. We are seeing this with the rise of so called ‘sober - dating’, for which you can get specialist dating apps. Yet this isn’t a niche activity - over half of the people in our YouGov survey say that they would avoid being too drunk on a date (51%). So much for Dutch courage. Many Millennials want to have a date which isn’t centred around alcohol. They cite wanting to make deeper connections (30%) and being able to do something more fun (33%) as reasons for not drinking while dating. The connections between drinking and dating becomes even more pertinent around the issue of consent. In a post - #MeToo age, over half of those in the YouGov survey said that they wouldn’t have a one night stand with someone who was drunk (53%). 37% of Millennials would avoid a one night stand if they were drunk themselves. Relationship expert and transformation coach, Dalya Heron Brook asks: OYNB 12 Case study: Suzy Beaumont 43, Inverness 365+ days AF Self - confessed party girl ‘Boozy Suzy’ found love, and herself, after pledging to go alcohol - free with OYNB. Suzy would always be the last one at a party, even if she wasn't enjoying herself. She had serious FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). After drinking to excess one night because she was not enjoying the company she was with, she had an epiphany and decided enough was enough. It took a further 18 months to build up the courage to go alcohol - free, it had become part of her personality and her social life, she worried that she didn't know who she was without a drink in hand. After a chance meeting with Ruari, the founder of OYNB, she found she was inspired by his own alcohol - free journey. Suzy joined the alcohol - free programme and made a social announcement that she was going alcohol - free for a full 365 days. Suzy absorbed herself in the online community of others who were also going AF (alcohol - free) and found she instantly had thousands of people to speak to about the highs and lows of going alcohol - free. Slowly as her confidence grew, she learnt how to be the life and soul of the party again. After she spent time building her confidence and working on self - development, she felt ready to try sober dating. Suzy said: "One of the major hurdles I had to overcome was sober dating! I had been single for seven years, I had dalliances in that time, often as a result of a drunken night out with the ‘beer goggles’ on which led to some serious poor judgement calls on my behalf! A hangover is bad enough, but combine it with a romantic entanglement that is no longer appealing in the cold light of day, It just made my self - worth and esteem plummet. I’d added ‘Don’t Drink' to my dating profile – even I’d swipe left if I didn’t know me! I sounded dull as dishwater. I did hide these little factoids initially but felt I was being dishonest and almost tricking guys, so I decided if I was going to find someone, I needed to be honest and truthful about who I am. If they were turned off by it, then they weren’t someone I wanted to be with anyway. "Just as I was losing all faith and had got to the point of not even getting excited about going on dates anymore, I met Dave. We arranged to meet in a local country pub for lunch and chatted over a nice cup of tea! He was different, he was full of chat and asked me loads of questions and was impressed I was doing this challenge. He drinks himself, but only occasionally - Dave is a policeman and witnesses the carnage that alcohol causes each and every weekend. It was over three months before he had a drink in my company and not because he was holding back. It just wasn’t something that he automatically gravitated to. He certainly didn’t need it to bolster his confidence. Dave and I dated for another two months before making it official." OYNB 13 When it comes to longer - term relationships alcohol can put a wedge between partners by causing arguments. A fifth of people across the UK have had an argument when drunk, and 25 to 34 year olds are the most likely demographic to have done this (31%). Alcohol causes chemical changes in the brain which can initially make you feel relaxed. However, when relaxed our warning systems don’t work enabling us to participate in dangerous or confrontational situations. Relationship expert Dalya Heron Brook explains the dangers of being too relaxed: “There is some truth in the Latin ‘ in vino veritas’ - in wine there is trut h Fear of vulnerability, rejection or ridicule can stop a person expressing themselves when sober. So these hidden truths come out with alcohol’s lowered guard. Saying what you need or how you feel is a positive thing, but the problem with having this sort of discussion in a drunken state is that emotions are heightened and people are reactive. What could have been a generative, bonding conversation can easily morph into a horrible argument or, in the morning, be forgotten or ignored and nothing is resolved. It is so much harder to risk being vulnerable without Dutch Courage, but the outcome with added alcohol can lead either nowhere or downhill. I work with many clients on self confidence and self expression. It takes courage and is a powerfully healing process.” OYNB 14 No Longer Tired and Emotional Drinking to calm one’s nerves is common practice. Yet there is increasing research into the negative affect that drinking alcohol has on one’s mental health. Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Phil Hopley , explains the link: “For many people the main reason for drinking alcohol is to improve their mood. Alcohol can temporarily alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression which is something of a paradox as alcohol is a depressant drug.” “As a result of this early effect many people use alcohol to ‘self - medicate’ in order to cheer themselves up, cope with anxiety or sometimes to help with sleep. This is often why people with mental health problems drink alcohol, however this often makes existing mental health problems worse by lowering mood, interfering with the beneficial effects of medication and causing increased anxiety in the aftermath of drinking as the alcohol is excreted from our systems.” As we have seen earlier in the report, Millennials are positively choosing a healthy lifestyle over drinking. However, there is one area in which they are struggling. A third of 25 to 34 year olds say they like to drink to reduce stress and anxiety - more than any other age group surveyed. And, according to Dr Phil Hopley , it is those who are already struggling who see the worst effects: Alcohol problems are more common among people with more severe mental health problems. This does not necessarily mean that alcohol causes severe mental illness. Evidence