Local businesses adapt to Dry January demand; Surgeon General warns of alcohol's cancer risks

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Many people are celebrating Dry January, a growing tradition of abstaining from alcoholic beverages for the first month of the year.

It started in the UK more than a decade ago. Now, millions participate worldwide, and bars and breweries are adapting to the trend.

"The amount of people across the bar that were asking about NA beer was staggering," said Tim Pauly, the owner of Broken Bat Brewing Co. In Milwaukee's Third Ward.

Broken Bat started stocking non-alcoholic beers from other companies in 2023, and it was a hit.

"In 2024, we pretty much doubled the amount that we sold in January, and that was our red flag of, alright, we've got to bring this in house," Pauly explained.

They're kicking off 2025 with two non-alcoholic beers of their own: the Beach Ball Milkshake IPA and the On An Island Lager.

"We just realized that the market isn't going anywhere, and if anything, it's a growing product market," Pauly said.

It comes as Dry January gains popularity, and in its wake, a new advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General calling for warning labels on alcohol products about cancer risk.

"Alcohol is associated with about 5% of cancers and seven specific types of cancer," said Dr. Noelle LoConte, a medical oncologist at UW Health.

Dr. LoConte researches alcohol's carcinogenic nature.

She says people who drink more do have a higher risk of head and neck cancers, esophageal, breast, colorectal and liver cancer.

"Alcohol, when you drink it, is ethanol. Ethanol is converted in our bodies to acetaldehyde. Both ethanol and acetaldehyde are carcinogenic," LoConte explained.

She recommends those who drink learn their risks and family history and cut down whenever possible.

"Where you can do things like Dry January to reduce your overall consumption, that's great, that's really helpful," LoConte said.

N/A options can make that transition easier.

"As long as people are here and having fun and doing their thing, we're all for it," Pauly said.