Craig Renfrew knows firsthand how hard it can be to quit alcohol.
His decision to give up drinking has been, in his mind, life-saving.
“I wouldn’t be alive if I was still drinking,” Renfrew, now 19 years sober, told The Morning Star.
In walking the walk, Renfrew has led others down the path of sobriety by example. It’s a path he also grooms professionally. He’s an addictions and recovery counsellor who has run his private practice, Ten66 Recovery, for about seven years in Vernon.
And now, Renfrew has made going alcohol-free easier for Vernonites by opening a non-alcoholic beverage store in town.
Sobr Market opened doors at 1077 Fairweather Rd., on Sept. 19. It’s the first Sobr Market franchise in Western Canada, and it carries only non-alcoholic beverages.
Renfrew saw an article featuring Sobr Market and, liking the concept, he reached out to ask the owners if they were intereted in franchising out west. About nine months ago the owners agreed, and now Vernon has a dedicated store for those looking to enjoy beverages that merely have a flavourful kick, not an alcoholic one.
For Renfrew, who is continuing his addictions recovery counselling while on this new entrepreneurial pursuit, the appeal of Sobr Market is that it gives people in town more options.
“There’s a lot of people that are either choosing to reduce, people who are choosing to stop for medical reasons, in pregnancy, breastfeeding — there’s a whole bunch of reasons why people do stop consuming alcohol,” he said. “But for a lot of those people, they still want to be be able to have the taste and enjoy a mocktail every once in a while.”
The store fills a gap in the market. While other liquor stores in town have non-alcoholic selections, Sobr Market is a standalone business, detached from any alcoholic products altogether.
Renfrew believes that makes the choice to go non-alcoholic easier for people than if alcoholic drinks are just an aisle away.
As a successfully recovering alcoholic himself, and as a counsellor who deals with alcoholism among other issues, Renfrew understands the stigma that can come with giving up alcohol. He thinks his beverages can help with that.
Take, for instance, a scenario in which a person looking to quit or reduce alcohol is invited to a house party. What do they bring with them?
“If you show up with a six pack of Coke, sometimes there’s people there who are like, ‘What are you doing? Why’d you just bring Coke?’” Renfrew said. “If they show up with a six pack of non-alcoholic, a lot of people won’t even ask.”
The non-alcoholic market has been growing in recent years, to the point where Renfrew felt Sobr Market would be a viable business. So far, business has been good, he said.
“The non-alcoholic world I feel is a really neat and really powerful community, and I think that there’s a lot of support that’s there,” he said.
Renfrew is looking to combine this alcohol-free space with his sensibilities as a counsellor. He sees himself as someone who can assist people on their journey, whatever that looks like.
“In terms of this being a safe space, that is 100 per cent my vision,” he said.
The non-alcoholic Captian Morgan rum tastes like Captain Morgain rum. The alcohol-free tequila mimics regular tequila’s kick, without the hangover.
But there are other options for those who may have recently stopped drinking and, as Renfrew suggested, might be triggered were they to try mock hard liquor. There are cider and beer options that are a bit more easy-going and a good stepping stone into the alcohol-free world.
Renfrew is behind the counter ready to help people make these decisions, should they want help.
There wasn’t anything like Sobr Market around when Renfrew quit drinking in 2006. He’s hopeful that people with a wide array of goals, or those who simply prefer abstinence, will check out his store and see if there’s anything there for them.
There are plenty of Canadian beers and ciders, wines from Italy and Germany, and bottles from big-name brands on the shelves.
Renfrew said when looking at statistics, he’s found that this generation of youth is choosing to abstain from alcohol at a higher rate. While he’s not against drinking and would never judge anyone who drinks, he said that’s a positive development in his eyes.
He even has a sign in the store that he once saw, which reads: ‘Drink like you won’t wake up in a bush.’
“As soon as I saw it I laughed, ‘cause I was like, I have slept in a bush,” Renfrew said with a smile.
Beyond putting an end to hangovers and the sinking feeling that comes with waking up somewhere unfamiliar, sobriety has given Renfrew the chance to enjoy life more fully, and to open up a business venture he hopes will be a success.
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