GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The holidays can be challenging for people who are sober, but a new store in Grand Rapids has options to make it easier. Alt City NA Bottles and Beer opened in November and offers a wide selection of non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits.
"Social drinking around the holidays is just so accepted and so common," says Paul Clark, co-owner of Alt City.
The holidays are a time many people drink more alcohol than they normally might. Clark says that social aspect is a big part of it.
"I think a lot of people do it and don't even really enjoy it," he says. "But they do it because it's, like, expected of them."
For others, drinking is in an effort to help deal with pain.
"If you've lost someone, if you've lost a parent, you've lost someone who's cared about you, this is the time of the year when you think about that the most," says Leonard McElveen, Vice President of Mel Trotter Ministries.
Either way, Alt City NA wants to help make a sober holiday easier for those who need it.
Clark says while at a holiday get together, sober people can often feel excluded. The non-alcoholic drinks they offer change that.
"Have a drink in your hand and feel like you're part of the group," says Clark. "Why does it have to be water? You know, why does it have to be like terrible iced tea, or, you know, a soda or something like that."
Alt City NA Bottles and Beer will be open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on New Year's Eve.
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