A landlord who does not sell a drop of alcohol has thanked local residents for their ‘phenomenal’ support.
Sam Watson manages a pub named the Dry Dock in Weymouth – but he does not sell any alcohol whatsoever.
Mr Watson came up with the idea for the booze-free pub when he realised as a recovering alcoholic there was nowhere to go in the evenings where alcohol was not being served.
As a result, the landlord created his own alcohol-free pub in a building which was formerly an opticians, and he has hailed the venture a ‘success’.
Dry Dock is a community interest company, and was launched on August 5, to aid those battling mental health issues, loneliness and addiction.
Sam Watson (pictured) has hailed his pub, the Dry Dock in Weymouth, a success, even though he does not serve an ounce of alcohol
Mr Watson birthed the concept of the alcohol free pub after he realised, as a recovering alcoholic there was nowhere to go in the evenings that was alcohol free
The premises is kitted out with similar objects you would find in a usual local, including a dartboard, a pool table and even a jukebox.
Mr Watson told the BBC: ‘The welcome we have had in our community has been absolutely phenomenal, the amount of people coming through the door and the positive feedback we’ve had has been amazing.’
He divulged that the tavern has been very successful, and they have been able to open their doors to the public every day.
The landlord also expressed that the pub is ‘for the community’, and they will continue to run as long as they are able to cover their expenses and pay staff wages.
He is also looking ahead to the run up to Christmas, where they have planned a range of events and hopes this will contribute to the pub’s ongoing success.
A customer of the Dry Dock named Denise stated: ‘There is still that expectation that when you are sitting in a bar you should be drinking alcohol, when the reality is a lot of people can’t drink or don’t want to.’
She elaborated that is it nice to come to attend a venue and not feel pressured to drink alcohol.
The tavern has all the items you would find in your run of the mill pub including a jukebox and a dartboard
The alcohol free tavern also has a quiet space which is available for community groups to use.
People on X, formerly known as Twitter, have been left in awe of the new alcohol-free premises, with some hoping it would even go nationwide.
One wrote: ‘Absolutely love this idea of an alcohol-free pub, Dry Dock, Weymouth, as I can’t stand booze and it’s effects on people’s physical and mental health.’
Another added: ‘We have the Dry Dock in Weymouth. It’s a safe space. There needs to be a shift in attitude around non alcoholic drinks.’
One person wrote in response to a TikTok video about the premises: ‘Love it. Finally a place someone in recovery like myself can enjoy socialising and associated pub games without temptation.’
The success of the Dry Dock comes shortly after a Dublin airport was trolled for its alcohol-free bar.
The Dry Dock is a community interest company, and was launched to aid those battling mental health issues, loneliness and addiction. It also has a quiet area for community groups to use
Many went to social media to express their awe regarding the concept of the alcohol free pub
Many poked fun the Irish bar that serves dry version of Carlsberg, Gordon’s and Guinness.
People were left baffled as many were unclear about the bars purpose, with one user posting: ‘I’ll tell you what’ll work in @DublinAirport, an alcohol free bar…’
One commentor even posted an image of a vending machine with soft drinks suggesting it was akin to an alcohol free bar.
Another user quipped: ‘And yet, it’s still as expensive as normal alcoholic beverages.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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