Recover Alaska brings exciting “Dry January” activities
Dry January is taking the world by storm. The challenge, which consists in not consuming alcohol in January to recover from the December festivities, is rapidly growing in popularity. Last year, over 30% of U.S. adults participated. This represents almost a 10% increase in comparison to 2019. The statistic becomes even more surprising considering that it started just 10 years ago in the U.K. charity organization Change Alcohol. Now, Alaskans will have even more opportunities to successfully hop on the trend. Recover Alaska, the multi-section action group aiming to reduce the harm of excessive alcohol consumption in the state, is partnering with local businesses to provide a one-of-a-kind experience: The Sober Lounge.
During each Thursday in January from 6-9 PM, the bar of the Anchorage Hotel on 330 E Street will be transformed into a pop-up bar where Alaskans can enjoy a full nightlife experience without alcohol. It will include special Trivia Events hosted by the renowned host That Trivia Gal as well as a menu of alcohol-free drinks cocktails. These will be crafted by guest bartender Mike Jipping, the owner of Beach Tribe Soda Works, a local company that focuses on Fresh Non-Alcoholic Refreshments. However, this is not the first collaboration between Jipping and Recover Alaska. We talked with him days before the sober lounge opened and he mentioned: “Beach Tribe Soda Works has been working with Recover Alaska for the past few years and have done a variety of Pop-Up Community Events with them. We did an event at Uncle Leroy’s a few years back along with Chris Marshall and The Sans Bar and this seemed like a great fit.” This partnership evolved as Dry January came closer. “January is a perfect time for a Dry January event to develop support groups of people looking for a variety of changes along with maintaining and growing a robust lifestyle.” Beach Tribe Soda Works is not the only company involved. The menu includes non-alcoholic drinks from Amalga Distillery, Athletic Brewing, 49th State Brewing, and Coca-Cola Bottling of Anchorage. However, Mike recommends the Original Jipping Ginger Beer: “It’s a delicious take on the Alcohol-Free Moscow Mule and Dark and Stormy! And it comes in a can or poured out of a tap.” All proceeds will benefit the Recover Alaska Fund and tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite. This is not the only activity that Recover Alaska is hosting this month. For Alaskans that want extra incentives as they take part in Dry January, they introduced the Recover Alaska Dry January Challenge, a free text message subscription providing prizes, incentives, perks from local businesses, and emotional support throughout the month. Those who want to participate can text “DRYANC” (in Anchorage), “DRYJNU” (in Juneau), or “DRYJAN” (statewide) to 844-726-2669 and, for a final tip, Mike mentioned: “Don’t focus your ‘Dry January’ as much on removing things from your life, focus on how you are enjoying the growth and enrichment of your life as you make fresh and new choices.” |