Drew Dixon
A new study shows Orlando and Miami are among the most “sober curious” cities in the country.
Slots Paradise, a wagering and gaming website, published the results of a new study looking at where in the U.S. people are seeking nonalcoholic drinks, based on internet searches.
The study was completed in November and is getting attention this “Dry January,” a cultural phenomenon where some people cut down on alcohol coming out of the holiday season.
Orlando came in second for being the most sober curious city in the country, behind only Atlanta, according to the study. Miami was ranked ninth. The study also found that Florida ranks among the top 20 states for patrons ordering nonalcoholic beverages.
“We then used Keyword Tool to analyze a number of search terms relating to sober and non-alcoholic drinks, identifying their search volume per 10,000 people and search trends over the past 12 months in each city,” the Slots Paradise report said, adding they also factored in elements such as prices for “mocktails,” or nonalcoholic mixed drinks, and the price of “wellness retreats” in cities.
The report said Orlando is growing in its taste for nonalcoholic drinks.
“The City Beautiful makes 16 searches for ‘sober’ and ‘sober curious’ and 60.61 non-alcoholic drink searches per 10,000 residents. Search trends for non-alcoholic drinks are also up by over 50% throughout the past year, indicating that Orlandoans are interested in exploring sobriety,” the report concluded.
Atlanta topped Orlando, but not by much, according to the study.
“With 18.47 searches for ‘sober’ and ‘sober curious’ and 61.23 non-alcoholic drink searches being made per 10,000 residents, the most in all ranked cities, Atlantans are most definitely looking for ways to up their wellness game,” the report stated.
Florida ranked as the 13th-most sober curious state. That list was topped by Delaware.
While it appears Florida is sobering up overall, Cape Coral on the Gulf Coast was ranked the 10th-least sober curious city in the country. But that top 10 list was dominated by Nevada, whose cities made up the entire top 5. California also had three cities in the top 10.
