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Experts explain why more people are opting for 'dry dating' in 2024

Home> Life> Sex & Relationships

Updated 11:55 25 Jan 2024 GMTPublished 11:56 25 Jan 2024 GMT

Experts explain why more people are opting for 'dry dating' in 2024

Could you endure a sober Hinge date, or are you already missing the Dutch courage?

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna Benson

If you're a nervous dater and prefer a tipple or two while getting glammed-up beforehand, or find it easier to converse with a complete stranger if you've knocked back a couple of G&Ts, it turns out, you could be doing MORE damage to your love life than good.

That's because - according to a wellbeing expert - alcohol 'confuses how we feel' about potential love interests, and can advocate an impulse we later regret.

So, it's really no wonder that so many love-hungry singletons are ditching the booze this winter with improved relationships being just one of the biggest benefits of 'Dry January'.

Still can't see the correlation between a sober date and a happier romantic life? Well, best-selling author Catherine Gray can certainly elaborate.

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Writing in her 2017 hit book The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, she explains: "Frequently on the 7pm first drink we’ll think ‘meh’.

"On the second drink, ‘meh’ is a little more mesmerising. Rinse and repeat four times, and suddenly you’re heavy petting someone you wouldn’t even ordinarily lightly pet."

Apparently, sober dating is the way to go.
Getty Images/Cultura RM Exclusive/Robin James

It's not just the avoidance of sexual regret has tempted a quarter of people aged 18 to 34 to ditch the vodka from their lime and soda this month.

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Cutting the drink element out of a date can also make your evening significantly cheaper, with a soft drink being a fraction of the price of a cocktail.

Excessive drinking has also understandably being linked to illness the following day - otherwise known as a hangover - as well as a lack of productivity and fatigue.

And - as many of us are full aware - hangovers can lead to craving of junk food, resulting in an overpriced food delivery order and an unhealthy meal.

"Sober dating saves immense time and money," Catherine adds. "A quick walk along the river at lunchtime will tell you everything you need to know."

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Why not swap the sambuca shots to espresso shots?
Getty Images/Westend61

AKA - no more wasting your time on enduring and subsequently recovering from mediocre dates, or your money on drinks that will only worsen your wellbeing.

Catherine doesn't fail to appreciate, however, that the decision to go sober isn't one that many drinkers take lightly.

She continues: "Alcohol does a dance of veils around your anxiety, and being alcohol-free takes some serious getting used to.

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"This is why sober dating is best done while moving, in daylight, not staring at each other, and in environments where there’s lots to discuss."

Featured Image Credit: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

Topics: Food and Drink, Sex and Relationships

Rhianna Benson
Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

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@rhiannaBjourno

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