Those of you that follow social media and Tik Tok may have heard of the “damp lifestyle” trend. Tik Tok personality Hana Elson promotes it.
What does it even mean?
Essentially the damp lifestyle changes our notion of how alcohol should be used and what place it should take in our lives. We shouldn’t be running to it whenever we feel stressed. We shouldn’t be binging on it with our friends in the wee hours of the morning.
It is not that we never drink. It is more that we shouldn’t use it as a crutch. We should learn more positive (and effective) ways to deal with stress, such as meditation. It encourages a more conscious – more moderate approach to alcohol use.
Is this the first trend of its kind?
No. There have been similar trends such as the “mindful drinking” trend, where you are more conscious of how much you drink. And the “sober curious” trend where people explore what it actually feels like to be sober at a social event.
Can you benefit from adopting a damp lifestyle?
Adopting a more moderate approach to drinking can have these benefits:
- It can allow you to rethink your attitude towards alcohol
- it can improve your sleep and thus your energy levels because alcohol disrupts your REM sleep
- it can improve your physical health and this will have positive effects on your mental health
- in some cases, it can reduce your sugar intake and help if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic
- it can help you to be able to appreciate your friends more (because you fully remember your interactions with them).
Tell your friends about it
Start talking to your friends about the damp lifestyle trend and see if any of them are interested in trying it out with you. This will make it easier. But even if they aren’t interested, you can still adopt it anyway and see if it improves your life.