According to a federal survey, nearly 67 million Americans binge drink at least once in a month, which means women have approximately four drinks while men down five, on a single occasion. Some of the highest binge-drinking rates in terms of both prevalence & intensity - are found in the Midwestern states.

The research states that excessive alcohol consumption may lead to cirrhosis, cancers of the breast, liver, colon, and the list goes on. Drinking kills about 88,000 people annually, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. 

Keeping this in mind, recently a shift has occurred in the USA with the influencers getting into the “Sober Curious” movement. If you already don’t know what Sober Curious Movement is, here’s something for you. A sober curious person is the one who drinks less or not at all, and broadcasts his or her abstinence with pride as a part of their social media personas. 

“We evolved as social creatures. This is a good trend if you want the experience of companionship and social culture but don’t want the negatives,” said William Stoops, a University of Kentucky professor who studies drug and alcohol addiction. “It can help people make better choices.”

One such bar which goes boozeless on Saturdays is the Pop's Blue Moon. Located in St. Louis, Pop’s Blue Moon is a fixture of this beer-loving city. Now that people have started showing sober curiosity, the bar has also plunged into this emerging trend - alcohol-free spaces offering social connections without peer pressure to drink, hangovers or DUIs. From boozeless bars to substance-free zones at concerts marked by yellow balloons, sober spots are to be seen across the US, promising a healthy alternative for people in recovery and for those who want to drink less. 

Joshua Loyal, a 41-year co-owner of Pop’s Blue Moon cut way back on his own drinking and began hosting boozeless Saturday nights in January, offering hop water non-alcoholic beers and cannabis-derived CBD drinks.

“I love everything about the bar business -except the alcohol,” he said. “The nonalcoholic beverage movement is a growing group. I’m making a decision to choose this and I’m proud of it.”