Is Sober Coaching Ethical?

I’ve worked across the alcohol field for 15 years and sober coaching often gets a mixed response.

I see why ~ it’s not a regulated space.

But around 76% of adults in England drank last year, yet only a small proportion (roughly 6%) meet the threshold for treatment.

That leaves a gap for the vast majority of people who are low to increasing risk but would like to improve their relationship with alcohol.

And there's no shortage of people wanting to rethink alcohol ~ just look at the Dry Jan numbers this year (estimated 17.5 million)….

I’ve seen examples of people who pluck up the courage to walk into a drug & alcohol service only to be told they’re not drinking enough to access support.

They’re then often signposted to recovery services that can feel alienating.

This isn’t a criticism of services (I’ve worked in them). They’re commissioned to support people who are high risk / dependent often under immense pressure.

But it does highlight the treatment gap and this is where sober coaching has emerged with the rise of social media.

I see sober coaching as a non clinical space for people to explore their relationship with alcohol, stigma-free.

Does it have problems? Yes. But dismissing it ignores the structural issue.

Treatment is always prioritised over prevention (rightly so), but there is very little culturally relevant support for the population who aren’t high risk / dependent (the majority), and don’t resonate with recovery or drink responsibly messaging.

This is where upstream approaches like the work we do play a role in supporting people who don't meet the threshold for treatment but still want to make changes.