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.
A Gallup poll shows alcohol consumption at a 90-year low.
Just 54% of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol, with even lower rates among Gen Z and millennials.
“Younger folks particularly find that you don't need that lubrication for social interactions," Dr. Stepsis told WRTV. "I think a lot of them know now the benefits of not drinking alcohol,” Stepsis said.
Patrick said changing attitudes around alcohol have helped drive Orangily’s growth since opening in 2022.
The business now has two locations, in Carmel and Broad Ripple.
One of the biggest sellers, she said, is functional beverages — drinks designed to ease stress and anxiety.
“Think ashwagandha, reshi mushroom lion's mane, passion flower, ingredients that a lot of people agree maybe ease anxiety, reduce stress,” Patrick said.
For those considering taking a break from alcohol, even temporarily, Stepsis cautioned against rushing to replace it with something else.
“You don't want to jump into anything with both feet when it comes to, you know, replacing one thing for another. But if you're subtracting something like alcohol, I think it's always good because the human body wasn't really designed to have that substance in it every day,” he said.
