We’re a bit previous midway by Dry January – and plenty of Philadelphians are nonetheless going robust of their resolve to embrace (short-lived) sobriety. However, maybe you’ve taken the Surgeon Normal’s current steerage that alcohol carries a most cancers threat to coronary heart or are evaluating your well being habits, and possibly you’re on the lookout for one thing extra long-term.
If that’s the case, you’re not alone. A current survey discovered that almost 1 in 2 American adults (49%) have been planning to drink much less in 2025. That quantity was 34% in 2023. The pattern is led by youthful adults: Gen Z (65%) and Millennials (57%).
Whether or not you’re sober curious, trying to take a break for a weekend, absolutely reducing out booze or simply supportive of your sober associates – listed here are some dry wellness occasions and actions that transcend Dry January.
Nonalcoholic bars and outlets
Past mocktails at a traditional bar or a piece in a liquor retailer, many areas in Philly supply a completely alcohol-free house.
Nutmeg Nonalcoholic Bar and Pure Market in East Passyunk affords meals and varied nonalcoholic drinks. Proprietor Brian Rothbart defined he focuses on three totally different sorts of drinks at Nutmeg.
“I’ve ones which can be pretending to be alcohol,” he stated. “I’ve an quaint, I’ve a margarita, for instance. These are issues which can be emulating one thing you’ll see at a traditional bar.”
Rothbart stated he additionally affords drinks which can be “alcohol adjoining” – like a “spritz” menu – after which a piece of “grown-up sodas,” which incorporates drinks made with issues like ginger beer, bitters and elixirs.
Rothbart stated he began the bar to advertise a social ambiance freed from intoxicants.
“Most of my visitors, I might say 75 to 80 %, are simply individuals who don’t really feel like consuming proper now,” he stated. “No matter ‘now’ is, for nonetheless lengthy ‘now’ is, we attempt to be an outlet in order that socialization shouldn’t be depending on alcohol.”
Rothbart can be enthusiastic about supporting the humanities and giving native artists a platform and place to rejoice with out alcohol.
“There are lots of people who’ve totally different relationships with alcohol,” he stated. “And we consider that folks ought to have the ability to take pleasure in artwork, share their artwork, and embrace that type of group with out alcohol essentially being current.”
He stated the bar additionally hosts different occasions, together with open mic nights, paint and sip nights, stand-up comedy and artwork open homes.
Along with the occasion house, Rothbart stated Nutmeg has a store that sells varied meals from native producers and nonalcoholic drinks.
A number of different bars and outlets supply an identical ambiance to Nutmeg.
Unity Java affords a zero-proof alcohol store above its espresso outlets. This consists of nonalcoholic spirits like gin and tequila, or liquors like nonalcoholic aperitif and bitters.
Pennsylvania Libations at Studying Terminal Market affords varied nonalcoholic choices. The shop focuses on Pennsylvania-made liquors and spirits. Whereas the shop affords alcoholic choices, there’s an intensive number of mocktails as effectively.
Barely past Philadelphia’s city space, Wallace Dry Items, in Ardmore, additionally embraces year-round sobriety by varied workshops, nonalcoholic completely happy hours and celebrations.
Robin Cummiskey is the proprietor of Wallace Dry Items. She stated the store focuses on leaving judgment out of the equation.
“The ethos that we actually dwell by right here is ‘cheers to selections,’ ” she stated. “As a result of for us, it’s not about whether or not or not you drink alcohol. It’s nearly, ‘Do you’ve gotten the instruments it’s essential to make the drink that’s best for you?’ ”
Cummiskey stated she created her store after seeing a scarcity of “upscale” or distinctive nonalcoholic drink choices. She stated it’s important for individuals who are sober, or simply not consuming in the intervening time, to have reasonably priced and fascinating choices to drink.
Cummiskey stated many choices are additionally early in growth.
“A lot of the manufacturers that I carry – all of them, I believe – are lower than 5 or 6 years previous, with the vast majority of them popping out within the final two years,” she stated. “So, as there’s extra consideration and extra money going into these classes, the event goes to proceed to broaden.”
She stated Wallace Dry Items additionally affords occasions like ticketed tastings and mixology workshops. Cummiskey stated the shop strives to not solely be a spot to purchase nonalcoholic drinks, but in addition for different like-minded folks to community and socialize.
“Whether or not it’s Dry January or deciding to take a break by yourself from alcohol, it doesn’t should imply that you just’re hiding in your own home anymore,” she stated. “Like, you may nonetheless exit, you may nonetheless socialize.”
