Dry January: Sacramento business works to end stigma surrounding sobriety
SACRAMENTO - Dry January is in full swing as millions of Americans take a month-long break from alcohol.
For Sacramento business, The Teetotalist, it's a welcome sight as their establishment works to erase the stigma around a sober lifestyle. The non-alcoholic bar is serving up mocktails at their pop-up location throughout the month-long challenge.
The Teetotalist is kicking off Dry January with a pop-up location at Propagate (1700 I Street, Sacramento). Located in the Jungle Room off of 17th Street, they are open for business from 5-10 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, excluding Friday, January 12.
Owner Amanda Altman Brincat knows exactly what it's like to feel the need for a clean slate. Following an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, she decided to go sober in the summer of 2022.
"If I was celebrating, if I was sad, if I was happy, if I was mad... There was always a reason to drink. I found that I didn't like doing things if I wasn't drinking," Altman Brincat said.
She and her partner Kathryn observed noticeable differences when they went "dry."
"I had a plan to just do three months of a break but after one month of that I realized it was the right path for me," Altman Brincat said. "I felt so much better, my sleep was better, I was more present in my relationships and I thought I would stick with it and I'm really happy that I did."
The couple turned sobriety into creativity, experimenting in their kitchen with non-alcoholic spirits.
"The more we talked to people, the more we realized that everybody knows somebody that doesn't drink," Altman Brincat said. "Whether that's for medication or they're in recovery or they're pregnant or it's religion."
Together, they created The Teetotalist – Sacramento's only non-alcoholic bar and social club.
"I've always been really social and enjoyed going out and doing things with other people but in the beginning of my sobriety I was having a hard time being around people who were drinking," Altman Brincat said.
Serving up craft mocktails, zero-proof cocktails and other non-alcoholic beverages, The Teetotalist hosts live music events, art shows and trivia nights.
Upcoming Dry January events include "Mean Girls Trivia Night" on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and "Taylor Swift Night" on Saturday, Jan. 13.
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