top of page

Amount of Money You Could Save With the Sober Curious Concept

Your Big Sis

Updated: Jun 12, 2024



I regularly listen to Chelsea Handler's podcast "Dear Chelsea". In October 2023, she had the author Ruby Warrington on as a guest. They were talking about her book "Sober Curious". For more important reasons, aside from money, “sober curious” is a great way to encourage a different type of demographic with a specific personality type to either slow down on drinking or quit altogether. It’s taking the first step to recognizing the potential benefits of cutting back.


Here’s a breakdown of how much money the average person could be spending on alcohol. Let’s say each weekend in a typical, expensive city like Manhattan or Los Angeles, each alcoholic beverage on average is about $14.




  • According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the average American adult spends about $862 per year on alcohol.

    • For the average drinker, $862 would be about $70+ per month.

    • That would get you 5 drinks over the entire month.

    • If you go out every weekend, that’s only about 1 drink per weekend.

  • A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that heavy drinkers spend an average of $3,120 per year on alcohol.

    • For heavy drinkers, that’s $260 per month.

    • That will get you about 18 drinks per month.

    • If you go out every weekend, that’s about 4-5 drinks per weekend.


Let’s pretend you are a “social” drinker who feels these numbers are low and you can at least double the monthly number for the “average” and/or “heavy” drinker:


We’re looking at $520 per month on JUST alcohol for “entertainment”.




Now, you know you’re not just drinking wherever you’re socializing:


  • From BusinessofApps.com, in October 2023, the average monthly observed sales per customer at Uber was $97.

We’re at $24 per weekend to and from social events/gatherings. With $520 per month on alcohol, that’s $617 per month.


You can’t just have a typical dinner with drinks, then call it a night! Alcohol makes desserts and other munchies seem like the best idea ever when you’re in the zone.


Say, you spend about $20 per weekend on desserts and munchies = $80 more per month.


Now, we’re at $697. Multiply that by the 12 months of the year and the total comes to $8364 per year.


Of course, saving money is just the major short-term benefit. Long-term benefits can be a lot of positives, like being more present, a healthier liver and improvement in relationships, just to name a few.


Your Big Sis

  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2025 BigSisFinance LLC

Please note: The content on this website, including text, graphics and images, is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional financial advice. This information is general in nature and may be subject to change without prior notice.

bottom of page