The sober curious movement successfully reduced drinking, but it's been completely offset by cannabis use.

Cannabis use reduces alcohol intake, supporting the substitution effect, but that doesn't solve the problem.

The question isn't "Which substance is safer?" but "What need is its use serving that I haven't addressed?"

Giving up alcohol feels like progress. But if you're reaching for cannabis instead, you haven't changed the pattern—just the packaging.

Giving up alcohol feels like progress. But if you're reaching for cannabis instead, you haven't changed the pattern—just the packaging.

I started working with a client I'll call Marcus last year. A 31-year-old, sharp, hard-working, successful tech-ops executive, he was genuinely proud that he hadn't touched alcohol in 14 months. He'd started out with Dry January, loved it, and kept going. His sleep improved. His skin cleared up. His dinner tabs got smaller. By every sober curious metric, Marcus was a success story.

There was just one thing most people didn't know: Marcus was now using cannabis every single day. Edibles before social events. A vape pen to wind down after work. THC gummies to fall asleep. When I asked him about it, he shrugged. "It's not alcohol," he said. "I'm not hung over. I'm not blacking out. This is different."

But it wasn't really that different. Not in many of the places where it mattered.

The pattern has become a common one: Someone proudly announces "Oh, I don't drink anymore," and then you notice the THC seltzers in their fridge, or the edible they pop before every dinner party. They're not any more sober; they've just rebranded. And the culture is cheering them on for it.

The numbers tell the same story. In 2025, Gallup recorded the lowest U.S. drinking rate in 85 years, which is exciting! Only 54 percent of adults say they consume alcohol, compared to over 60% a decade ago. Gen Z is leading the charge: Nearly 65 percent plan to drink less this year, and 39 percent intend to go fully dry. That's genuinely encouraging, and the first time we've seen this shift since we began measuring.

But here's the number the Sober Curious movement is missing: 41.4 percent of young adults age 19-30 used cannabis in the past year—also the highest rate ever recorded. Nearly 3 in 10 use it monthly. One in 10 use it daily. And over half of cannabis users in one survey said they substitute it for alcohol on at least a weekly basis.

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