shows that people who consume high amounts of alcohol are vulnerable to an increased risk of developing mental health problems and alcohol consumption can be a contributing factor to some mental health problems, such as depression. Whether you are someone who drinks regularly or not, keeping alcohol consumption to recommended weekly limits will bring health benefits. Periods of abstinence are vitally important to allow the body (especially the liver and brain) to recover. For those who have become dependent on alcohol, long - term abstinence is essential as one of the features of alcohol dependence is a rapid return to loss of control over drinking with all the associated harm that brings. “It manages this by depressing our pre - frontal cortex first, so the controlling / executive influence is weakened thereby making us feel more relaxed, less stressed and less inhibited or self - controlled. Compare conversations in pubs and bars early evening to cafes at the same time – often you will see an increase in the volume, excitement and pace of conversations.” OYNB 15 “I think my story would resonate with many women my age who have been through the menopause. It all started six years ago when I seemed to ‘sign off’ with many aspects of my life. Overnight I went from an all - out competitive triathlete to someone who was continually getting injured, putting on weight and feeling increasingly anxious. One way to cope, or so I naively thought, was to drink alcohol. I had never been a big drinker, but I was becoming one before I even realised. It became the norm for me to drink 3 - 4 glasses of wine per day, every day. “It went something like this: Stressful day at work, drink a glass as soon as I walked in the front door. Great day at work, drink a glass as soon as I walked through the front door. Cook dinner, drink a glass, eat dinner, drink a glass, settle down to watch evening TV, drink a glass. You get the picture; this was every day. “I developed the delightful habit of waking at 3am, having to go to the lounge and sometimes have a small glass of something to ‘settle my nerves’. I knew I was in trouble at this point, but still not equating the alcohol intake to my anxiety. I just thought it was my anxiety that was keeping me awake and stressed. My anxiety and stress levels got so bad I left my job at the end of 2018; I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t cope. At no point did I realise that alcohol was possibly the leading part in this picture. “I was sick of being anxious, sick of feeling frumpy and sick of feeling old and tired. I didn’t want to feel like this for the rest of my life. At first it wasn’t easy, the desire to drink was overwhelming at times. But I did everything OYNB said to do, I stayed close to the most amazing tribe of people I have ever met. About day 14, a day I was really struggling, I read Annie Grace’s This Naked Mind which was a game changer for me, I really haven’t looked back since. It was my light bulb moment for why I had become so sick with my anxiety. “As I have gone along this journey, my anxiety has diminished to almost nothing. It’s funny, I go looking for it in the morning and it’s not there, such a feeling of freedom not to be crippled by its hold. So, this is what has happened in 90 days of being AF: my anxiety, although still there at times, doesn’t rule my life. I have the clarity to see why I’m feeling anxious and do something to reduce it without it crippling me. I have come off my antidepressant medication. I have lost 5kg, my face is less puffy and my grey bags under my eyes have lifted. I now will have a photo with my sunglasses off, I’m not covering up my sad eyes that my anxiety held against me. “Most importantly, I have reclaimed my life back, which would not have been possible without the help of OYNB. The support has been invaluable. I feel like I can sparkle again, I haven’t felt like this in years.” Case Study : Wendy Gordon 56, South Australia 90+ days AF OYNB 16 From this report you can see that there is a cultural shift around drinking and this is most evidently seen with Millennials, many of whom are rejecting alcohol to improve their health, relationships, careers, finances and mental health. They are waking up refreshed, with clearer skin, healthier bodies, sharper minds and with more money in their pockets. And this shift in drinking is only likely to increase with Generation Z as currently almost 30% of 16 - 24 year olds in England are alcohol - free. However, alcohol - free comes easier to some than to others. Two - thirds of people (68%) who set a New Year’s resolution to stop drinking fail to achieve their goal. The drinking landscape might be changing but we have centuries of customs, expectations and peer pressure to cast off. For many there is a gap between the alcohol - free life they aspire to and the reality of achieving it. Organisations like One Year No Beer can help people realise the joys of an alcohol - free life. OYNB is a toolkit for surviving modern society alcohol - free. We founded it in 2015 because we decided we needed to change our relationship with alcohol. We tried to give up drinking completely but soon found, like many before us, that it is hard to do this without the support and motivation from other people. It is particularly crucial to have support from those who had already succeeded in stopping drinking. At this point in time, a platform that offered this did not exist and so we formed OYNB. OYNB now has over 50,000 members worldwide. Central to its premise is that to make the lifestyle change of going alcohol - free you need community support. The programme includes practical tips on how to remain alcohol - free when going to weddings, stag weekends, holidays, Friday night in the pub. The programme incorporates cutting edge science in habit change, behavioural science and positive psychology. We offer 28, 90 and 365 day challenges which help people realise that they don’t need alcohol to have a good time, to relax, to unwind or to enjoy life. OYNB is not an abstinence programme. It’s about changing habits and making clear - sighted decisions when it comes to booze. This report demonstrates that there is a clear desire for a culture change in the UK’s drinking habits, especially among Millennials, yet people need help in achieving the goal of a healthy lifestyle which is no longer dependent on alcohol. To find out more, head to www.oneyearnobeer.com Conclusion By Ruari Fairbairns and Andy Ramage, Co - founders of OYNB OYNB 17 This report was written by Aubergine Communications for OYNB For any media enquiries please contact verity@weareaubergine.com *Based on a survey conducted by YouGov for OYNB in October 2019