Add Sober October to Dry January as a time when interest in non-alcoholic brands surges

It may not be as well known as Dry January, but there’s another month when many stop tippling, and maybe it’s time to stop shaking and stirring, because we’re smack dab in it.

Sober October traces back to 2010, as a fundraiser for Life Education, an Australian group that warns children about the potential dangers of drugs and alcohol. They called it—let us all praise the portmanteau gods—Ocsober.

Now a new report from Jungle Scout, which tracks sales data on Amazon, suggests that the sober curious are particularly well-stocked this year, as sales of non-alcoholic (NA) beverages are surging.

The report tracked sales on Amazon from June through August, and compared them against the same three months in 2022:

• NA beer sales revenue was up 55% while unit sales were up 30%. (Inflation much?)
• NA spirits revenue was up 49% while unit sales were up 48%.
• NA wine and champagne revenue was up 62% while unit sales were up 43%.

While the growth is impressive, no one can predict whether non-alcoholic offerings will ever get so popular that people at parties will start volunteering to be designated passengers.