We’re in the thick of Dry January.

When this 31-day sobriety campaign officially launched in 2013 under the organization Alcohol Change UK, alcohol substitutes were few and far between. Those participating in the challenge were resigned to nursing dusty O’Doul’s, merely observing the bustling bar scene around them.

But now it’s 2024, and folks who regularly enjoy a boozy happy hour are embracing this month of alcohol abstinence.

There are inventive, spirit-free options aplenty making their way onto the menus of beloved local restaurants. Dry bottle shops in Carytown, The Fan and Midlothian are stocked with top tier non-alcoholic products from aperitivo to (actually) drinkable vino.

And for those who want to extend their mindful drinking beyond January, there’s a growing community welcoming the sober curious.

Questioning the drink

While they’re easy to scroll through, buzz phrases rarely encapsulate the complexity of a trend. What does it mean to be “sober curious”? To drink “with intention”?

Short answer: It’s different for everyone.

“As I got older, I found that even two glasses of wine had me waking up in the night,” says Point 5 dry bottle shop owner Jody Short. “It never stopped me from doing anything, but I realized there was too much time wasted not feeling 100%.”

Originally from the United Kingdom, Short has lived in Richmond for 30 years, working in industries from medical-grade skincare to real estate.

By the time the pandemic hit, Short says she was seesawing between drinking too much and experimenting with bouts of sobriety. She felt comfortable substituting her evening glass of wine with a non-alcoholic version—she just couldn’t find one that she didn’t want to spit out.

So, she started doing research, joining non-alcoholic communities online, visiting dry bottle shops in New York and listening to people’s stories about why they were choosing to be sober curious.

“You think you’re the only one,” says Short. “Come to find out there are thousands and thousands of people who want to do the same thing.”

Dedicated to helping others find the perfect spirit-free sip, Short opened Richmond’s first stand-alone dry bottle shop in June 2022. “People thought we’d last three months, six months,” laughs Short. “They really didn’t understand the concept.”

Enough folks did understand, though, and the shop stays busy—especially in January—selling Short’s carefully curated selection of non-alcoholic products including zero proof spirits, canned  mocktails, hemp-infused N/A drinks, wine, beer and “functional” beverages which boast adaptogens like mushrooms and botanicals.

Short is devoted to creating a safe and fun environment for everyone no matter where they are on their sobriety journey, including helping to put on a slew of private and public events, like this Thursday’s Happier Hour at Laura Lee’s.

“The timing is working out perfectly,” says Laura Lee’s bartender Skyler Carpenter, referencing the booming local and national interest in non-alcoholic beverages.

“There is so much growth in terms of options,” adds Laura Lee’s bar manager Seonaigh Westhassel. “We’ve moved away from juices and sweet beverages to creating something with more intention, you can still get the craft experience.”

We’ve moved so far away from the Shirley Temples of yore, in fact, that there are even stand-alone dry bars in the works, says Ceremony owner Chris Simmonds.

Simmonds currently operates two dry bottle shops in Richmond, replete with high quality, all-natural, sustainable non-alcoholic products. One is located inside his shop Less Than in the Fan and the other inside Painted Tree Boutiques in Midlothian.

Simmonds also has a dry bar popping up at Vessel Craft Coffee in Norfolk, Thursday-Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. A stand-alone dry bottle shop and bar is a dream further down the line, he says.

Before starting Ceremony, Simmonds owned a mental health practice. “My focus is on behavior and how people get their needs met,” he says. “I wanted people to have access [to these products] to live the life they want to live.”

Those who are exploring the world of sobriety may have found that one of the most essential human needs—connection—can often be tied to the hour of the day and what’s in our glass.

“It can become very lonely,” says Kari Schwear, founder of the RVA Non-Alcoholic Social Group Facebook page.

“When people end their relationship with alcohol like I did over seven years ago, a lot changes. People find that who they were hanging with, the only thing they really had in common was the booze,” says Schwear. “Once that’s removed, there’s nothing of substance there.”

Schwear says before she decided to be alcohol-free in 2016, she fell into the category of gray area drinkers. “I never identified as an alcoholic, but I am a problematic drinker,” says Schwear.

According to an American Addiction Centers February 2022 survey, 36 million Americans identify as gray area drinkers. This spectrum, as the name implies, falls between the extremes of total sobriety and alcoholism.

Gray area drinkers are often high-functioning, high-performing individuals with stable home lives and healthy relationships.  On the surface, everything seems fine, but underneath there’s a small voice limned with fear, whispering “Why am I drinking? Why do I feel I need to drink?”

“My message has never been to quit the drink,” says Schwear, an executive coach who helps clients navigate the gray areas of life. “It’s been to question the drink. What is it doing to you or for you?”

Schwear founded the RVA N/A Social Group page in December 2022 and by the first week of January 2023, several hundred members had joined. As of today, the group has 1,000 members and counting.

“We have everyone in the group,” says Schwear. “We have people who are questioning, people in active recovery, people who drink once in a while.” Members have organized monthly hike meetups and have planned evenings out at mocktail-friendly restaurants around town.

There are talks of non-alcoholic river boat cruises and regular pickleball matches on the books for 2024, as well as the creation of sub-groups geared toward specific interests (non-alcoholic business owners, outdoor lovers, etc.).

Schwear is quick to note—this is not a recovery group. Those in recovery can certainly join, but the purpose of the group is “Truly meant for connection and social events,” says Schwear. “If we were a church, we would be non-denominational,” she laughs. “The point here is that life doesn’t have to revolve around alcohol.”

*Upcoming Point 5 events

1/18 Happier Hour tasting at Laura Lee’s

1/22 Tasting at Helen’s

1/25 Tasting at Lolita’s

1/28 Dinner experience at Celeste Farms