It was Thursday night, and the week had truly worn me down. My friends hosted a dinner party at their place. The vibe there felt instantly relaxed and welcoming. Conversation started easily and flowed just like it always does. Glasses clinked all around the room. Wine bottles were opened up to breathe. Expertly, margaritas were shaken for everyone.
Instead of reaching for the vino, I sat down holding something different. The can was sleek and metallic, like trendy hard seltzers nowadays. It looked just like the trendy hard seltzers everyone is drinking. My observant friend Robbie spotted it right away. He asked, ‘Psychedelic Water?‘ with a smirk on his face. ‘Are you tripping right now?’ he then asked.
His reaction was the kind of curious, intrigued response I always seem to get. Despite the name, which I admit is designed to really turn heads, Psychedelic Water is not related to LSD or psilocybin at all, rest assured. It won’t send anyone on any type of hallucinatory journey. I explained the backstory of this specific drink I was holding.
It is one of many alcohol-alternative drinks that are growing really fast these days. The drink contains kava root, damiana leaves, and green tea extract. Kava has a history of being used for relaxation by Pacific Islanders across centuries. They say the formula relieves anxiety and also boosts your energy. Perhaps that is part of its allure, right?
The National Institutes of Health notes that kava supplements help reduce anxiety slightly, you know. They also link kava to a severe risk of liver injury now. Keep this in mind always, seriously. But my experience with this specific drink was very different, oddly enough. I felt less severe physical sensations with this particular one I had tried.
While sipping my favorite prickly pear flavor, I felt a slight tingling. It tasted great, you see, like seltzer but without the bite. Some minor stomach pains also arose, which I felt then. It left me with a faint warmth that felt really calming inside. It was easy to see that as anxiety reduction happening just for me.
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Drinking Psychedelic Water for the past month was quite a fascinating experiment. I found it helped me decompress and took the edge off my anxiety now too. The best part? No hangover the next day, ever, you see. Avoiding that misery felt like a huge incentive for me overall.
This personal discovery connects to the sober-curious movement that’s now in town. It’s gaining traction online and in real life lately, everywhere. It’s a growing community of people, I see. They’re cutting back on alcohol mostly for lifestyle reasons now, not for addiction, but for health or productivity goals they’ve always had. They’re exploring new ways to socialize and relax out there in the world.
What struck me most was people’s reactions to it always. When I tried this alternative, people reacted much more openly, I saw. Instead of questioning my alcohol choice, most people got curious, truthfully. They asked about my can and its benefits quickly then. The drink opened up conversations rather than shutting them down, you know this now.
The drink’s branding, using “psychedelic,” has pros and cons, always, I think. CEO Pankaj Gogia shared this in an interview he did lately. On one hand, it grabs attention and sparks curiosity fast, yes it does. On the other hand, some avoid it due to its name, Gogia noted truly. ‘Some people won’t touch the stuff because of its name,’ he said later too.
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He added, ‘There was still a lot of stigma associated with psychedelics.’ Despite this, Gogia sees the brand helping to destigmatize psychedelics now. He hopes it changes public perception around these kinds of substances. Substances are often unfairly lumped in with alcohol, I see. Their effects on the brain differ quite a bit, Gogia noted to me. He hopes seeing it in Urban Outfitters helps shift people’s minds, he thinks. It might change young people’s attitudes slowly over time, I believe.
My experiment with Psychedelic Water didn’t feel isolated at all. It is part of a much larger wave now, everywhere you look. This larger wave is sweeping through the beverage industry, changing things. It changes how people socialize these days, sometimes in life. The numbers don’t lie, you know that’s true. Sales for nonalcoholic drinks have surged greatly. According to Nielsen data, sales rose 33% to $331 million in 2022.
This surge means unknown brands can find an audience very fast. Brands like Psychedelic Water blew up fast online, I saw. They are finding a huge audience now, very rapidly.
Pankaj Gogia hit on a key driver for this trend, I thought. He spoke about what consumers seek mostly now. ‘Everybody wants to be healthier,’ he said clearly. They still want things that help them de-stress, relax, and be social too, you see. It’s about finding that balance, a sweet spot now. Enjoy yourself and connect without downsides, always quickly, I find. Brand marketing head Ben Rogul also added a point for us now.
It’s not just about health concerns for everyone, always. It’s also about being productive the next day easily, I feel now. For me, potent hangovers were always common too. Morning productivity motivates me to explore options quickly now, you see this fact.
