In recent years, alcohol use has risen — and with it, alcohol-related illness and death. Between 1999 and 2020, alcohol deaths in the U.S. more than doubled, according to the CDC. The growing scientific consensus suggests that no amount of alcohol is good for you. Public health officials have long championed sobriety as the best antidote to a drinking problem. For patients with severe alcohol use disorder (AUD), sobriety may be the only way to avoid cravings. In an attempt to reach people who may not want or need to quit, experts have increasingly taken a harm-reduction approach, saying that it is better to at least cut back a little than not at all. Experts say even small changes can help. Studies have recently found that people who cut back on their drinking experienced a drop in blood pressure, improved liver function and a better quality of life. Some folks have tried to be not fully sober, but “soberish,” by reducing their alcohol consumption and paying closer attention to its effects on their mood and health. The designation, sometimes also referred to as “sober curious,” has caught on in the U.S. and elsewhere as the health risks of alcohol become better understood. “Soberish” can mean drinking more mindfully, drinking less, or avoiding alcohol altogether. At parties, people often reach for seltzers and nonalcoholic beers, and more people are using apps that help them track and reduce their alcohol intake. The idea has been popularized by podcasts like Soberish Uprising. One of the women in the article, Kayla Lyons, has published an autobiographical guide to drinking less. She called it “Soberish.” Here's the link: Not Drunk, Not Dry: What It Means to Be ‘Soberish’ - The New York Times