Local Bars Offering Fun Alcohol-Free Options For 'Dry January'
BOSTON (CBS) - This is the time of year when gyms and salad bars are packed with people making healthy lifestyle resolutions. But giving up alcohol is also popular this month as observing a "dry January" becomes trendy.
To cater to those folks, bartenders all over Boston have plenty to offer. Eric Loring, beverage director at the Seaport Hotel, showed us several specialty mocktails, including one that is a mixture of honey, mint and ginger beer and another made with lotus flower. "People are looking for it," he said. "Either lower alcohol nor non-alcoholic options after the holidays. Some of us like to hit the reset button."
"Trying on sobriety is a great idea," said Laura McKowen of Marblehead. "So January, October, July, whatever."
The single mom said she had to stop drinking but says she found magic in living sober and wrote a book about it titled We Are the Luckiest.
"People notice they are more clear, that the fog has lifted," she said, describing conversations with others who have tried living booze-free. McKowen also said the improvement in her sleep was a game-changer. "You don't sleep when you have alcohol in your system. If you started to sleep after not having slept for a long time, you are going to feel amazing," she said.
Laura is not just talking about those with addiction. "There's a growing trend of people, a movement that is sober-curious. It's a hashtag; it's a book; it's really a movement," she explained.
Abstaining from alcohol used to have a social stigma, but according to McKowen, things like dry January, the sober-curious movement and the availability of mocktails have changed the conversation.
"If there's fun, delicious, interesting things to order, I think it makes it more acceptable," she said.