Last year, when Lauren Haydel began her first sober holiday season, she wondered how difficult it would be to avoid alcohol at family parties and celebrations with friends.
She owns a boutique, Fleurty Girl, in the French Quarter of New Orleans – a neighbourhood synonymous with drinking – in the United States.
But few people questioned her choice. “Instead of them asking me why,” Haydel says, “they ask me, ‘Oh, do you feel better?’”
Sobriety has been having a moment, says Jessica Jeboult, founder of the website and online community A Sober Girl’s Guide.