Last Updated on May 15, 2023
Clinking champagne glasses through the night seems only natural when you’ve just topped the music charts or released a blockbuster movie. And with the massive stress that comes with performing in front of thousands, why not down a bottle of red wine on post-concert nights?
Alcohol has become a common way to unwind, destress, celebrate, and socialize, even more so if you’re a celebrity with access to expensive wines and exclusive clubs!
But in recent years, a couple of celebrities have spearheaded wellness movements, one of which involves alcohol. And no, we’re not referring to sobriety. While that in itself is an incredibly inspirational journey, some of your favorite celebs have set out on another mindful approach to enjoying alcohol without having to quit—it’s called mindful drinking.
We’ll take a look at 7 celebrities who have chosen to practice mindful drinking to improve their physical health, mental wellness, and relationships.
What Is Mindful Drinking?
Mindful drinking boils down to being aware and present in your decisions involving alcohol. It’s the middle-ground approach to enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverages without having to give up alcohol.
With mindful drinking, you’ll improve on unhealthy drinking habits and proactively make changes to build healthier ones. This could be as simple as keeping track of the number of beverages you’ve swigged through the night and setting drinking limits before you step foot into the bar.
You’ll learn to be aware of how much and how often you drink, enabling you to make better drinking decisions.
7 Celebrities Who Practice Mindful Drinking
We’ve collated a list of celebrities who have chosen to improve their relationship with alcohol through mindful drinking.
While they’ve decided to nurture healthier drinking habits, you’ll still find them enjoying their favorite cocktails from time to time.
Jennifer Garner
Garner found herself reaching for more sips of wine when she had kids. Back then, each glass at the end of the night felt well-deserved. Plus, it was pretty nice being part of the wine mom club. When the pandemic struck, this only propelled her drinking urges.
However, Garner eventually realized that nightly glasses of wine could lead to damaging outcomes in the long run, like increasing the risk of cancer.
Garner shared that she has experimented with cutting back on alcohol and is still on the journey of finding her balance between staying sober and having the flexibility to drink on occasion.
Gwyneth Paltrow
The Academy Award-winning actress recently shared that her current status of drinking is just one drink a week.
Those who know Paltrow know that she thoroughly enjoys the taste of alcohol. During the pandemic, Paltrow had alcohol seven days a week. When she caught COVID and started feeling terrible, it served as a timely wake-up call to reassess her drinking habits.
“Especially during COVID, I was just eating whatever, drinking seven nights a week. And it’s been really interesting. I sleep so much better with no alcohol, and it’s wild,” Paltrow explained on the Dear Chelsea podcast.
Katy Perry
The “Teenage Dream” singer has released a line of sparkling non-alcoholic apéritifs called De Soi, which is French for “pleasure with restraint.” Perry mentions that her line is about balance and draws from her experience of wanting to unwind, but not necessarily with wine.
“On a weekday, having a couple [of alcoholic beverages] will take me out of the presence game for the next day or two. So I’d like to have a bit of self-control on the weekdays.” Perry explains.
The singer typically cycles through phases of drinking and not drinking and wants to be more conscious of her health. To her, it’s more about balance and making drinking a choice, not a need.
John Legend
Legend says that getting enough sleep impacts various facets of his life, which is why he’s cutting back to focus on self-care. He has limited his drinking after his wife, Chrissy Teigen, commenced her sobriety journey. When on tour, Legend usually hits long stretches of no drinking. But even off-tour, he tries to keep things in moderation.
“For me, I feel like I can do it in moderation, but I’m also mindful that if I overdo it, it’s going to have negative effects on my body, including my sleep,” the Voice coach tells PEOPLE.
Bella Hadid
Supermodel Bella Hadid has gotten back into drinking after taking a break in mid-2021. But now, she has taken on a moderation mindset to drinking and cut out hard liquor, swapping that with Champagne to scale things back.
And in a conversation with InStyle, Hadid revealed that she chose to cut back as alcohol caused her to feel anxious. Plus, she’s made “brain care” her priority after struggling with brain fog related to her Lyme disease diagnosis.
“I have learned what my body can and can’t handle. I’m a ‘glass of Champagne and head home’ kind of girl,” she explains.
Ed Sheeran
If you’re wondering whether cutting back on alcohol can help you shed pounds, here’s some good news. Ed Sheeran has shared that reducing his alcohol intake helped him lose the weight he gained due to adopting an unhealthy lifestyle while on tour.
His biggest motivation is his daughter, and her birth inspired him to practice cleaner habits. He still enjoys a little alcohol now and then simply because he feels that giving alcohol up may tempt him into bingeing again.
Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria will enjoy a glass of wine in place of dessert and rarely goes over that. Though she’s recently launched a new tequila brand in 2021 called Casa del Sol, Longoria is a hard advocate for moderation.
The actress began tracking her sleep and noticed that having too much wine triggers a sugar rush and affects her sleep. So she just sticks to one glass of wine with dinner or sips on her own tequila.
Conclusion
Mindful drinking is back in style, and your favorite celebs have hopped onto the bandwagon with no regrets. But it’s more than just a chic, Instagrammable trend. It’s a life-changing mindset.
If you wish to elevate your mental or physical wellness without having to give up alcohol, mindful drinking is the best solution. It all begins with setting your personal goals and limits and tracking your alcohol intake consistently—and that’s where Sunnyside can help!
Sunnyside serves as your pocket accountability partner for mindful drinking. Through the app, you’ll receive daily accountability and motivational messages and weekly personalized action plans based on your preferences and wellness goals. Plus, you’ll be able to conveniently track your daily alcohol intake with the app.