This shift and the booming market pave the way for new spaces, always, I believe. Entirely new social spaces are coming quickly everywhere, it seems. If people want places to enjoy non-alcoholic drinks now where they can socialize, where exactly do they go now, truly? I wonder about this. Enter the sober bar idea then and there. The sober bar concept sounds paradoxical to some ears now. It feels slightly like an “accurate estimate,” you know this feeling.
For entrepreneurs like Ian Landis, it represents a great opportunity, truly. Landis is opening Bone Dry Sober Bar soon enough, I hear. It is set to be Fresno’s first establishment of its kind now, always there. Landis sees this venture as a needed space for sober folks now too. A bar-like social experience without alcohol is key for them, always.
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Despite the concept, few reacted badly, he said truly, though. Only four people said bad things to him quickly. Three of them were drunk, always, he recalls. You see this fact. That anecdote alone tells something major about people then.
Bone Dry is becoming a reality thanks to a contest win, it seems. It won second place and a $7,000 cash prize, always, too, wow. This win helped Landis secure a location quickly, for sure. It is in Downtown Fresno’s Sun Stereo Warehouse project, I hear tell. What makes this location interesting, always, I wonder myself, truly?
It is right in the Brewery District now, always, there. It seems counterintuitive to set up a sober bar here, though, always. But the area has foot traffic and nightlife energy now, always present. Street events happen frequently there too, you see often. Landis thinks it is the right place to reach people looking now. He feels they need alternatives here badly.
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Combining nightlife energy and sobriety presents opportunities, you see this truth. It also presents challenges for Bone Dry now, always. On the opportunity side, they stay open later for people who want to socialize. Alcohol-serving neighbors have last call earlier, always, I think. This allows them to capture the late-night crowd, always, then and there.
Another advantage is that there is no California ABC involvement now, too, which is good. Bone Dry stocks zero-alcohol products always inside. These products are made by alcohol brewers and distillers, always, you see. Avoiding ABC bureaucracy helps operations too, streamlining things. It avoids regulatory hurdles, they say quickly and simply.
Challenges arise in a bar that welcomes everyone but serves no alcohol at all. For instance, the question of welcoming minors comes up often, I hear tell. Bone Dry could be a hangout for teens looking for ‘fake alcohol’ drinks, perhaps. Landis is firm: those under 18 need an adult present now, always, for sure. Teens are welcome, always, I see then too.
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But the primary audience is the sober community there, always. Adults of drinking age made that choice, they did, always, too. Maybe they’ve chosen not to partake in alcohol ever again, I guess now. Landis uses a clear analogy, he thinks, always, for us. It is like religious building doors being open now; this is where people go. Meant for congregation, always, this is how he feels about it.
Serving minors also brings up nuances regarding the drinks themselves, I find now. Most products at Bone Dry are entirely ‘0.0’. They contain no alcohol at all, zero, truly, ever. However, some non-alcohol beers do have alcohol inside, always. Typically, they contain 0.5% alcohol or lower now, always. Because of this, patrons ordering 0.5% drinks need ID quickly. To ensure they are at least 21 now, too, you see this.
Landis did his homework on this, always, for sure, and truly. California has no laws prosecuting the serving of non-alcohol drinks to minors now, ever. But regulators make it clear that owners are responsible, now, too, always. Owners must ensure that rules aren’t broken, ever, he thinks, always. This is a subtle but important distinction he makes, always, there.
What exactly will be on tap at Bone Dry, always, I truly wonder? Landis says the main draw is mocktails, for sure, he says quickly, too. He hosted pop-up events to test ideas often, he did, always. Serving creative specials there, too, for people, always. Like the ‘Wildfire Season’ special, you see this one there. Made with zero-proof whiskey, cider, and bitters now. He served the ‘Ghost of Summer‘ special, too, he did, always then.
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He likes zero-proof liquor companies greatly, always, I see. Like Ritual Zero, based in Chicago, always, too, perhaps. These will be part of the bar offerings now, always, then. It is clear that they aim for interesting drinks, always, now. Just as complex as their alcohol counterparts, they want them to be now, always, for sure.
Landis draws the line regarding what he serves, always, you know now. He avoids drinks spiked with tobacco or CBD now, too, always. Even though these are gaining popularity, always, they do, you see this. His reasoning is this, always, you know now, always. The sober community is divided on this question, always, there, it seems. They debate if these truly are ‘sober’ drinks, there, always, too.
