Post-lockdown consumers reach for alcohol-free drinks to avoid hangovers

Restaurants and bars in the U.S. are reopening and Americans who have been cooped up for more than a year are relishing socializing in person again. What's different, though, is that watering-hole patrons are increasingly consuming alcohol-free cocktails, wine and beer, after lockdown fueled an uptick in alcohol sales in the early months of the pandemic.

Sans Bar in Austin, Texas, is a bar without booze, where patrons gather to meet, listen to live music, and enjoy alcohol-free cocktails. Owner Chris Marshall told CBSN that the bulk of his patrons aren't sober — except for when they visit the establishment. "A lot of people just want to drink less. A lot of people just want to socialize without having the hangover," he told CBSN.