MINNEAPOLIS — You've likely heard of "Dry January" — when people decide to drop the alcohol for a month and live a sober lifestyle.
Recently the trend of cutting back or cutting off liquor completely, has taken over another month — October. "Sober October" is gaining popularity nationwide and especially here in the Twin Cities.
A study by Florida-based Boca Recovery Center found Minneapolis is the city with the highest search interest per capita for "Sober October." St. Paul is also in the top 10.
KARE 11 Sunrise Anchor Jason Hackett spoke to Logan Fleischman, owner of Zero Proof Beverage House in Northeast Minneapolis. Zero Proof is Minnesota's largest non-alcoholic (N/A) bottle shop.
He said Dry January is their busiest month, but Sober October is gaining steam.
"We have folks that completely abstain from alcohol," Fleischman said. "We also have folks that love an old fashioned whiskey cocktail every once in a while, and they'll use 50 percent alcoholic whiskey and 50 percent non alcoholic whiskey to make a lower proof cocktail."
Fleischman, who has been sober for a few years now, said he can see why people are embracing the trend.
"More energy, I sleep better, I wake up in the morning raring to go," Fleischman said. "I haven't had crazy fluctuations in weight, or crazy cravings. I tend to have healthier eating patterns."
The survey from Boca Recovery Center shows 1 in 4 Americans plan to participate in Sober October this month.
About 84% of those planning to or considering participation are confident in their ability to remain sober for the whole month.