Local alcohol-free shop thrives during ‘Dry January’
INDIANAPOLIS — The new year often brings resolutions focused on health, and for many people, that includes Dry January — a month-long break from alcohol. But for some, the pause is turning into a longer-term shift. One local business is benefiting from the shift.
Rather than quitting alcohol entirely, many people are simply cutting back, and that trend is fueling interest in alcohol-free alternatives.
That’s one of the main reasons Kristin Patrick says customers walk through the doors at Orangily, an alcohol-free bottle shop she co-owns with her sister.
The business is one of only a handful of alcohol-free bottle shops in central Indiana.
They carry alcohol removed wine, non-alcoholic beer, zero proof spirits, cocktail mixers, and functional beverages.
“My sister and I, my business partner, she and I broke up with alcohol in 2021. We had seen the concept in a magazine that this was popping up in Los Angeles, in New York,” she told WRTV. “My sister saw the possibility right away, and we launched in August of 2022,” Patrick said.
Patrick said the start of the year is one of the busiest times for the business, as more people look for alternatives to traditional alcoholic drinks.
“People who’ve set new health and wellness goals in the new year, but know that they still have a full social calendar, so they want to have some alcohol-free options,” she said.
Health experts say taking a break from alcohol can offer both physical and mental benefits.
He told WRTV alcohol can dehydrate the body and severely impact other organs like your liver.
“ With alcohol, you may, you may be able to get to sleep quicker when you drink, but you don’t sleep as deeply,” said Dr. Tyler Stepsis, chief of emergency medicine at Eskenazi Health. “Mentally, obviously, things like alcohol and other substances can worsen anxiety, worsen depression.”
Dr. Stepsis said he and other medical professionals are noticing “Dry January” lasting well beyond the month for many people.
National data reflects the shift.
Read more from WRTV here
