Dry January: Booze Companies Bet Big on Non-Alcoholic Drinks To Boost Profit

It’s the beginning of Dry January, the time when New Year’s resolutions to cut back on alcohol consumption begin. However, instead of pushing back at those who choose not to imbibe, booze companies are betting big on non-alcoholic drinks.

According to Northeastern Global News, Dry January’s impact on overall liquor sales hasn’t ceased, and there’s one key reason. Instead of turning against it, the alcohol industry has found a way to embrace this movement and other types of spirit-free celebrating. The rise of the sober curious movement, which is a lifestyle and cultural trend that encourages people to be more mindful of their alcohol consumption, has also forced the industry’s hand to come up with creative alternatives to alcoholic drinks.

Therefore, many companies are adding non-alcoholic alternatives to their portfolio. “Prohibition lasted for a solid 10 or so years, and a lot of the major companies … came out of it pretty well because they were able to diversify their portfolio, including making near beer that was near to beer but didn’t taste nearly as good as the options today,” Malcolm Purinton, an assistant teaching professor of history at Northeastern University, explained.

Purinton added that today, companies focused on alcoholic drinks must “have some kind of non-alcoholic alternative.” He stated, “Now if you are anywhere — a restaurant, a bar ­­— there will be non-alcoholic alternatives. If there aren’t, that’s a huge cutting out of a population that wants to be out, wants to be social, wants to be included in all of these activities that the bar, the pub, the taproom all represent, but with this new perspective toward health consciousness, cost and control.”

There are facts to back up Purinton’s claim. He discussed these options with one distributor who didn’t have any non-alcoholic options going into Dry January. They saw their overall sales dip by 50% as a result.

Why Is There a Significant Rise in Non-Alcoholic Drinks During Dry January?

Before you took on the Dry January® challenge you might have found that you were sleeping but not feeling very well rested. Drinking alcohol might help you get to sleep, but it doesn’t equal restful sleep!😴

You may find that it takes a while to drop off to sleep during the… pic.twitter.com/XGs3KvoIn8

— Dry January (@dryjanuary) January 6, 2025

CNN reported last year that the number of people choosing to opt out of alcohol has increased, beginning in Dry January and beyond. With the growth of this movement in restaurants and bars, retailers have scrambled to keep up with demand.

“While the majority of adults over the age of 21 still drink occasionally — in 2022, 68.2% reported having at least one drink in the last year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, down ever so slightly from 70.7% in 2017 — an increasing number of Americans have reported trying to drink less, a potential sign that the way people drink is shifting,” CNN wrote.

A Gallup Poll shows that young adults are drinking significantly less. “The net result is that among all Americans (encompassing drinkers and nondrinkers), fewer than four in 10 young adults (38%) now appear to be regular drinkers, on par with older adults (40%) but trailing middle-aged adults (48%). This pattern is a change from two decades ago when younger adults were the most likely to be regular drinkers and older adults the least,” it reads.

Springer.com reported in December 2023 that the popularity of no-and-low-alcohol beverages remains on the rise. However, while there is ample evidence that more consumers are taking breaks from imbibing during Dry January, this period subsequently overlaps with a period of lower beverage alcohol and beer consumption in general after the holiday season ends. Dry January lasts through the 31st of the month.