Skip to content

Free shipping in the contiguous US

Not Drinking

The part that is not about the drink. Going out, hosting, explaining yourself, and the stretches that are harder than a menu.

In short

This section covers the parts of not drinking that aren't the drink: the toast, the round, the work dinner, the friend who keeps asking. Whatever your reason — and you don't owe anyone one — it's about what to bring, what to say, and how to host so nobody's left holding water.

What’s new· Not Drinking · Jul 19, 2026

What Actually Helps With Alcohol Cravings

You are probably here looking for a food that stops them.

Start hereFour that answer most of it.
1OccasionsBirthday Parties, Twenty-Firsts IncludedSomebody always assumes a birthday without drinking will be flat.2Not DrinkingWhat to Say When Someone AsksA drink in someone's hand carries hospitality…3OccasionsGifts for Someone Who Doesn’t DrinkThe default present for an adult is a bottle…4Not DrinkingAlcohol-Free Living: A Practical GuideMost advice about not drinking is written by people selling something.

How this section works

Not Drinking · a note from the desk

Choosing not to drink is rarely about what is in the glass. It is about the
wedding, the work dinner, the friend who keeps asking, the evening that used to
have a shape and now does not. A better bottle helps with some of that and none of the rest.

This section is for the rest. It is organized around the dates you already know
are coming — the wedding in June, the office party in December, the birthday
nobody quite knows how to plan — and around the parts that are not on a calendar at all: what to say when someone asks, where to go, what to bring.

We sell drinks, so take this with the appropriate salt: not drinking is a
decision you are allowed to make for any reason, or none, and it does not
require a product. If drinking has become something you cannot control on your own, that is worth talking to a doctor about rather than shopping for.

— The Dry Pour

The year

The next 6 months

Soonest first. A gold mark on the strip means we have an article.

Any time of year

Occasions that do not sit on a date.

Saying it out loud

Out for the evening

How to Go Out Without Alcohol

​In the United States, going out with friends on a Friday or Saturday night is practically ingrained into our culture.

Turning up with something

If you are bringing something

Browse for the occasion

SparklingFor the toast, and for arriving with something.Red wineFor a table, and a dinner that wants a pairing.Ready-to-drinkFor one glass, no equipment, taking somewhere.BeerFor a crowd, a cookout, a long afternoon.Spirits and mixersFor making something, and for hosting a bar.True alternativesFor something in its own right, not a version of something else.

Everything in Not Drinking

Occasions · Nov 21, 2025

Celebrating Holiday Parties While Alcohol-Free

Ah, holiday parties. The food, the lights, the fun—everything about them is filled with cheer, joy and the sweet, sweet embrace of a cool winter’s night. You know what they say: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” But for those who choose to live an alcohol-free lifestyle, holiday parties can sometimes be more challenging than enjoyable. There tend to be two main options for beverages at holiday parties: alcohol or water. Choose one and hope you have an enjoyable rest of the evening. Only focusing on alcoholic beverages during holiday parties can make those who have chosen to live an alcohol-free lifestyle feel uncomfortable, under-appreciated or even completely ignored. 

Occasions · Jun 11, 2023

Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Dads Who Don’t Drink

The month of June is known for many things: An escape from school, warm summer days and of course, Father’s Day. In a few short days, we’ll gather together to celebrate the men in our lives who have made us who we are. Father’s Day is the best chance to honor your biological father, adoptive father or a man who’s acted as a father in your life. It’s an opportunity to thank him for everything he’s done, and demonstrate how much he really means to you.

Occasions · Mar 11, 2019

How to Stay Sober on St. Patrick’s Day

​What do you think of on St. Patrick’s Day? Maybe it’s layers of green clothing, four leaf clovers or pots of gold. For many people, the first thought that comes with St. Patrick’s Day is… binge drinking. Binge drinking is a popular pastime on holidays, but it seems even more widespread on St. Patrick’s Day. However, this could be because more people are out at public bars, compared to drinking in private over other holidays.

When it isn’t a question we can answer

We’re a shop with a publication, and there’s a point past which that’s the wrong thing to be reading. The SAMHSA National Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours, in English and Spanish — 1-800-662-HELP (4357) — and the NIAAA’s treatment navigator is where to start if you’d rather read than call. Neither sells anything and neither is anything to do with us.

Whether an alcohol-free drink makes any of this easier or harder isn't something we have a view on. People who've stopped drinking disagree about it, and we're not the ones to settle it.

More from The Dry Pour

All of it →
The BasicsLabels, levels and how the category works.WineHow it is made, and which bottles are worth it.Recipes & MocktailsDrinks worth making, grouped by what they start from.Spirits, Beer & BrandsWho makes what, and what they are trying to do.Health & FunctionalWhat is in the bottle beyond the flavor.

Who writes this, and how

The Dry Pour is written by the people who run the shop. We buy everything we sell and taste most of it. Where we have not tasted something, we say so and describe it from the label and the producer rather than pretending otherwise.

We publish ABV, calories and sugar on every product we list, and we print what the producer states rather than a tidied-up version of it — which is why you will see both 0.0% and 0% on this site, because they are not the same claim.

What suits you depends on what you like drinking. Our job is to give you enough to decide. More about us.

Best sellers

See all best sellers