Just because people are abstaining from alcohol, it doesn’t mean they don’t want the experience of perusing a menu, and picking out a yummy drink to enjoy alongside friends.
On Jan. 16, Cortland Prevention Resources is hosting the first Mocktail Magic event, a semi-formal evening of small plates, live music, and a friendly competition to craft the best mocktail – during a month that health experts refer to as “Dry January.”
Director of Cortland Prevention Resources Melissa Simmons has many sober people in her life, and many of them would tell her how there was nothing in town for sober people to do or drink.
“I’ve noticed it’s absolutely true,” Simmons said. “There’s not much out there for you if you’re choosing not to drink for whatever reason. It can be incredibly stigmatizing and othering to be in that situation, because people automatically assume you have a problematic relationship with alcohol, but there’s a lot of reasons that people choose not to drink.”
Many people choose to be sober to lose weight, to save money, to be the designated driver, because they are pregnant or nursing, or to improve their skin, hair or mental health. Some people also just don’t feel the need to drink alcohol, she said.
The research group Civic Science reports that 25% of people it served in 2024 successfully completed Dry January last year, almost meeting the 27% who were “very likely” to take part, and far beyond the 16% who didn’t drink in January 2023.
“I don’t think it’s a big reach to say that alcohol and mental health go hand-and-hand,” Simmons said. “For people who are health-conscious, alcohol has been linked to cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure and lots of different types of cancers.”
Restaurant staff and attendees will compete to make the best mocktail at the event. Attendees will vote for their favorite, and the best professional mocktail and best amateur mocktail will each be awarded a plaque.
It’s a way to inspire more local bars and restaurants to consider having some sober drink options, Simmons said, beyond the Shirley Temple.
“Being able to be treated and feel like you’re just like every other adult, out enjoying an adult night out, without alcohol is a pretty big deal for the sober community,” Simmons said. “That’s a reason why it’s semiformal and in the evening – we want to have an event that looks and feels just like a fancy event that has alcohol, but doesn’t have alcohol.”
Drinking any amount of alcohol comes with health risks, Mayo Clinic says. Drinking any alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer, and the more you drink, the greater the risk.
Heavy drinking, or over seven weekly drinks for women or 14 for men, increases the risk of mouth, throat, esophagus and liver cancer, liver disease, and cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure and stroke, Mayo Clinic says.
Mocktails are a way for sober people to feel more comfortable in alcohol-focused environments, said Lisa Hoeschele, executive director and CEO of Family & Children’s Counseling Services.
“I think that the sober community should not feel as though they’re being excluded from the opportunity to enjoy holidays and time with their family and friends, and should be given the same incentive to have fun as the non-sober community,” Hoeschele said. “It shouldn’t be a thing, and it has become a thing.”
Alex Mikowski, director of Access to Independence of Cortland County Inc. and CANDLE, says the organization is sponsoring the event to normalize going out and being social without necessarily drinking alcohol.
CANDLE, a program of Access To Independence, aims to fill the gap of substance abuse education and prevention for people with disabilities, Mikowski said.
To be inclusive to the sober community, people planning an event should think about who their audience is, and try to communicate ahead of time with people in their life who are sober, especially if they are early in their sobriety journey, she said.
“When you are spending time with people who are drinking, the act of holding something physically in your hand can make you feel more included,” Simmons said. “It’s the experience of being able to go out and have a drink that goes with your meal that doesn’t necessarily have to be an alcoholic drink.”
A good mocktail should have a little bit of bitter, a little bit of herbs, such as thyme or basil, and just a little fizz, Hoeschele said.
“I’m in recovery,” she said. “I like to be with my friends, and I want to go out to dinner with my family and have more options than just club soda and a twist.”
