Sober Rebels or Good Consumer-Citizens? Anti-Consumption and the ‘Enterprising Self’ in Early Sobriety

Abstract

Former drinkers in the UK are required to negotiate sobriety in a society that positions consumption (of alcohol but also more widely) as an important part of identity formation. A refusal to consume risks positioning the self outside of the established neoliberal order, particularly as traditional models of sobriety and ‘recovery’ position the non-drinker as diseased or flawed. As drinking rates decline across western contexts and new movements celebrating sobriety as a positive ‘lifestyle choice’ proliferate, this article will highlight ways in which sober women rework elements of traditional recovery models in order to construct an ‘enterprising self’ who remains a good consumer-citizen despite – or indeed because of – their refusal to drink. In doing so, this article enhances our understandings of the ways in which neoliberal notions of a successful, enterprising self can be incorporated into (re)constructions of the self and identity by ‘anti-consumers’ more widely.

‘Maturing Out’ as dilemmatic: Transitions towards relatively light drinking practices among UK University students

“…Such evidence of fearing ostracism (e.g., Jack's reference to a non‐drinking housemate who ‘excluded himself’) or tactical social decision‐making (e.g., Michael and Kelly’s participation in pre‐drinking to connect socially) was significant to observe as these indicated that the norm of drinking heavily retained its force even for individuals who drank little or nothing. This dilemma links with a growing literature on the social negotiations and identity‐related challenges involved in refusing alcoholic drinks and managing favourable self‐presentation as a non‐/lighter drinker (e.g., Conroy & de Visser, 2014; Herring, Bayley, & Hurcombe, 2014; Nicholls, 2020; Piacentini & Banister, 2009). Current study data provided further evidence that lighter drinkers are under pressure to handle drinking preferences in sophisticated ways; for example, rejecting coarsely defined, stigmatized labels like ‘non‐drinker’ as all‐encompassing definitions of personal drinking preferences (see Banister et al, 2019), particularly during initial university periods when social bonds are fragile and tentative.…”

Online Sobriety Communities for Women's Problematic Alcohol Use: A Mini Review of Existing Qualitative and Quantitative Research

“…It was identified that there is currently no published research regarding the current, popular social media-based sobriety communities such as Club Soda UK, Soberful, LoveSober and Sober Girl Society. While Nicholls' “Sobriety Storeys” project recruited women from a social media-based AOSG, it did not explore the relationship between social media and women's identity construction within the recovery community ( 19 , 20 ). This would be of value.…”

“…While Soberistas endorses a path of abstinence, it more closely aligned with popular themes of an "alcohol-free" lifestyle and selfimprovement (19,48), similar to TAIs Hello Sunday Morning (41) and Dry January (55). This ability to individually self-define, reframe and re-work traditional terms (19,20,40,41,56) is valued by participants, and reduces the stigma associated with the false binary of "addict" or "alcoholic" vs. "normal" drinker (57). These groups provided "a sense of normality for those who did not feel they belonged in the world of AA" [(40), p. 3].…”

“…Sanger et al found that the most important benefit of non-12-step AOSGs cited by partiwas the ability to meet “someone like me,” who shared the same experiences and did not adhere to popular stereotypical connotations of an “alcoholic” [( 40 ), p. 2]. While Soberistas endorses a path of abstinence, it more closely aligned with popular themes of an “alcohol-free” lifestyle and self-improvement ( 19 , 48 ), similar to TAIs Hello Sunday Morning ( 41 ) and Dry January ( 55 ). This ability to individually self-define, reframe and re-work traditional terms ( 19 , 20 , 40 , 41 , 56 ) is valued by participants, and reduces the stigma associated with the false binary of “addict” or “alcoholic” vs. “normal” drinker ( 57 ).…”

“…Further, women face more barriers to access and experience disproportionate shame when they do access treatment due to their perceived failure to live up to society's expectations of womanhood (12,17). Problematic drinking by women contradicts traditional notions of respectable femininities (passive, quiet, nurturing) and women's gender roles (mother, wife, carer) (18)(19)(20). Thus, a woman seeking help for addiction is more likely to be viewed as a "deviant.…”