27-02-2025
"Sober curious" movement gaining popularity in Denver metro area
"Dry January" ended a few weeks ago, but some people are still choosing to limit how much alcohol they're drinking, or giving it up altogether. A Denver-based business and mindful drinker weighed in on some of these trends.
"Dry January" or "Damp January" is when people give up alcohol for the month or limit their intake, likely after over-indulging during the holidays.
A survey by NC Solutions shows nearly 49% of Americans are trying to drink less alcohol in 2025, which is a 44% increase since 2023, and Generation Z is spearheading the sober curious movement.
Michelle Garske, from the Denver metro area considers herself a mindful drinker now. At 55 years old, she acknowledged drinking takes even more of a toll nowadays.
"Years ago, I was the ultimate party girl," said Garske. "It's not fun to wake up the next day and think about what you said the night before and be embarrassed by that."
Garske began her sober curious journey about two years ago. She said she went through a curiosity phase, but really dove into her "sober curious" journey last summer, adding that the last time she had alcohol, she was regretful.
"I can count probably two times in the last eight months that I've had alcohol at all, and I feel a lot better for it," said Garske.
"It's been really cool to kind of see that shift in society of how we think about drinking as a whole," said Anika Sawni.
Sawni is the co-founder of Grüvi, a Denver-based company selling non-alcoholic beverages like craft beers and wine, inspired by her own journey of limiting alcohol.
"The hardest thing to make that transition to less alcohol was not having options," said Sawni. "Six years ago, non-alcoholic options and beers were few and far between. We wanted to do something that was completely different at the time."
When she first started the business in 2019 with her brother, she said non-alcoholic options were not common.
"We'd be knocking on doors, knocking on bars and restaurants," said Sawni, "And people would kind of laugh you out being like, no one wants that, right?"
Sawni said now, the business is taking off, and drinking less alcohol is not just a trend for Dry January.
"But it's really a lifestyle shift that people are starting to make," said Sawni.
Whether it's cutting out empty calories, getting better sleep or saving money, many people are rethinking what they're drinking.
"My head is clearer and my body feels better, my skin is clearer and it helps me control my mental health in a lot of ways," said Garske.
Sawni added that more restaurants are making an effort to serve non-alcohol beverages. She said five years ago, bars and restaurants accounted for about 5% of their revenue, whereas now it's about 40%.
She also mentioned Colorado has the largest consumption of non-alcoholic beverages per capita.
