More adults opt for a non-alcoholic toast to the holidays

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The day after Christmas is often linked to leftover drinks and leftover hangovers. But this holiday season, recent studies show more adults are choosing to skip alcohol altogether.

A growing dry-curious movement is changing how people celebrate, even between Christmas and New Year's.

Some say traditionally, the day after Christmas means recovering from holiday parties, but at Gratitude in Colorado Springs, guests are choosing a different approach. Between Christmas and New Year's, social gatherings are common-- and normally centered around alcohol. 

But a growing number of people say they're rethinking their relationship with drinking. Over the past two years, 8% more adults are opting to ditch the drinks, according to a Gallup poll. 

"One of the hardest things about being sober and getting sober is you kind of lose your community," shared Michelle Garrett.

Michelle Garrett appears to be a normal bartender, but in fact, alcohol plays no part in her job. She works at Gratitude, a zero-proof bar, serving up unique mocktails.

"It is a lot of creativity. You know, normal bartending. You have the ingredients ahead of you, and you mix the two things like rum and Coke, things like that. But I feel like the nonalcoholic spirits are quite there. So we make everything in-house. and you have to put so many different flavors into it to get that dimension," said Garrett. 

Zero-proof bars, like Gratitude, say they don't just offer NA options; they provide a space that replicates the experience of going out without the hangover.

"Being sober and getting sober can be very isolating. And so, so much of that wanting to have a community and join a community for the people around me is why Gratitude exists," detailed Garrett.