If you weren’t drinking alcohol at a bar or restaurant in 2007, the options were soda, juice or water. The term “sober-curious” wouldn’t hit the lexicon for another decade.

But Laura Silverman, then a year into quitting alcohol after college binge-drinking culture landed her two visits to the hospital with alcohol poisoning, had an inkling that more could be done to support those who decided, for whatever reason, that drinking wasn’t for them.

“As I got more comfortable with my sobriety, I was like, ‘Well, I’m a social person. I like going to parties. I like going to happy hours. I like hanging out with friends, going on dates,’” Silverman, now 42, told The Banner. “There was just never anything to drink that was nonalcoholic that had any sophistication to it. It was always an afterthought, if it was even a thought.”

Silverman, now sober for nearly two decades, has become a local and international pillar in the nonalcoholic beverage scene; she’s proof that a social life and alcohol don’t have to go hand in hand.

“I wanted there to be resources for people so that they didn’t have to feel alone and alienated like I had felt before. That was certainly no fault of anyone else — it was just that the culture wasn’t ready yet,” she said. “I’ve been sober for a long, long time. I waited a long time for what we’re experiencing right now.”

Finding nonalcoholic options in Montgomery County and beyond

Silverman rejected the idea that quitting alcohol meant her social life was over — or that she was relegated to a lifetime of ordering soda at the bar just to feel like she was part of the crowd.

“There wasn’t really this global nonalc culture to speak of, but I was just like, ‘I think there’s something here,’” she said. “I couldn’t tell the future. I had no idea what was coming, but I was just like, ‘I’m going to start something.’”

That “something” wound up being two separate nonalcoholic beverage movements: one based in the DMV, called Booze Free in DC, and Zero Proof Nation, which has an international following. Both offer maps that highlight bars, shops, hospitality spaces and local events with nonalcoholic offerings.

Booze Free in DC and Zero Proof Nation were founded in the fall of 2019 — before COVID-19 really sparked widespread changes in drinking habits. Last summer, Gallup reported that the percentage of adults in the U.S. who said they drank alcohol fell to 54%, the lowest in the global research organization’s 90 years of collecting data on alcohol use.

While mocktails have become increasingly popular in the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia area, a local bar that puts the same care into its mocktails as it does its cocktails wasn’t always a given.

In Montgomery County, Silverman is a fan of Planta, a plant-based restaurant and bar in Bethesda Row that offers more mocktails than cocktails. Hank Dietle’s Tavern, an old-school tavern and live music venue on Rockville Pike that’s been operating since the 1950s, now serves up Athletic Brewing Company, a popular nonalcoholic beer brand. Mom’s Organic Market and Wegmans also stock several nonalcoholic drink options.

How to survive Dry January ... and beyond

Feeling sober-curious this January? Silverman has some tips on how to wade into the NA movement.

Those who have — or suspect they have — a substance abuse disorder should seek professional medical help, but the majority of people Silverman sees partaking in Dry January are simply curious about what it might be like to drink less.

“Find a couple of things that work for you, and then you can have those at home,” Silverman said, pointing to today’s plethora of canned mocktails.

She’s also known to carry around an emergency mini bottle of alcohol-free bitters in her purse. Add that to a cup of club soda, and boom: an instant DIY mocktail, even if the party or bar you’re at doesn’t have any solid NA offerings.

Even those who aren’t looking to change their alcohol intake can stand to learn something from Silverman’s experience: She urges those with a loved one who doesn’t drink to offer nonalcoholic options when they host.

“You’re being intentional about your relationship with them and that you care enough about what they’re going through to have something available for them ... so that they don’t feel left out,” she said.

Above all, Silverman wants those who are considering a sober lifestyle to remember that ditching alcohol doesn’t mean cutting all the fun out of life.

“Have fun,” she said. “This is sort of the heyday right now to be sober, curious, to be a mindful drinker. ... You can still have a blast if you’re not drinking.”

Those struggling with substance abuse can contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) by calling 1-800-662-HELP (4357), texting HELP4U (435748) or visiting the online treatment locator at findtreatment.gov.