Jessica Weis poured her last alcoholic drink down the sink about a year ago and hasn’t turned back since then. But it was no easy decision, she explains, as she recalled several nights spent in social circles where alcohol consumption seemed to be the norm.
Being sober curious means you are questioning your relationship with alcohol.
“The first few weeks were tough… I was reading a lot, listening to podcasts and audiobooks on sobriety to help me keep on track and stay motivated and inspired by other people’s stories,” explains Weis, who is now on a mission to create a sober community in Luxembourg with events that aren’t centred on drinking alcohol.
“We have a long way to go. Especially in Luxembourg, there’s a massive drinking culture… And so it's all about [challenging] those preconceived ideas and the stigma attached to [saying no],” says Weis.
A 2021 Eurostat study placed Luxembourg second in the EU for weekly alcohol consumption and among the top three countries where heavy drinking episodes occur at least once a month.
The first sober event will take place at Bazaar on Saturday 22 October at 4pm. Among the lineup of speakers are sober coach James Wolff from Paris, UK-based mindset and emotional health practitioner Amy Viola, and Alcohol Explained book ambassador Stacy Leshner.
I want to bring events where not everything is centred around alcohol, where you know you're not going to have to justify yourself.
Weis started out by documenting her sobriety journey on social media, where she soon discovered a big community of sober curious individuals on the same path, and this sparked her idea for these in-person events.
“A lady’s coming all the way from Spain, who I've actually never met [but] we became virtual friends through the common topic of sobriety because she organises sober retreats in Spain,” explains Weis.
Luxembourg's Cancer Foundation will also be taking part in the event, with several researchers citing alcohol consumption among the leading risk factors of cancer. The foundation organises a in the month of January with the 3rd edition of the challenge scheduled to take place in January 2023. Over 3,700 people have participated in the past with around 92.5% willing to repeat the challenge, according to a survey.
Weis views the event at Bazaar as a pilot. She “wants to see how this first one goes” before scheduling future events. However, you can look out for the alcohol-free stand she will be setting up at the Winter market on 10 December or a sober brunch in January 2023.
“If all goes well, it would be amazing to [organise these sober events] once a month or at least once a quarter.”
The €15 entrance fee for the event on Saturday covers the organisation, alcohol-free beverages and food. The address is 46 Place Guillaume II. for more information and registration.