Everyone enjoys a good bar - I know I do. There's something about the atmosphere, the hubbub, and the music that just enhances a social experience.
However, we all know that drinking too much alcohol can have serious short-term and long-term effects on our body and overall health. When you factor in the impaired judgement, regret, and nasty hangovers -suddenly drinking seems to be doing more harm than good.
Which is perhaps why some bars are circumventing the issue by serving only alcohol-free drinks. Indeed, so-called 'sober bars' appear to be getting more and more popular, and they're springing up in more and more cities. Just take The Virgin Mary in Dublin, Redemption in West London, and Getaway in New York City if you want an example of this phenomenon.
Check out this video all about a sober bar below:Alcohol-free bars have existed for hundreds of years: but were usually rooted in the temperance movements on the 19th century (which eventually gained enough traction to lobby for Prohibition in the United States). Fitzpatrick’s Temperance Bar, founded in 1890 in Lancashire, England, is an example of one of these bars.
But modern establishments take a more relaxed approach than that of total abstinence, where the alcohol-free beers on tap and virgin cocktails are simply a healthier alternative. Indeed, the contemporary craze is said to be a mostly millennial one.
In an interview with BBC news, Getaway co-founder Sam Thonis stated:
"There weren’t many nightlife options in New York that didn’t revolve around alcohol or weren’t trying to push that on you in some way. The more I talked to people, some of whom are sober and some of whom aren’t, the more I felt that people wanted that kind of space."
He added:
"Nothing about our space says you should be sober, or you shouldn’t go around the corner to another bar and do a tequila shot after hanging out here. It’s not exclusively for the non-drinker."
We could be seeing far more alternatives to alcoholic drinks in the near future. In fact, a British scientist has reportedly invented a new form of synthetic alcohol which can simulate drunkenness without a hangover, which he claims will be ready in five years time.
