At 7:00 AM on a Saturday, loud EDM music echoes through the lounge of the 63 Building in Yeouido. Young people sway to the rhythm under the lights, but what they hold in their hands are cups of coffee, not alcohol. Around 150 young people participated in this day's Morning Rave. Morning Rave is a dance party held early in the morning. Unlike traditional nightlife culture centered around drinking, it is a culture where people enjoy music and dancing with non-alcoholic beverages. In fact, a significant number of the attendees ran 5 kilometers along the Han River before the party. This alcohol-free trend is called being "Sober Curious." It is a compound word combining "sober," meaning a clear mind, and "curious," meaning inquisitiveness, signifying an interest in experiencing a state of not being intoxicated. It is not about completely quitting alcohol forever, but rather an attitude where you decide whether or not to drink, rather than letting others dictate it. So, why have these people started filling their time with other activities instead of drinking glasses?
The Sober Generation: What Does a Day Look Like for the "Sober Curious"?IT developer Oh Ji-hye's day begins at 4:30 AM. She packs lunch boxes, goes for an early morning run, and then heads to work. Even after getting off work, she is deeply immersed in exercise. Until two years ago, she used to spend her evenings with frequent drinking gatherings and appointments, but now she spends that time entirely for herself. Although there were times when people around her looked at her like an alien for drinking coffee at drinking spots, she says they now support her practice of a healthy life.
On the other hand, there are cases where people who used to live immersed in alcohol found new satisfaction in an alcohol-free daily life. Lee Nam-soo worked as an alcohol-focused YouTuber with 180,000 subscribers. He loved alcohol so much that he went on a 50-day European beer trip using money he saved from part-time jobs. However, as frequent drinking sent red lights flashing for his health and lowered his work efficiency, he put down his glass of alcohol. Now, instead of alcohol, he drinks tea, exercises, and eats healthy foods.
For these two people, the "sober life" was not simply abstaining from alcohol. It was a life where they gained much more than they lost.
"Drink Up" is a Thing of the Past... How Have Gen Z and Millennials Changed Drinking Sceneries?Numbers also back this up. Last year, the amount spent by people in their 20s at pubs decreased by 20.9% compared to a year earlier. Over the past 10 years, the monthly drinking rates for men in their 20s and 30s have also dropped by more than 10%. The atmosphere around university districts, where people naturally encountered alcohol out of a sense of liberation upon becoming adults, has also changed. As students seeking alcohol have noticeably decreased, the number of bars shutting down is growing.
The alcohol industry is also responding swiftly by successively launching non-alcoholic products. Companies that used to sell alcohol have begun making "alcohol-free drinks." Experts say that while alcohol previously served as an essential medium connecting people, it has now become just one of many options. They note that this generation decides for themselves whether to drink or not, choosing life on their own terms.
This week on SBS
, we examine the changing drinking culture of the 2030 generation and the questions raised in our society by the "sober curious" lifestyle they have chosen.※
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