Amy Christensen, a bartender and shift lead at Recon Brewing in Butler, said she and her co-workers have noticed a trend lately that seems unusual for a brewery.

People are coming in and not ordering alcohol.

“I started noticing it around December,” Christensen said. “We’ve said this at the bar, we feel like there has been this wave of non-drinking happening. Lately it feels like people are just coming in now who are not getting beer or getting a mocktail.”

To start the new year, more than 50 million Americans have pledged to participate in Dry January, a campaign where people pledge to abstain from alcohol for the month, according to Morning Consult, a marketing research firm. The trend is often associated with promoting healthy lifestyle choices.

Since the pandemic, the National Institutes of Health reported, about 25% of people drank more alcohol than usual. Kelly Brack, a certified nutritionist and owner of Life Theory Nutrition in Zelienople said “Dry January” provides an opportunity for people looking to buck the trend of over-consuming alcohol.

“It’s a good reset,” Brack said. “It’s a good way for somebody that maybe is consuming alcohol excessively to try to limit themselves.”

In 2021, the most recent year with data, the average American age 21 or older consumed 2.83 gallons of pure alcohol, or the equivalent of about 603 “standard drinks” for the year, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“Alcohol impacts a number of our physiological systems, immune system,” Brack said. “It can zap our immune systems. This time of the year everyone’s fighting bacteria and viruses, so putting these extra toxins in our body hurts our immune system — which can lead to a greater chance of us becoming sick.”

Excessive drinking has also proven to be one of the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It impacts the transmitters in our brain as a depressive for our system,” Brack said.

Donna Jenereski, the director of the Butler County drug and alcohol program, said excessive alcohol use has always been high in Butler County. The 2022 Butler County Prevention Plan Evaluation Report indicated more than 11% of adults said they binge drink, consuming more than five drinks in a row, in the past month.

“It’s January and people just finished the holiday, which is a stressful time of year,” Jenereski said.

She said she understands why so many people would be interested in the trend of abstaining for a 31 days.

“We all know the benefits,” Jenereski said. “You feel better, your skin looks better, you get better sleep.”

For those who are heavy drinkers, however, Jenereski recommends consulting with a health care professional before quitting “cold turkey.”

“If you identify as someone drinking everyday you may want to talk to your doctor,” Jenereski said. “If you’re still having problems contact one of our treatment providers.”

Another side effect of alcohol is weight gain, as it is high in calories but lacks nutrients supporting good health.

“It doesn’t contain vitamins and nutrients,” Brack said. “It’s calorie dense or it has empty calories, which is calories without vitamin or minerals.”

One of the biggest health risks is how it impacts our brain and our mood, she said.

“It’s a depressant,” Brack said. “That’s not something that is argued.”

One of the strategies used to combat the urge to drink is having a “mocktail,” which is a nonalcoholic drink that shares the same ingredients as a cocktail, just without the alcohol.

Kiesha Kurtz, general manager of Recon Brewing, said they started introducing mocktails a couple of years ago as part of their insider incentive program called the “Mug Club.”

“We started doing it for our Mug Club promotion,” Kurtz said. “It was a way to give our customers that may be pregnant or just don’t drink an upscale option.”

Kurtz said the addition of mocktails has been successful, and now Recon Brewing offers mocktails throughout the year.

“We change them up seasonally,” Kurtz said. “Right now our snowbird drink is a fan favorite, it has vanilla syrup, pineapple juice and grenadine.”

The decision to keep mocktails as a year-round option allows customers that may not drink alcohol a chance to still feel included.

“We want to make sure we’re paying attention to all our customers, not just during Dry Jan.” Kurtz said. “People don’t drink for a lot of reasons, whether they are the designated driver or underage, they like having the option to still have fun.”

Erika Shumaker, co-owner of ShuBrew in Zelienople, said the brewery started offering mocktails after seeing Dry January have an affect on her business.

“January is usually slower, we definitely noticed a lot of people not coming in as much,” Shumaker said. “Our alcohol sales definitely took a dip.”

Wanting to incorporate a healthier, nonalcoholic option for customers, Shumaker said, they make their mocktails with fresh ingredients.

“We use a lot of fresh juices and different flavors,” Shumaker said. “It’s great for our customers that like to go out but don’t drink alcohol. They feel like they’re getting something special.”

Shumaker said the more popular mocktails include a house lemonade that includes a lavender simple syrup fusion and a blackberry “no-hito.”

“Having a mocktail option allows our customers to support their local brewery and feel like they can still go out and have a good and safe time.”

Brack said she thinks the idea of Dry January is a great start for people serious about their health. However, she said, like most things in life, the best practice is moderation.

“I think that abstaining for one month is not going to give you the benefits of practicing safe moderation throughout the year,” Brack said.