As people are starting the new year wanting to wet their whistle but without the alcohol, Naperville breweries and restaurants like Go Brewing and Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House are seeing sales of their non-alcoholic offerings spike.
“We have a lot of regulars who do dry January,” said Anthony Losurdo, regional manager for Gibson’s Restaurant Group, the parent company of Hugo’s, which has three alcohol-free cocktails or “mock tails.”
“Dry January is what I’d consider our Super Bowl month,” said Joe Chura, owner of Go Brewing. Chura opened Illinois’ first exclusively non-alcohol brewery in 2023. Today, Go Brewing beers are sold in 100 Costco’s across seven states, plus various bars and restaurants, including Hugo’s, and even on Amazon. “Last year we sold out of everything but this year we were more prepared. This year we’re up 500% from where we were last year.”
Risk for cancer
This year’s Dry January is different than previous years, as it comes on the heels of the U.S. surgeon general’s warning that drinking alcohol can increase one’s cancer risk, something Dr. Praveena Tathineni, Oncologist with Edward Hospital says has been a long time coming.
“This is all stuff that we have known for quite some time now, it just hasn’t been culturally accepted or in the guidelines yet,” said Dr. Tathineni But in a way, it’s a relief because it’s important for people to know what they’re putting in their bodies.”
When alcohol enters the body, it’s broken down into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde.
“It prevents cells from being able to repair themselves. It prevents the DNA from repairing itself and alcohol causes oxidated stress on the body,” said Tathineni.
As a result, abnormal or tumorous cells can develop without any way to stop them. Additionally, alcohol can cause an over-accumulation of certain hormones, including estrogen, and make it easier for carcinogens to be absorbed into the bloodstream.
All of this, Dr. Tathineni explains, is what ultimately can lead to at least seven different types of cancer:
- esophageal
- breast
- colorectal
- liver
- mouth/oral cavity
- throat
- larynx
Alternatives to alcohol
Dr. Tathineni’s recommendation: have as little as one drink per week.
“The way things are going this day and age, I think the less the better, which is going to be a change, culturally,” she said. “I think there’s a bigger focus on what we are eating, what we’re drinking in a good way.”
And national trends reflect that shift, with year-round alcohol consumption down across the country according to a number of sources, including the Washington Post, Forbes, and Gallup News.
“I think the movement is really catching on of people being very mindful of how much do they drink,” said Chura.
“The younger generation is more health-conscious and that’s really one of the driving forces of mocktails and that’s why you see them added to the menus at restaurants all around the country,” said Losurdo.
Still, the alcohol industry brings in billions of dollars each year. Only time will tell if the surgeon general’s warning about alcohol elevating one’s cancer risk shakes things up for the bar and restaurant industry in the long run.
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