At a glance, sobriety looks pretty on social media – and relatively simple to achieve. A quick search for sober motivation will send you off on a stream of brightly coloured listicles that advise making plans that don’t involve alcohol, spending time with friends who support your choices, trying new things (like mocktails!) and going for a walk to combat alcohol cravings. The posts are often accompanied by a white-toothed influencer who is standing on a mountain in a bikini.
The internet paints a picture of sobriety that has been smoothed around the edges, with an occasional snag of vulnerability; a woman pushing her toddler on a swing with the caption “I was buzzed on vodka here”; a word tile that reads: “I realised that inebriated women are easier to control.” The darkness creeps in, but then it’s back to normal programming; memes and hashtags and journalling at sunrise.
