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I guess my question is, why can't you get the same experience at a regular bar? I grew up in a pretty small town so whenever I went to the bar with friends, I c

I guess my question is, why can't you get the same experience at a regular bar? I grew up in a pretty small town so whenever I went to the bar with friends, I could just get a Pepsi or something similar if I was the DD. The bartender never pressured me to drink and neither did my friends. I always felt like that if I said I do not drink or if I was the DD, people would back off. I can see the societal pressure whenever going to the bar to drink, but is it really so much that you cannot resist? I am genuinely curious.

clarry 7y ago
Even if you don't drink, it's still going to sound and stink like drunk people.
daxelrod 7y ago
If you’re an alcoholic, a bar may be one of the hardest places for you to resist.
kibwen 7y ago
Bars could indeed offer these options trivially, it may simply be that they've never considered it, or considered that there might be a demand for it. As the perpetual DD throughout my college career, if you're not a fan of sucking down sugary soda or virgin Bloody Marys, be prepared to sip water for the night.
- apacheCamel 7y ago
  I guess more ways that I am ignorant to the situation, I was always okay with just a water. I am not too familiar with non-alcoholic beverages. I can imagine if the demand is there, which apparently is true after this article, regular bars may want to start looking at it as an option. That would probably be a great way for bars to introduce a "drink responsibly" program.
- pixelrevision 7y ago
  It’s not really a great business plan for most bars. A typical non drinker will have maybe 1 fancy drink then be happy with nursing a water for the night. Someone who is drinking alcohol and getting in the mood will often pay for 4-6 drinks. The more you get known for being a place that has good sober alternatives the more you are going to get sober people coming in for that atmosphere. At that point it might be wiser to just base your whole business model around it like these places are doing.
kd0amg 7y ago
I guess my question is, why can't you get the same experience at a regular bar? Because relatively few bars have anything interesting to drink that's non-alcoholic.
- apacheCamel 7y ago
  I am not familiar with non-alcoholic drinks other than water and soda. I usually am okay with just a water when I am the DD or not feeling the alcoholic drinks available. After reading this article and talking to others, it seems like I have been missing a big portion of the beverage market.
souterrain 7y ago
For those who have struggled with addiction or frequent over-indulgence, it often is irresistible. That said, from my experience some bars/pubs are more suitable than others to the non-drinker.
dalbasal 7y ago
Well.. presumably the experience of hanging out with people who are drinking is different.
pixelrevision 7y ago
Many people who quit drinking do so because they lack self control with it and it is harmful to them on one way or another. Coffeehouses used to be a great alternative as people would go there to socialize and meet other people but most of them now function more as places people can work heads down on their laptops. There’s probably a lot of great business ideas to address this but they are a little more complex to figure out because people who are not drinking don’t tend to make quite as many bad judgement calls on spending money for drinks.
- jshaqaw 7y ago
  So true. I used to love meeting friends or colleagues for coffee but now I know I probably won’t get a seat wading through a sea of laptops.
TallGuyShort 7y ago
I've generally done the same, but I could do without the smell and the way some people act when they're drinking. I've definitely encountered a bar or too that was very limited in what else they sold - not even having Coke or tonic that would usually be mixed. Mostly though, I agree with the one that mentioned wanting a truly drink optional culture, and I hope the social trends mentioned continue. I've definitely had coworkers that weren't cool with me being sober when they weren't, and people who wanted to meet up to talk but quickly lost the ability to speak coherent thoughts. Emphasis on socializing over drinking would be good for everyone. I don't mind if people have some beers, but having more than a few and driving home, having more than a few and being a jerk, and occasionally not having anything to do unless you want to join in on that isn't my idea of a good time. If things go that way, I'm not even getting the socializing I was hoping for. edit: occasionally there's a bartender who really appreciates the DD and will go out of their way to make sure you have a good time and are willing to DD again. They rock.
RickS 7y ago
This works better the more intimate the setting is. I can totally see it working in a small town. Here's a handful of reasons this could go sideways: Some bars are just slammed. Like, 40 feet of bar, entire front is 5 people deep squirming to get served by two people, and you have to literally scream at those people to get service. Ordering a $1.50 sprite in that environment is not only hellish for you, it's arguably a waste of the bartender and everyone else's time. There's a counterargument along the lines of "we all pay to be here, everyone's equal" but I wouldn't expect it to be a common take. If you have a problem, yes, it's going to be extremely hard to resist. Scarier still, you could be the victim of an innocent mistake. I don't eat dairy. My burgers come out with cheese on them by mistake maybe 10% of the time. When the kitchen's on autopilot, they absentmindedly make the default version of the thing, and there's no system to catch that mistake until it gets to me. That soda water becomes a gin soda really easily. If you just don't like alcohol, this is a trivial mistake. If you're in recovery, you are in serious danger. But it's not that you can't resist. It's that you feel weird for resisting. I have a friend that didn't drink for many years. He got extraordinarily sick of having to explain himself. Even if the people you meet are 100% supportive, merely having the situation brought up can feel like a burden or like it singles you out. Many people find it hard to enjoy themselves in the shadow of this feeling. If I don't want to drink, I take people to tea. You still have a pretense for sitting down in a strange dim room and having intimate conversation. Just without all the other bullshit. But I think an abundance of tea houses might require a fairly big city, at least in America.

