What's Zebra Striped drinking? And is it for you?

This style of drinking might just become the next big thing...

I was reading an article by the Guardian the other day about the increase in no-low consumption by young people and they referred to the term ‘zebra striping’, which admittedly I had never heard before. The term apparently means that you switch between having one alcoholic drink and one non-alcoholic one, going back and forth throughout the evening. 

I’m not entirely sure how many people actually do this, because I’d never heard of it (and I wasn’t very successful in finding much on the topic) but nonetheless, it’s pretty interesting as a concept. 

Although I prefer no and low options, I’m not entirely sober and have never tried to be. I just don’t like the effects of alcohol, both at the time of drinking and particularly the day after - I absolutely hate the feeling of being hungover as you’ve essentially just made yourself ill and useless for a day. 

But I’m not strict with myself about being totally sober and will on occasion have an alcohol drink if I feel like it. This is why the idea of zebra striping was so interesting. 

The intention of doing this (I assume) is to lower the amount of alcohol you are consuming overall (if anyone is doing this for another reason, I’d love to hear it). And I’m all for people finding ways to be more conscious about how they drink. Choosing no and low options doesn’t necessarily have to be about cutting alcohol out completely but it should be about taking a step back and understanding your drinking habits a bit more. 

So is zebra striping for you? Well if you’re trying to cut down how much you’re drinking but don’t want to stop drinking altogether then I would definitely say give it a go and see how it works for you. The only downside could be that you may end up actually drinking more alcohol than you intend to because you think you’re cutting back by also drinking non-alcoholic drinks. 

I will definitely give this a go at some point to see how it really works and I’ll be sure to pass on any tips or mistakes… 

Sip of the Week 

This week’s sip recommendation is the Asahi 0.0% beer. I’ve been craving a simple, no-faff, non-alcoholic dry lager recently and this is exactly what I was looking for. Sometimes you just want something stripped back without the fruity promises and flavors. It was crisp, clean and refreshing.

The other great thing about the Asahi is availability - it’s super easy to get and pretty affordable too. I got 4x 330ml cans for about £4 :)

Although this is a recommendation for anyone after a no-low beer, I’d say this is a particular recommendation for anyone who wants something that really just tastes like an alcoholic lager, without the alcohol. This is the one.

Tried something new and can’t stop raving about it? Or want to share your no-low go-to? We’d love to hear what you’ve been loving recently to share with our readers. 

Joanna @ The No Low Club :)