CLAUDIA CAHALANE MEETS THE WOMAN BEHIND THE MINDFUL DRINKING MOVEMENT, CLUB SODA

Laura Willoughby raises a glass to Club Soda

MINDFUL DRINKING

As a Liberal Democrat councillor for 12 years, Laura Willoughby MBE brought Jeremy Corbyn down to his lowest majority in his Islington constituency on several occasions before leaving politics in 2010. Her job involved regularly frequenting political events, which happened to be well-stocked with cheap white wine. Extroverted, she fully immersed herself in the lifestyle. Simultaneously, as a woman in her mid- 30s dating on the queer scene, alcohol became a growing fixture in her life.

When she moved to a less enjoyable job and became dissatisfied, her drinking increased and days became unfulfilling and boring. She felt depressed. In the back of Willoughby’s mind was the fact that her father had died of liver failure at 56 years old.

In January 2012, much to the relief of her friends, she decided she wanted to give up drinking for good and started turning up to events “buzzing on matcha tea”. Two years later, still sober, she set up Club Soda, a group for those who want to drink more mindfully. To date it has 15,000 members of all ages and is quickly growing. It runs mindful pub crawls, a monthly LGBT pop-up dry bar in London called Queers Without Beers and a mindful pubs guide – made possible by a growing list of pubs stocking more low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers and drinks – as well as various support programmes.