THE SOLO TRAVELLER
Your world. Your way.
The Alcohol Divide – A Health and Wellbeing Series
Ange Chappel, Founder of Mind The Sip, enjoying a winery visit without alcohol, focusing on the experience beyond the wine. Photographer: Ange Chappel.
Presence over pouring
A Q&A with Ange Chappel, Founder of Mind the Sip
Briefly …
Mindful drinking is reshaping the way many people approach socialising, travel, and experiences traditionally centred around alcohol. Ange Chappel, Founder of Mind the Sip, shares her insights about the growing shift towards moderation, awareness, and participation without pressure, and why connection often has far less to do with alcohol than people assume.
For many people stepping into the non-drinking space, the hardest part is not the dinner, the airport lounge, the wedding, or the wine bar, it is the anticipation. The assumption that without alcohol they will somehow sit outside the experience rather than inside it. Ange Chappel, Founder of Mind the Sip, says that fear often proves far greater than the reality itself.
What many people discover instead is that the experience does not disappear when alcohol does. In some cases, it sharpens – conversations become clearer and attention shifts away from the mechanics of drinking and back towards the people, the setting, and the experience itself. Rather than feeling excluded, some find themselves more engaged with what is actually happening around them.
Ange believes much of modern drinking culture is tied less to desire than to social expectation. Alcohol can operate as a kind of social shorthand – a signal of participation, ease, or belonging. Yet genuine connection rarely depends on what is in a glass. It is built through presence, attention, humour, shared moments, and the willingness to be part of the experience itself.
Ange’s ‘Mind the Sip’ approaches mindful drinking less as a rigid abstinence program and more as a practical framework for awareness, accountability, and choice. The app encourages users to better understand how and why alcohol fits into their lives, while offering tools to track drinking patterns, spending, and habits over time. Rather than insisting on complete sobriety, the platform focuses on helping people make more deliberate decisions around alcohol consumption – whether that means moderating, resetting long-held routines, or stepping away from drinking altogether.
“… the platform focuses on helping people make more deliberate decisions around alcohol consumption – whether that means moderating, resetting long-held routines, or stepping away from drinking altogether.”
What first prompted you to create Mind The Sip? Was there a particular moment or pattern that made you feel something had shifted in how people relate to alcohol?
Mind The Sip came from my own experience of recognising I’d fallen into a long-standing pattern with alcohol that I hadn’t really questioned for years, and when I finally did, I realised it wasn’t that easy to change. I wasn’t drinking every day, but I’d fallen into a pattern of weekend drinking that felt quite normal on the surface but wasn’t aligning with how I actually wanted to be showing up. I’d set intentions around how much I wanted to drink, but I wasn’t always following through, and that disconnect was what really stood out.
At the time, I went looking for support and found that most options were very all or nothing. It was either keep drinking as you are or stop completely. There wasn’t much in between for people who simply wanted to understand their habits and make more intentional choices. That gap was what led me to create Mind The Sip.
You work with people who are actively rethinking their drinking. Are you seeing a broader cultural change, or is this still a more individual, personal decision?
It usually starts as a very personal decision, but there is definitely a broader cultural shift happening. More people are beginning to question their habits and asking themselves whether alcohol is adding value or just something they’ve always done. What’s changed is that people feel more permission to explore that. You’re seeing more conversations around moderation, more visibility of non-alcoholic options, and a growing acceptance that you don’t have to label yourself one way or another to make a change.
“… and a growing acceptance that you don’t have to label yourself one way or another to make a change.”
There’s a growing language around “mindful drinking”. What does that actually look like in practice for most people?
In practice, mindful drinking is about awareness and intention. It’s not about strict rules – it’s about understanding why you’re drinking, when you’re drinking, and how it’s making you feel. For some people, that might mean cutting back. For others, it might mean choosing not to drink in certain settings or taking breaks. The key is that it becomes a conscious decision rather than something automatic.
Environments like wineries are often built around the assumption of drinking. How do people who are rethinking alcohol typically approach those kinds of settings?
Most people don’t want to avoid those environments altogether. They still want to be part of the experience, they just approach it differently. That might look like having a non-alcoholic drink in hand, joining the group for tastings without necessarily participating, or focusing on the other elements like the food, the scenery, and the overall experience. You can sit at a cellar door with a tea or a non-alcoholic option and still be part of the tasting experience, just without the alcohol. I know, I’ve done both! It’s less about removing yourself and more about shifting how you engage.
Do you find people are more likely to avoid those environments altogether, or are they looking for ways to engage with them differently?
In the past, avoidance was more common, but now people are actively looking for ways to stay engaged. They don’t want to miss out on social experiences or travel opportunities, they just don’t want alcohol to be the centre of it. There’s a growing middle ground where people are finding ways to participate without feeling like they have to do what everyone else is doing. It’s more about making choices that feel right for them in the moment, rather than defaulting to what’s expected. That shift is what’s making these environments feel more accessible.
Ange toasting with an alcohol-free wine, reflecting the shift towards more inclusive social drinking experiences. Photographer: Clare Oliver.
You emphasise planning and intention. How does that shift the experience in social settings that have traditionally been quite automatic and socially and culturally ingrained?
Planning and intention change everything because they take you out of autopilot. A lot of drinking happens without much thought, especially in social settings where it’s expected. When someone decides in advance how they want to show up, whether that’s not drinking, drinking less, or setting a limit, it removes that constant internal negotiation in the moment. It allows them to be more present and actually enjoy the experience, rather than winging it and regretting it later.
“Planning and intention change everything because they take you out of autopilot.”
Have you noticed a change in how hospitality venues, including wineries, are responding to this shift in behaviour?
There’s definitely a shift starting to happen. More venues are offering non-alcoholic options and putting more thought into those offerings rather than treating them as an afterthought. Some wineries are even beginning to offer alcohol-free tastings, which is a really positive step. It’s still evolving, but there’s a growing awareness that not everyone is drinking, and that people still want a great experience regardless of what’s in their glass.
Is there still a sense of stigma around not drinking in these environments, or is that beginning to ease?
It’s definitely easing. There can still be moments where people feel a bit self-conscious, but a lot of that tends to be internal rather than coming from others. What we’re seeing more of now is a growing sense of acceptance. Choosing not to drink is becoming more normal, and it’s less likely to be questioned than it might have been in the past.
From your perspective, is the goal for most people abstinence, moderation, or simply awareness?
For most people, the starting point is awareness. Once they understand their habits and patterns, they can make decisions that feel right for them. Across our community, around 80% of people are looking to reduce their drinking, while about 20% are working towards eliminating alcohol completely. It’s a spectrum, and where someone sits on that can evolve over time. For some, that awareness leads to moderation. For others, it leads to not drinking at all. But the goal isn’t one specific outcome, it’s about meeting people where they are and supporting where they want to head next.
“… the goal isn’t one specific outcome, it’s about meeting people where they are and supporting where they want to head next.”
For someone who enjoys the idea of a winery visit but is questioning their relationship with alcohol, what mindset tends to make the biggest difference going in?
The biggest shift is moving away from the idea that the experience depends on drinking. When you focus on what you’re actually there for – the setting, the people, the food – it changes how you see the whole day. Going in with a clear intention also helps. Knowing how you want to approach it takes away a lot of the uncertainty. And importantly, not putting pressure on yourself to justify your choice. Most people are far more focused on their own experience than what you’re doing.
You can learn more about ‘Mind The Sip’ on their website https://mindthesip.com/, and explore their self-paced programme that helps people better understand their relationship with alcohol here.