INDIANAPOLIS — It's almost the halfway point of January. And for those who are participating in Dry January, it means there's only about two weeks left of choosing not to drink alcohol.
But what has the first part of the year looked like for businesses and those participating?
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“We just want you to be social and feel comfortable but not feel bad the next day," Haley Hilts, Founder and Owner of Skosh, said with a laugh.
Non-alcoholic is a concept that places like Skosh take to heart.
“We are dry all year. We are an NA [nonalcoholic] establishment, a third space," Hilts explained. "So we get really creative with our syrups and our mocktail offerings.”
It was an idea she felt was needed in the community.
“A lot of things in life, it’s like, you have to have alcohol to have fun, and that’s not necessarily true," Hilts stated. "I did it because I love everyone coming in and not having anything alter their experience here."
“Providing different things for folks where they live and how they’re living just feels like part of our mission," Dave Colt, Co-Founder, CEO and Brewmaster with Sun King Brewery, exclaimed.
He told WRTV there was an increased need for those options with his customers.
“[We see] more and more, especially the THC beverages," Colt explained. We see hemp-based beverages, we see a gradual increase of awareness and folks using that as an alternative to having alcohol.”
And it's not just those. Colt said they also saw an increase in their non-alcoholic and mocktail options.
“If you really wanna know the truth, alcohol is a toxin," Dr. Vohn Watts, a functional medicine doctor, stated.
It's a fact that they said is leading people to choose other options.
“Even if you don’t do it the rest of the year, if you can take one month off, you can really help reset a lot of things: digestion becomes more efficient, nutrient absorption improves, immune system improves," Dr. Watts explained.
Whether you just participate in Dry January or it's a lifestyle option you choose all year long, there are a ton of options available, and there are a lot of good ones.
“We just keep augmenting and adding more selections to folks who are choosing different lifestyles," Colt stated.
“I just really encourage people to step outside of your comfort zone and what you’re used to," Hilts said.
A Gallup poll showcases that this trend is happening nationwide. The percentage of U.S. adults who say they consume alcohol has fallen to 54%, the lowest by one percentage point in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend.
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Casey Zanowic is the In Your Community reporter for North Side Indy. She joined WRTV in July of 2025. Casey has a passion for storytelling and is ready to showcase impactful stories that make a difference in her community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Casey by emailing her at casey.zanowic@wrtv.com.
