Most people looking for an alcohol alternative are not trying to quit. They are trying to keep the good half of the evening and leave the rest of it behind.
That is a harder brief than it sounds, and it is why most alternatives disappoint. They solve the drink and ignore the situation.
The test that actually matters
An alcohol alternative has to survive a room. Anything works when you are on the sofa. The real test is a Friday night with eight people who are drinking, where you want to be loose enough to enjoy it, hold a glass so nobody interrogates you, and still wake up on Saturday feeling like yourself.
Judged against that, here is how the usual options hold up.
Non-alcoholic beer and wine
The closest thing to a like-for-like swap, and the social camouflage is perfect — nobody asks questions about a bottle of beer. NA beer in particular has genuinely improved.
Good for — blending in. Weak on — feeling any different at all.
Mocktails
Sometimes excellent, often a glass of sugar with a mint leaf in it. Quality swings wildly by venue and the good ones cost nearly as much as the real thing.
Good for — a nice glass. Weak on — consistency, and the sugar crash.
Kava
The genuinely social option, because it comes with a room attached. A kava bar gives you the thing people miss most when they stop drinking — somewhere to go and a couple of hours to sit with people.
Good for — the social occasion. Weak on — the taste, and it is not something you bring to a party.
Just drinking water
Free, and there is nothing wrong with it. But most people who go this route stop going out, which is usually not the outcome they wanted.
Good for — simplicity. Weak on — everything else.
What we built, and why
Zero Proof came out of our founder’s own frustration with exactly this list. It is a bottled alcohol alternative designed around the part of the evening people actually miss — the loosening, the ease, the ability to be present in a room — rather than around imitating the taste of a drink.
Zero Proof
Zero hangover. Zero sugar. Comes in a bottle you can hold in a room without a single person asking what you are drinking. Stocked online and poured at all four of our Southern California cafes.
Shop Zero Proof Read the origin storyPractical advice for going out without drinking
- Hold something. Ninety per cent of the social friction disappears the moment there is a glass in your hand. Nobody audits it.
- Arrive with a plan for the question. “Driving” and “taking a break” both end the conversation instantly.
- Decide your exit before you go. The last hour is usually the one you would have skipped anyway.
- Eat properly first. Half of what people blame on not drinking is just being hungry in a loud room.
- Do not announce it. Making it a topic guarantees it becomes one.
If drinking has become something you are worried about, this is not the page for that and we are not the right people to ask. That is worth talking through with a doctor or a support service — a bottled drink is not a substitute for real help, and we would rather say so plainly.
Common questions
Is Zero Proof non-alcoholic?
Yes. There is no alcohol in it.
Can I bring it somewhere that serves alcohol?
Venue rules vary, so check first — but it travels well and it does not look out of place.
Where can I try it before buying?
All four of our locations pour it. Find your nearest one.
Do you ship it?
Yes, with free shipping on U.S. orders over $98.
Related: What is kava? · Browse alcohol alternatives
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Not for use by or sale to persons under the age of 21. Keep out of reach of children. Consult your physician before use if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication. Nothing on this page is medical advice or treatment for alcohol dependence.
