If someone asked you about nightlife in Wisconsin that doesn't involve alcohol, you might be at a loss. You might even tell them to go elsewhere.

And you'd be right — there are few things to do at night that don't involve getting at least a little buzzed on a Spotted Cow or a can of Miller High Life.

But "sober bars" might alter that Wisconsin narrative.

They are popping up all over the U.S. to appeal to increasingly health-conscious consumers who want a social life without alcohol. People choose sobriety for a number of reasons — to avoid the health risks, to sidestep violence and safety concerns, to save money, to keep a clear mind, and, of course, if they are recovering from alcohol addiction.

The concept is just starting to put down roots in Wisconsin.

Noosh, a Madison restaurant, recently rebranded itself as a sober bar where the student population can hang out without the peer pressure of drinking, the Capital Times recently reported. Located near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, Noosh is open until midnight Thursday through Saturday, selling mocktails that let patrons have a fun night without altering their state of mind.

Wisconsin's long history with alcohol

If they catch on here, sober bars would constitute a culture shift.

Wisconsin has hundreds of bars; the Department of Tourism even offers a searchable database for pubs and taverns, where you can tweak your preferences for location, pet friendliness, eco-friendliness and nearness to a body of water. The state has more bars than grocery stores, the Washington Post reported in 2013.

Wisconsin is known as one of the drunkest states in the country, with beer being one of its most profitable industries. In a 2018 24/7 Wall Street report published by USA TODAY, half of the nation's drunkest cities were in Wisconsin, with Green Bay, Eau Claire, Appleton, and Madison leading the list.

Nationwide, 17.4% of American adults (about 43 million people) reported binge-drinking in 2018. That's having at least four drinks during a single occasion for women and five for men at least once a month or more. In Wisconsin, about 23% of adults reported binge-drinking, a United Health Foundation study found.

Among people ages 18 to 44, that number was even higher at nearly 30% in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin was also ranked as the worst state in the country for excessive drinking — nearly a quarter of the state's adult population reported binge-drinking and chronic drinking, which is defined as eight or more drinks per week for women or 15 or more drinks for men.

The report showed that males tend to binge-drink more than females and that Native Americans are most at risk for binge-drinking and subsequent alcohol addiction. Nearly 9% of binge-drinkers in Wisconsin are 65 or older, well above the national average.

A place where people 'won't be judged'

Milwaukeean Erik Kennedy has become a well-known advocate for sobriety — he occasionally writes mocktail reviews for OnMilwaukee.com. Kennedy believes sober bars will become more common in the future.

"I think the community is asking for it," Kennedy said. "It’s an opportunity to interact with people who are committed to being sober. ... It's another destination where people won't be judged."

Kennedy is tired of being asked why he's not drinking — he considers it an overly personal question. He said it's even worse for women; strangers will ask if they're not drinking because they're pregnant. Questions like that don't come up in coffee shops, he said. But coffee shops, while a safe, alcohol-free option, typically aren't open late at night, and no one goes there to dance or play pool and cards.

Kennedy said he's lucky to have a strong support system of friends and family who respect his decision to be sober. But it's not always easy, especially for people who have dealt with addiction.

No matter the reason for abstaining from alcohol, Kennedy thinks that decision ought to be respected.

"We (sober people) want to go to a place that makes us feel included," Kennedy said. "More and more people are focusing on their health … realizing that booze is bad for you."

Excessive alcohol usage can lead to a road riddled with medical conditions such as liver and heart disease, cancer and mental health issues such as depression, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

And that's assuming that you don't die from an alcohol-related incident first — 88,000 people die each year from an alcohol-related cause, the CDC says. Many of those deaths are in alcohol-related car crashes.

These adverse health effects can be considerably worse for chronic drinkers.

The Milwaukee Alano Club on the lower east side, which is affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous, runs its own dry bar with help from volunteers, most of whom are also AA members. The Alano Club offers a safe space for recovering alcoholics during the late-night hours. It's open until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays, when it's the busiest, and often open later on the weekends.

"This is only place I have to hang out" without alcohol, said Jackie Bogenberger, a manager at the Alano Club. "I think there should be a lot more things to do in Milwaukee that don't consist of drinking or gambling."

She said one issue she has with sober bars is that they may not be the best place for recovery if they don't actively teach people how to get better.

"If it doesn't teach you the tools of recovery ... an alcoholic who doesn't work on the things within will eventually become sick," Bogenberger said. "People going to a bar and not drinking every single night for the rest of your life, I don't see them healing."

A member of the Alano Club for the past two years said there really aren't many differences between people who drink and people who are sober.

"We enjoy some of the same luxuries, like music, we play cards," the member said. "We do everything normal people do, we just don't use drugs or alcohol."

And while some say it's a trend that will eventually fade, others believe it's an idea here to stay.

"Slowly but surely, we will have mocktail bars and dry bars," Kennedy said.