NPR

Breaking The Booze Habit, Even Briefly, Has Its Benefits

Tens of thousands of Instagram followers can't be wrong: Curiosity about the sober life is trending. Scientists say cutting out alcohol can improve your sleep and blood pressure, and help your liver.
Chris Marshall has organized pop-up Sans Bars in New York, Washington, D.C., and Anchorage. And he's expanded into permanent spaces in Kansas City, Mo., and western Massachusetts.

At 8 p.m. on a Saturday night, people are starting to pack into a popular bar called Harvard & Stone in an East Los Angeles neighborhood. The chatter gets louder as the booze begins to flow.

In the far corner, a group of about a dozen women are clearly enjoying themselves, too, but they are not drinking alcohol. They're sipping handcrafted mocktails, with names like Baby's First Bourbon and Honey Dew Collins, featuring non-alcoholic distilled spirits.

They're part of a sober social club, made up mostly of women in their 30s who want to have fun and make friends without alcohol.

The members of this club work out, have demanding jobs, and simply don't want to feel foggy or hungover anymore. Without alcohol, they say, they just feel better.

"Oh my gosh. Well, one thing that was noticeable to pretty much everybody was

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