Exploring The No-Alcohol Movement At A Mindful Drinking Festival

Is it time for health-based drinks and the ‘joy of missing out’?

This past weekend, I took a gentle stroll down to Brighton’s Open Market to explore Club Soda’s Mindful Drinking Festival. I had picked up a flyer from an art gallery a week before, and it had piqued my interest.

After years of terrible hangovers after just a few drinks, I always told people that I was ‘not a good drinker’. I would explain to people that for me, one glass of wine was like having three- it would affect me in the same way.

In recent years, I realised that I was drinking just to ‘fit in’. I didn’t really like getting drunk, and whilst I like the taste of alcohol, one or two drinks is probably all my body can handle.

After a bout of severely ill health post-covid, I bit the bullet. I decided to give up. I was virtually teetotal anyway, but I haven’t touched alcohol since December last year, and I have decided that I’ll only drink small amounts on special occasions — weddings and my birthday.

So I was curious to see what was on offer at the festival.

JOMO Club

I had a good chat with Gemma and Richard from JOMO club, a duo who built their business after…