This line extends to plant extracts, always, too, now. Like kava and damiana leaf, always, you see there. Ingredients in Psychedelic Water, which I tried, always, then, I did. Even though Landis liked Psychedelic Water greatly, too, always. Specifically the prickly pear flavor, always, for sure, he said. But he won’t serve them in the bar, always, now, anyway. He calls them sober drinks anyway, too, always, then, perhaps.
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This greatly highlights the varying definitions of ‘sober’ now. Landis always caters to the common understanding there, you know. He always focuses most definitely on people living alcohol-free. This is his commitment, always. I see this fact always.
Opening Bone Dry now seems strange, always. It is located in America’s drunkest city now. It is also the most dangerous for drunk driving there, always. But Landis believes it is the perfect location for Bone Dry, truly always. The need is clearly there now, I think always, you see.
He always points to global trends now, too. Alcohol consumption is falling in markets everywhere, always. Low and no-alcohol drinks are rising now, everywhere, always, I see. As the number of problem drinkers sadly increases, always, you know this. So too do the number of sober-curious individuals increase now, always. Those firmly committed to sobriety are also rising, always and forever, now. Landis stated this confidently now, always. He did truly.
‘No greater place in America than Fresno,’ he stated now. He feels this. It is a compelling argument, always, he feels now, truly. It brings a solution where the problem is, now, always, too. Offering a positive alternative alongside other options, now, always, everywhere.
My experience always connected me there, I saw now. I always connected this to the larger narrative now, too. It showed how ready people always are, greatly, now, too, and forever. For these choices and spaces, now, everywhere, always, and fast. The personal meets the trend quickly, always, too, you know. The trend builds momentum fast, now, everywhere, always, truly, and quickly.
Finding your perfect alcohol-free drink is really just the very first step. Soon, you see, it turns out to be way bigger than one person’s choice. It is about making connections and building cool spaces for folks. This is shaping a fresh, new part of our social world that is happening. People now call this change the ‘dry economy’, you see. It is picking up serious momentum all over.
Picture a whole weekend spent exploring life free from alcohol. It was full of lively events with many folks like you. The first Dry Vibes Weekend in Kansas City did just that. It felt much bigger than just some events held there. It felt like a new community coming together and growing.
The energy at that kick-off party felt so real you could touch it. It happened at The Fontaine Hotel right there. The room buzzed with chatter under those neon lights. Music played loud electro-cumbia beats in the air. The ones running it were SipSteady, and they started it. Sarah Pretorius and Kayla Mason are the co-founders here.
Their mission is very clear to everyone. They help non-alcoholic brands that are trying new things get known. They also help businesses that are friendly to sober people succeed. They want good drink choices to be offered everywhere possible. They make sure there are interesting options you can find around.
Sarah got her idea after she stopped drinking any alcohol. She was quite unhappy that the non-alcoholic choices were boring. This was true even at really great bars and eating spots. It seemed like a big mistake to miss out.
Kayla looks at this from a slightly different perspective. She is what folks call a mindful drinker herself. She drinks sometimes but takes breaks without alcohol. She does this on purpose for her wellness. Seeing cool new things in the NA space got her fired up. She now promotes social places for everyone.
Sarah and Kayla together drive this whole thing forward, it’s true. They found a need that was there and decided to fix it. They created opportunities for buyers and businesses in the dry economy world. Their shared goal enhances the alcohol-free living experience significantly.
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Walking around the Dry Vibes crowd was neat, you see. You met many different kinds of people there. Some folks did Dry January to give it a try. Some committed to being fully sober right now. Others were just curious about sobriety, maybe. Health-conscious people mixed with others exploring sobriety. This often came after big things happened in their lives.
Some attendees stopped the #wineoclock routine entirely. They switched to a whole new kind of life, too. Some were into yoga and honing their focus. They just didn’t want alcohol as a crutch. That was the one thing linking almost everyone there. It was a powerful feeling of shared enthusiasm.
Being excited for mornings without hangovers felt universal there. Everyone seemed jazzed about that idea, you see. It is a simple pleasure but a strong reason. It helps folks explore these new alternative choices.
The event also took a close look at the financial aspect. There was a panel discussion on the topic ‘The Future of the Dry Economy’. Seeing personal choices fuel a new market is truly amazing.
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I swapped alcohol for ‘Psychedelic Water’ popular among sober-curious people online. I found it’s the perfect drink to avoid social anxiety without a hangover.
SipSteady’s Dry Vibes Weekend marks the start of a sober sensation in KC
