‘Goodbye mindless drinking and hello mindful living’: A feminist analysis of women’s sobriety as a practice of self-care

Since 2004 there has been a reduction in alcohol consumption and an increase in teetotalism in the UK, particularly amongst young people and women. This has coincided with the emergence of Western discourses regarding wellbeing and self-care, and a greater awareness of mental health. This article considers how women experience and reframe sobriety as a form of self-care, drawing on data collected as part of a wider project on women’s identities in sobriety, including participant interviews, ethnographic observations and social media posts. Findings suggest that women utilise sobriety as a strategy of self-care; to manage physical and mental health conditions, including the menstruating and (peri)menopausal body. Sobriety is used as a tool by women to strengthen their bodies and enhance feelings of control within a neoliberal society that promotes and privileges self-responsibility for health and wellbeing. This article informs understanding of the connections between feminism, sobriety and self-care. It highlights the opportunity and value of future research to investigate current online sobriety communities as a contemporary source, and practice, of feminist thinking and (lifestyle) activism.