Why some in Michigan ditch alcohol, embrace mocktail madness for Thanksgiving

More Americans these days are turning to non-alcoholic drink, driven by growing concerns about alcohol’s effects on health
A market is growing around nondrinkers, providing eclectic mixes of zero proof spirits that look and (arguably) taste like the real thing
For those who choose to drink alcohol anyway, moderation helps

Research these days tells us that even a small amount of alcohol is bad for you, but don’t put away your fruit slices and tiny umbrellas just yet.

There’s a whole new way to celebrate the holidays — a fast-growing, nearly $1 billion industry, in fact, that can be shaken, stirred, fizzy, on-the-rocks and with swizzle sticks and party picks.

“It’s changing me from going to the club till I can’t feel my face anymore,” said Jack Morse, 24, who on a recent afternoon was taste-testing drinks at Mockery Zero Proof in Detroit.

Morse, a man who used to never see a weekend morning until noon, marveled at meeting up with his sister recently at 7 a.m.

Rather than fighting through painful, post-drinking fog, he said, “I was actually there, present, happy.”

A man standing at a bar chats with the woman behind the bar as she laughs. — Jack Morse spent too much time, he said, drinking “til I can’t feel my face anymore.” These days, the 24-year-old is helping fuel growth of a nearly $1B market for zero-proof spirits. (Robin Erb/Bridge Michigan)

Non-alcohol beer, wine, and spirits are now a staple during the usual boozy holidays, no longer relegated to Dry January or a few who choose total sobriety.

In fact, 92% of those who purchase those products also buy alcohol products, according to the consumer research group, Nielsen Consumer.

Related:

It’s an industry now growing at a whopping 22% clip as Morse and his fellow Gen Zers prioritize health, and older Americans rethink old habits. The percentage of US adults who say they consume alcohol has fallen to 54%, according to a Gallup poll released in August. That’s the lowest since 1939, when Gallup began tracking booze behavior.

And it’s tough to ignore the growing body of research linking alcohol to a wide variety of bad health effects, including dementia and several types of cancer, said Steven Nieto, whose research at Wayne State University focuses on alcohol use and related issues.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called for warning labels on alcohol warning about its link to cancer, echoing concerns in 2022 by the World Health Organization that concluded “there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”

“Your whole body is really affected by alcohol use, and not just the liver,” Nieto said.

Older drinkers might have to do a double take on that.

After all, they had been reassured for years by the suggestion that small or moderate drinking — a single glass a day for women or two for men — was not only harmless but possibly protective of heart health.

Researchers now say that old research was flawed, based on questionnaires about current drinking habits rather than past alcohol use, thereby ignoring health damage from years earlier.

New research, Nieto said, shows that “alcohol is really affecting brain processes, the gut, pancreas, lungs, cardiovascular system, the immune system and so much more.”

Consider:

Head shot of a smiling man wearing a gray suit — Despite its harms, “alcohol is ingrained in our social fabric and how we interact,” said Dr. Steven Nieto of Wayne State University. (Courtesy of Steven Nieto.)

Alcohol boosts the odds of mouth, throat, voice box and esophagus cancers, but also other cancers, such as breast, stomach, and colorectal. It is estimated that alcohol leads to 20,000 cancer deaths each year in the US.

Smoking alongside the booze multiplies the effect even further, possibly because alcohol can help harmful chemicals in tobacco get inside the cells that line the mouth, throat and esophagus, according to the American Cancer Society.
Research published by the British Medical Journal suggests that risk of dementia rises even with a small amount of alcohol.
Alcohol impacts the digestive system throughout, causing discomfort and inhibiting the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Left untreated, it can cause long-term damage to the liver and other organs and internal bleeding.
While it’s unclear the extent, if any, to which low and moderate drinking levels impact cardiovascular health, it’s abundantly clear that heavy drinking — consuming on average three or more drinks a day — leads to cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

And as Americans rethink party plans, they’ve made way for a new market: zero-proof spirits.

Social acceptance, cultural expectations

bottles of nonalcoholic spirits on a shelf — Mocktail ingredients from Detroit’s Mockery Zero Proof include anise, bergamot, cardamom, and elderflower, offering an alternative to alcohol and its possible links to cancer, cardiovascular disease and dementia. (Robin Erb/Bridge Michigan)

At Mockery in Detroit, owner Karlyta Williams said she sells to those who are 100% non drinkers, as well as the “sober-curious” — those who are simply cutting back and mixing in nonalcoholic spirits with their regular offerings.

She was standing behind the counter, mixing up another drink for Morse. On the shelves were options for nonalcoholic chardonnay and saki, for example, with ingredients that included bergamot, cardamom, elderflower and star anise.

Socializing with alcohol is a cultural expectation, when it doesn’t need to be, she said.

Attend a party weekend, she said, “and they give you a bag with Advil and Pepto Bismol…”

“… Liquid IV …” Morse added.

“.. and you’re accepting the fact that ‘I’m going to be sick, I’m harming myself and I’m going to be sick,’” Williams said, shooting her hands to her eyes as though shutting out the light during a hangover headache.

Her customers tell her that ditching alcohol carves out room for other interests and hobbies by untethering them from a bar. And if they like the feel and sight of specialty drinks, she can serve them up in gleaming cocktail glasses with sugared rims and fruit skewered onto decorative picks or sell them bottles of alcohol-free chardonnay, tequila and sake.

“Having a zero proof option is so important for that feeling to be accepted socially,” said Wayne State’s Nieto. “It can be so stressful and anxiety-inducing being the guy abstaining.”

As the holidays approach, Nieto says moderation is key for those who decide to drink alcohol anyway. The US Dietary Guidelines allow for a single drink a day for women and two for men. One alcoholic drink is defined as a 12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol), 5 fluid ounces of wine (12% alcohol) or 1.5 fluid ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits (40% alcohol).

Keeping within those drinking guidelines won’t eliminate all alcohol-related risk, Nieto said, but “this is kind of the best bet if you choose to drink.”

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