Hello and welcome to living in the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

A new year means a fresh start to many.

Some people take the opportunity to curb unhealthy habits.

Those looking to take a break from drinking often use the first month of the year to cut out alcohol and observe what is known as dry.

January.

New year's resolutions often include a vow to cut calories, exercise more, and in some cases eliminate alcohol for the month.

New year new you.

Show calories without the alcohol.

As some people embark on a dry January journey.

A mocktail may be taking center stage in 2025.

So it's a good alternative because you get the same flavors instead of the alcohol, so it's a safer thing to enjoy.

Kiana Williamson is the catering manager for Sodexo, the company providing food services to Lehigh Valley Health Network and even Spirit Free mics off.

Her team has providing the employees of one of the largest companies in the Lehigh Valley some alcohol free alternatives for their taste buds.

So today we have a peppermint hot chocolate.

We have a peach Bellini.

We also have a holiday sparkling punch.

And then we have a horchata.

It's like a present for your taste buds.

Am I right?

And so I have the pleasure of getting to make one of these mocktails.

The peppermint hot chocolate.

So here's how it goes.

You put a little bit of hot chocolate in a cup.

What's hot chocolate without some marshmallows?

A little bit of whipped cream topped with some peppermint.

This one's not just for the kids.

It's for the adults, too.

And I hear it's the favorite.

Sodexo's tasty liquid treats are a reminder that spirit free concoctions can be a healthier and safer way to enjoy a beverage.

I feel like January's just a new time to kind of reset.

If anyone wants to make goals for the year of, you know, weight loss as being healthier.

So a lot of people like that one month to kind of reset and take that alcohol out of their diet for those reasons.

Rachel Geosits as the clinical nutrition manager at Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest.

She says there's many healthy benefits to eliminating alcohol from your diet.

Some of the reasons why we don't want to be drinking alcohol is a lot of health reasons, like increased risk of stroke, increased risk of heart disease.

It's also a depressant.

So it also can decrease our mood.

And.

I think a lot of people get used to alcohol around the holidays and just becomes a habit.

So it's important to have alternatives for people who don't drink at all, but also for people who are looking for a break from alcohol and want to try alternatives.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan is also talking about the dangers of alcohol.

Again, this is one of the drawbacks we see is that the same things that make alcohol attractive to people is that it interferes with your decision making.

So you may make up your mind while you're sober that you're not going to drive after a few drinks, but the actual drinking interferes with you remembering that or making that wise decision.

The district attorney says although drinking related instances fall in the month of January, he does see them creep back up as the year goes on.

So thinking about cutting out or cutting back on alcohol could lead to a healthier and safer year ahead.

So I always recommend just moderation in general for food and alcohol itself.

But in general, I mean, alcohol is, you know, is a toxin.

So I would if someone can, you know, totally take it out.

That is recommended.

But you know, moderation is is able to be done.

If you do have that one drink of a red wine or one drink is just, knowing how much is that one?

One portion is important That was a fun event to take part in.

And according to statistics, 25% of those surveyed who drink alcohol participated in Dry January last year.

Of those participants, about 25% actually completed the month without drinking alcohol.

That'll do it for this edition of living in the Lehigh Valley, I'm Brittany Sweeney, hoping you stay happy and healthy.