HOUSTON — Studies show more young adults are opting for sobriety.
Take Houston resident Ash Parra for example. The 26-year-old clearly remembers the first time she intentionally said "no" to a drink at a bar and she's been sober ever since.
"I am actually 961 days sober," Parra told KHOU 11.
A recent study in JAMA Pediatrics found a rising number of young people between 18 and 25 years old are making the same choice. Not only are young people drinking less often, but when they do have alcohol, they choose to have fewer drinks.
"A lot of this has to do with more intentionality when it comes to drinking," Michael Weaver, an addiction medicine specialist with UT Physicians, said. "People are more mindful of the health detrimental effects of alcohol even in small amounts."
Weaver said the shift is being called the "sober curious" movement.
"There are actually more folks abstaining completely," Weaver said. "The trends don't necessarily indicate they are intentionally planning to never drink."
Parra chose sobriety at first just to show she could. Years later, she still feels empowered.
"Knowing I have a choice to change my life at any point, be it changing my hair or changing the fact that I don't want to contribute to alcoholism anymore," Parra said.
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