clarry 7y ago

Even if you don't drink, it's still going to sound and stink like drunk people.

daxelrod 7y ago

If you’re an alcoholic, a bar may be one of the hardest places for you to resist.

kibwen 7y ago

Bars could indeed offer these options trivially, it may simply be that they've never considered it, or considered that there might be a demand for it. As the perpetual DD throughout my college career, if you're not a fan of sucking down sugary soda or virgin Bloody Marys, be prepared to sip water for the night.

apacheCamel 7y ago
I guess more ways that I am ignorant to the situation, I was always okay with just a water. I am not too familiar with non-alcoholic beverages. I can imagine if the demand is there, which apparently is true after this article, regular bars may want to start looking at it as an option. That would probably be a great way for bars to introduce a "drink responsibly" program.
pixelrevision 7y ago
It’s not really a great business plan for most bars. A typical non drinker will have maybe 1 fancy drink then be happy with nursing a water for the night. Someone who is drinking alcohol and getting in the mood will often pay for 4-6 drinks. The more you get known for being a place that has good sober alternatives the more you are going to get sober people coming in for that atmosphere. At that point it might be wiser to just base your whole business model around it like these places are doing.

kd0amg 7y ago

I guess my question is, why can't you get the same experience at a regular bar? Because relatively few bars have anything interesting to drink that's non-alcoholic.

apacheCamel 7y ago
I am not familiar with non-alcoholic drinks other than water and soda. I usually am okay with just a water when I am the DD or not feeling the alcoholic drinks available. After reading this article and talking to others, it seems like I have been missing a big portion of the beverage market.

souterrain 7y ago

For those who have struggled with addiction or frequent over-indulgence, it often is irresistible. That said, from my experience some bars/pubs are more suitable than others to the non-drinker.

dalbasal 7y ago

Well.. presumably the experience of hanging out with people who are drinking is different.

pixelrevision 7y ago

Many people who quit drinking do so because they lack self control with it and it is harmful to them on one way or another. Coffeehouses used to be a great alternative as people would go there to socialize and meet other people but most of them now function more as places people can work heads down on their laptops. There’s probably a lot of great business ideas to address this but they are a little more complex to figure out because people who are not drinking don’t tend to make quite as many bad judgement calls on spending money for drinks.

jshaqaw 7y ago
So true. I used to love meeting friends or colleagues for coffee but now I know I probably won’t get a seat wading through a sea of laptops.

TallGuyShort 7y ago

I've generally done the same, but I could do without the smell and the way some people act when they're drinking. I've definitely encountered a bar or too that was very limited in what else they sold - not even having Coke or tonic that would usually be mixed. Mostly though, I agree with the one that mentioned wanting a truly drink optional culture, and I hope the social trends mentioned continue. I've definitely had coworkers that weren't cool with me being sober when they weren't, and people who wanted to meet up to talk but quickly lost the ability to speak coherent thoughts. Emphasis on socializing over drinking would be good for everyone. I don't mind if people have some beers, but having more than a few and driving home, having more than a few and being a jerk, and occasionally not having anything to do unless you want to join in on that isn't my idea of a good time. If things go that way, I'm not even getting the socializing I was hoping for. edit: occasionally there's a bartender who really appreciates the DD and will go out of their way to make sure you have a good time and are willing to DD again. They rock.

RickS 7y ago

This works better the more intimate the setting is. I can totally see it working in a small town. Here's a handful of reasons this could go sideways: Some bars are just slammed. Like, 40 feet of bar, entire front is 5 people deep squirming to get served by two people, and you have to literally scream at those people to get service. Ordering a $1.50 sprite in that environment is not only hellish for you, it's arguably a waste of the bartender and everyone else's time. There's a counterargument along the lines of "we all pay to be here, everyone's equal" but I wouldn't expect it to be a common take. If you have a problem, yes, it's going to be extremely hard to resist. Scarier still, you could be the victim of an innocent mistake. I don't eat dairy. My burgers come out with cheese on them by mistake maybe 10% of the time. When the kitchen's on autopilot, they absentmindedly make the default version of the thing, and there's no system to catch that mistake until it gets to me. That soda water becomes a gin soda really easily. If you just don't like alcohol, this is a trivial mistake. If you're in recovery, you are in serious danger. But it's not that you can't resist. It's that you feel weird for resisting. I have a friend that didn't drink for many years. He got extraordinarily sick of having to explain himself. Even if the people you meet are 100% supportive, merely having the situation brought up can feel like a burden or like it singles you out. Many people find it hard to enjoy themselves in the shadow of this feeling. If I don't want to drink, I take people to tea. You still have a pretense for sitting down in a strange dim room and having intimate conversation. Just without all the other bullshit. But I think an abundance of tea houses might require a fairly big city, at least in America.