Placebo buzz
Around this time last year, my default answer around whether to drink went from yes to no. I’d been cutting back on booze for the previous few years, influenced primarily by its impact on my sleep, and how that further impact my moods and mornings. My brother had mentioned that he noticed from his Whoop data that alcohol was affecting his sleep. So I did a little experimentation. Like him, I started to notice a clear difference between how I felt after two vs. three beers, or if I drank after 5pm vs. earlier in the day.
How much of this is personal (or biological) vs. universal? The Daily did an episode on this a couple weeks ago, including the widely-cited study that said moderate drinking is positive for your physical health. Tl;dr - that study was done on a flimsy foundation, alcohol is (unsurprisingly) not good for your health, but the increase in death risk is very low (7 drinks/ week = 2 months off your life), AND it does come with social benefits. Choose what works for you.
For me, the choice became really clear when I started surfing again every morning before work, and on days after a couple drinks, my experience plummeted. I haven’t stopped drinking entirely and have no real desire or need to, but I’ve cut back by 80–90% — from an average of one drink per day to one per week.
I love beer, breweries, bars, and lounges. I make a fierce Manhattan (2:1 whiskey: sweet vermouth, 8 dashes of Angostura bitters, 2 Luxardo cherries, in a coupe glass). I’ve worked in restaurants and at catering companies that offered crash courses in wine. And if Ken’s job is beach, for the first few years of my agency career, mine was happy hour. Cutting back this significantly has left a lot of 12 oz. holes in my afternoons and evenings.
So like a lot of people, I started trying non-alcoholic beers (NAs, or Nabbys, as my brother and I call them). It’s fortunate that my body suggested I slow my booze intake at a point in history when NAs were exploding in popularity. According to Statista, U.S. NA revenue has almost doubled since 2018.
The biggest change I’ve noticed in the past few years of trying every Nabby I can is the shift from NA-first brands (like O’Douls and Athletic, which was recently valued at $800m) to established breweries entering the mix.
A phenomenon I noticed early on was the placebo buzz. Even though all the saucy weight had been removed, the orchestrated acts of identifying a cold one in my fridge, finding a comfy seat and something to watch or read, pulling the tab to hear the “psshhht,” and taking the first frosty sip, all gave me a tiny inner transformation. To-date I’ve seen NAs positioned primarily as no-compromise or for sporty people. I’ve yet to see a brand give weight to the ritual.
Rituals shape our days more than we probably realize. They’re a way of establishing trust (shaking hands, cheers-ing glasses) or showing affection (hugs, cheek kisses). They reinforce who we are (religious experiences and family gatherings) and signify the beginning of a new life stage (bar/ bat mitzvahs, sweet sixteens, quinceañeras). Athletes use them in hopes of putting themselves in the right head space to repeat top performances, as this mental health PSA uses in a smart way.
Rituals like 21st birthdays and weddings resolve liminality, the feeling of being between two states (not-drinking age and drinking age; fiancé and husband). An afternoon beer does the same thing, ushering us across the bridge from work land to play land.
Tons of brands use rituals to their advantage. Coke uses sharing. Starbucks uses ordering. Apple uses unboxing. Harley-Davidson uses group rides.
I’m waiting for a NA beer brand to use the rituals around drinking and the placebo buzz to their advantage. (If you work in beer marketing and want to explore this, email me and let’s chat.)
My job is still happy hour.
Because no one asked, my favorite NAs:
Budget: Old Milwaukee
IPA: Lagunitas
Hazy IPA: Sam Adams
Golden: Sierra Nevada Trail Pass
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I write these posts, 3-MINUTE MONDAYS, every other week. My goal with them is to share a snippet of insight into how to do strategy, build teams, and grow. Comment here or message me on LinkedIn if you want to chat. — Ben
