About DryBanter

When I quit drinking in August of 2019, one of the biggest sources of anxiety was understanding how I could still interact with people socially. At the time, I thought going out was going to be impossible. Today I've moved beyond that.

Like a lot of folks, alcoholism runs in my family. I started young, was never able to control it, but never considered myself an alcoholic because I thought that meant someone who drank daily with a physical dependency — instead of a binge drinker without an off button.

In August of 2019, I quit for a year because forever was way too heavy. Luckily, my uncle, who was already decades sober, volunteered to become my informal sponsor. We met weekly, and he said the quiet part out loud.

I can't have just one. Cutting back, or beer only, was a cycle of failure I was still living in. After about three months since my last drink, I had already seen the light. I knew there was no going back.

The hardest part for me wasn't physical dependence. It was understanding how to adjust socially. How to show up in professional or social settings without the crutch of a drink in my hand.

In 2019, NA options were scarce. Now the category is starting to show up everywhere. I'm not going to take credit for starting the trend of avoiding alcohol, but there definitely seems to be momentum.

I built DryBanter for people like me. We map restaurants and bars with real non-alcoholic menus. Listings come from real people who ordered real drinks there. Photos, votes, and a reporting button are how we confirm authenticity. If we haven't confirmed it, we don't dress it up.

Whether you're sober, sober-curious, or just not drinking tonight, this page was made for you.

Brett Johnson.