Cummiskey added she realizes her store shouldn’t be as accessible as different areas of the town. She talked about she delivers to Bar Palmina in Fishtown each Tuesday. These desirous about ordering from Wallace Dry Items could make their deliveries by a QR code on Bar Palmina’s menu.
Along with these deliveries, Bar Palmina serves as a nonalcoholic drink hub. The bar affords extra than simply juices and sodas – including in alcohol-free spirits, beer and wine to varied cocktails and drink choices.
Nonalcoholic pace relationship
These on the lookout for love might be able to discover it at an East Passyunk bar – minus the booze. Sober pace relationship, like this Philadelphia Non-Alcoholic Velocity Courting occasion at Nutmeg in February, is considered one of a number of nonalcoholic occasions the place members might be able to community and meet a match.
Nonalcoholic drinks and completely happy hours
Possibly you’re simply trying to take an evening off from consuming, or possibly going out relies on the sampling of nonalcoholic (NA) choices on the bars. Both method, a number of Philly-area eating places and bars are providing drinks and completely happy hours past Dry January.
Evil Genius Beer Firm in Fishtown and Yards Brewing in Northern Liberties are providing a month-to-month rotating assortment of nonalcoholic alternatives. Eating places like Mamajuana Cafe Philly in Fishtown plan so as to add nonalcoholic alternatives to their menu for the primary time – and proceed providing them all year long.
Different bars, together with Bar Jawn in Manayunk and PJ Clarke’s in Middle Metropolis, have reductions for Dry January and completely happy hours, however have an ongoing, year-round number of nonalcoholic drinks.
Social meetups
The Phoenix, a sober-supporting nationwide nonprofit, affords varied alternatives by way of weekly social teams for sober and sober-seeking members. Within the area, the group hosts occasions like trivia nights at native nonalcoholic bars and varied exercise lessons, like bouldering and CrossFit.
Gavin Younger is the Affiliate Director of Exterior Relations for the Phoenix. Younger turned concerned in this system after getting sober in 2008. He stated health and transferring his physique helped in his restoration. He stated he usually sees this to be useful for others in this system.
“For our health and CrossFit packages, there are those who by no means take into account themselves an athlete, didn’t take into account themselves somebody that likes understanding,” he stated. “After which this finally ends up turning into, really, like a really materials a part of not simply what their day-to-day life seems like, but in addition type of like how they establish.”
He stated the group began out with a health base, however advanced into greater than that.
“We additionally acknowledge that not all people needs to go to a fitness center and work out,” Younger stated. “Lots of people we discovered do, however we additionally needed to guarantee that folks felt that they may discover any sort of programming that was out there. So we began doing a variety of yoga, a variety of meditation, bicycle rides, climbing, issues like that.”
He stated this ultimately expanded into extra social actions – together with dwell music, trivia and group gardening. The group additionally affords issues like monetary literacy programs.
Younger stated he encourages anybody who’s taking a break from consuming, sober curious or absolutely sober to take a look at The Phoenix: A sober group app – out there on the IOS and Android shops — because it affords a “market” of sober assets.
“So we’ve type of made this app to be just like the Amazon Market of free assets for folks to return and take part in,” he stated. “So whether or not or not folks need to attend a Phoenix program, whether or not that’s on-line or digital, in the event that they need to simply go browsing to the app and simply see what’s out there of their neighborhood, what’s taking place of their space, or what they need to do at a house nearly, we use our app as type of the principle solution to make that out there for folk.”
The app and occasions are all free. Occasions are up to date every week on their web site.
Actions with out alcohol
Many venues, eating places and cafes supply distinctive experiences across the metropolis not centered round alcohol. Whereas a few of these alternatives nonetheless supply alcoholic drinks, they in the end focus on actions not involving alcohol
Queen & Rook is a well-liked board sport cafe that gives varied conventional and indie board video games, occasions and socialization alternatives.
Immerse your self within the arts and varied yoga and meditation practices on the Penn Museum’s Thoughts and Temper Recharge. On the primary Wednesday of each month, from 5 to eight p.m., the museum hosts a rotation of wellness actions. An ideal different to an alcohol-filled completely happy hour, the occasion champions issues like sound tub and therapeutic, mocktails and artwork actions.
Good your golf swing, or discover your subsequent social spot for a bunch hold at 5 Iron Golf. The indoor attraction affords simulators to hire and particular person golf classes.
For artwork fanatics, Otherworld is a mix of immersive artwork, play and sci-fi in Middle Metropolis. The expertise can function a sober date evening vacation spot, or someplace to peruse by yourself.
The Franklin Institute’s “Science After Hours” affords a quarterly, after-dark expertise for adults. It is stuffed with dwell performances and challenges in keeping with varied totally different themes.