Millions of Americans are participating in Dry January, the annual challenge to give up alcohol for the first month of the year. While cutting out booze is undoubtedly good for your liver, you might be shocked to find that it isn’t necessarily good for your wallet. In 2026, the sober curious movement has been fully co-opted by major beverage corporations, leading to a new category of premium functional beverages that often cost more than the beer and wine they replace.
The Rise of Premium Mocktails
Walk into any grocery store this month, and you will see prominent displays of mocktails, adaptogenic seltzers, and non-alcoholic spirits. These are not the cheap club sodas of the past. They are sophisticated, branded products marketed with buzzwords like calming, focus-enhancing, and euphoric. A four-pack of these functional drinks can easily cost twelve to sixteen dollars—a price point that rivals craft beer.
The Non-Alcoholic Tax
The Non-Alcoholic Tax is real. Creating a convincing non-alcoholic gin or whiskey requires complex distillation and dealcoholization processes that are expensive to execute. Manufacturers pass these costs on to the consumer. A bottle of high-end non-alcoholic spirit can cost thirty or forty dollars. Shoppers expecting to save money by skipping the liquor store are often stunned when their dry grocery bill ends up being higher than their wet one.
The Adaptogen and Functional Hype
Beyond the fake spirits, the market is flooded with functional beverages promising a natural buzz without the hangover. These canned drinks often contain adaptogens like ashwagandha, L-theanine, or CBD, marketed with buzzwords like euphoric, calming, or social energy. While the packaging is sleek and the promises are alluring, the price per ounce is astronomical. A four-pack of these functional seltzers can easily cost sixteen dollars or more. That’s triple the price of a twelve-pack of domestic beer or standard hard seltzer.
The Self-Care Reward Mechanism
Furthermore, retailers know that Dry January participants are looking for a reward mechanism to replace the ritual of a specific drink. They have positioned these expensive mocktails as self-care treats. The psychological urge to buy a fancy five-dollar can of magnesium-infused seltzer to unwind after work is strong, and stores are capitalizing on it with prime placement in the checkout aisle and end-caps.
Seltzer Price Bumps
Even basic sparkling water is seeing a January price bump. Demand for flavored seltzers skyrockets this month as people look for zero-calorie replacements for wine. Recognizing this inelastic demand, retailers often pull back on the deep discounts for major seltzer brands until February. The “Buy 2 Get 2 Free” deals on twelve-packs that were common in December often disappear in January, forcing you to pay full price for your fizzy fix.
If your goal for Dry January is to save money, you need to be wary of the mocktail trap. The most budget-friendly way to participate is to stick to basic ingredients—club soda, fresh limes, and maybe a splash of juice—rather than buying the trendy, pre-packaged sober spirits. Don’t let the grocery store turn your health resolution into a profit center.
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