Wildly popular canned THC drinks for the sober curious

“Sober curious” is more than a flash-in-the-pan trend, baby. This is the healthy lifestyle choice more people are getting behind every day.

It’s not hard to understand why.

Since Dry January, we’re reminded of how much better life can be when we roll out of bed on Sunday morning with a spring in our step. Our Apple Watches and Oura rings confirm what our splitting heads already know—a wild night of drinking is robbing us of a great night’s sleep. And our camera roll is telling us we probably shouldn’t have danced on the bar with that guy from the biker gang. Oops.

Inundated with stories about health and wellness, we’re all looking for actionable steps that fit into our already busy lives. Meditation and time spent outdoors. Clean eating and gratitude journals. And, yes—cutting out the booze.

Even better, abstaining from alcohol is way more socially acceptable these days.

Before, to quote Jim Gaffigan: When you don't drink, people always need to know why, too. They're like: [falsetto voice] "You don't drink? Why?" This never happens with anything else. "You don't use mayonnaise? Why? Are you addicted to mayonnaise? Is it okay if I use mayonnaise? I could go outside..."

Now, all of a sudden, it’s like, wait. I can order a mocktail at a bar or turn down a glass of wine at book club without a weird look?

Pretty freaking refreshing, right?

Have you thought about joining the sober curious movement?

You sure wouldn’t be alone!

An August 2023 Gallup poll found that 10% fewer young people drink now than they did back in the early 2000s, and those who still drink don’t drink to excess as often. Great job, The Youths!

But it’s not just young people. 41% of all Americans say they want to drink less alcohol this year.

It’s pretty clear when you head to the socials.

49.3k Instagram posts are tagged #sobercuriousmovement. People are sharing advice and encouragement about their new alcohol-free lifestyle, and they’re celebrating brands that support their choices. Just check out this Barnes & Noble curated book selection with great how-to reads and mocktail books.

Head to TikTok, and you’ll find 100k videos tagged #sobercurious doing the very same thing.

From sober curious to canna-curious

While lots of people are saying no to beer, wine, and hard alcohol, not everyone is finding complete abstinence to be quite right for them, either.

Bon Appétit contributor, Chala June, shares their very personal story of going Cali sober—cutting every intoxicant except weed from their lifestyle. And, sure, they loved the creative non-alcoholic cocktails bars were mixing but, like so many of us, they felt that gnawing anxiety creep in at private parties. 

What if he talks to me? But, omg, what if he doesn’t? What if I wear the wrong thing, and vomit a continuous stream of word salad? Not the worst kind of salad to vomit, but still not ideal. A job. I need a job. Give me a job so I’m not so awkward. And, why, yes—your charcuterie board has never received such thoughtful attention, but just how many names for “ham” are there?

For a lot of us, canned THC drinks have changed everything.

Federally legal, thanks to the 2018 Farm Aid Bill, these infused beverages made with hemp-derived THC are the just-right, hangover-free social lubricant. The buzzy-boost we want, that’s also way more socially accepted than smoking in the middle of a crowded party.

Canned THC drinks have entered the chat…

Okay, so more of us are giving alcohol a hard-but-not-hard-liquored pass, and others want to cut back. But just like Chala, we still want a stylish drink in our hands. And we also want more from what we’re putting in our bodies.

It’s not enough that we feel refreshed and hydrated. We want more than nostalgic flavor.

Sure functional drinks, like THC seltzers, sodas, and energy drinks are winning raves for that very reason—but their adaptogens also offer a little bit of a mood boost, a bit of a buzz.

They’re helping us relax—whether we’re facing a challenging workout, tough crowd, or rage-filled demons in Diablo IV. (Also technically a tough crowd, but don’t tell the demons that. They think they’re just “tough but fair.” Typical demons!).

And sometimes, let’s face it, life can be hard. Don’t we all deserve a bit of a pick-me-up? Especially if that pick-me-up is a magical mix of tangy grapefruit and sweet hibiscus? A pick-me-up that, unlike alcohol, you can put down (but probably won’t want to)?