For many people, a big part of growing up is figuring out what isn't working in their lives and then trying to adjust.
Molly Ruggere said she had such a moment when she was 27, living in New York, and going out and drinking more than she felt was good for her.
"I wasn't really happy, like I wasn't really taking care of myself. I wasn't working out. I just didn't have any kind of like health balance," she said.
Hungry for a change, she moved back home to Charlotte and decided to take a break from drinking. But then she encountered a new problem: where and how to find friends?
"I just wanted to find people that wanted to do all of these hobbies and activities and things I wanted to explore, but didn't need to have alcohol at every event or every situation to do them," she said.
When she couldn’t find a group to join, she launched her own, called Counterculture Club. The group started in 2020 with online meetups, then grew into hosting in-person get-togethers. Last year, they launched Charlotte’s first nonalcoholic drink festival, which returns to Camp North End for its second year Saturday from 2 - 7 p.m.
Ruggere said the idea is to get people to try nonalcoholic options and have a good time without the next-day hangover, and last year’s attendance shows people are interested. She spoke with WFAE's Nick de la Canal.
Nick de la Canal: How many people did you think would come (to last year's event)? What did you think it was going to be like? And then how did that compare to how it turned out?
Molly Ruggere: Yeah, so I thought, you know, it’s still a niche thing, so I figured it would be around 200 or so people. That’s what I was aiming for, and it ended up selling out online in advance, and we had a little over 500 people when all was said and done. Honestly it kind of proved this theory I have that this demand for alcohol alternatives for social experiences — it is much of a wider demographic. It is pretty universal. It’s not just restricted to these ideas of drinkers versus non-drinkers.
De la Canal: I was surprised to see not just national brands, but also some local breweries participating as well. Are they attempting to mimic the taste of alcohol, or are they going for something new entirely?
Ruggere: It’s a little bit of both honestly. I think the nonalcoholic beverage category has introduced an entirely new type of drink. So now they have adaptogen spirits that have ashwagandha, and Resident Culture just launched a nonalcoholic beer. They also have a new CBD and THC seltzer.
De la Canal: Yeah I’ve noticed that some of the nonalcoholic drinks have started to incorporate THC or even mushrooms. But does that go against the spirit of the movement, do you think?
Ruggere: Honestly it’s — it’s evolved. The movement has evolved. So it’s more of like a supplementation, harm reduction approach. So if a low THC or CBD seltzer works for someone, that’s kind of a different thing than having like a vodka martini or something. But ultimately we’re showcasing the alcohol alternatives, and then the individual makes their own decision.
De la Canal: You know, drinking has been woven into our social fabric as humans since Biblical times, and even before that, and I think there’s a perception that there's no joy or fun to be had in sobriety. But what has your experience been?
Ruggere: I used to feel the same way. Again, when I was 27, I learned to drink alcohol at the same time I was learning to be an adult on my own in college, so it wasn’t until I took that break and was not drinking that I realized that not only does removing alcohol remove that reliance on it to give me that courage and that confidence, but it also — it allows me to organically, truly cultivate the qualities that I thought I needed alcohol for. So it wasn’t until I removed it that I was able to truly be confident, to truly know how to have fun without it.
But when you don’t have the opportunity to try socializing without alcohol, it’s hard to prove to yourself that you can have fun, and you can meet new people and go on dates and do all those things without drinking. That’s again what we’re doing with this festival and all of our events, is giving people the opportunity to learn through first-hand experience that not only are they capable of socializing and going out on a Saturday and not drinking, but they can have a lot of fun, and there’s a lot of benefits to be had from choosing to take a night off or take a break from drinking.
The second annual Counterculture Festival takes place at Camp North End on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 2-7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.
