For some people, grabbing an alcoholic beverage might be just their go-to move. But there's a lot of people that, for whatever reason, it's not.
Andy Krumm owns Sober One Six, an alternative events and planning company.
"Basically what that means is we do events that always have a non-alcoholic option, you know, menu mocktail menu and beers all those sorts of things," said Krumm. "We always want to focus on the fun rather than the alcohol."
Krumm, whose Instagram handle is Mr. Mocktail, specializes in family-friendly drag events, but branches out with the diversity of most of upstate New York's communities when it comes to the gridiron.
"You know, everyone loves football," he said. "It's not just for the macho guy. It's for everybody. Coming here to '26' for a football game is really just fun because you'll have, on one side of you, someone like screaming and swearing and just getting really rowdy. And then the other side of you, you'll hear some say, 'Yes, queen'."
Much like other Sober One Six events, the overall theme is inclusion.
"When I come with my friends to a game and I'm wanting to tailgate and I want to have a fun Sunday," Krumm said. "I can still do that now because 26 and other bars and Buffalo are getting on board they're starting to carry non-alcoholic options."
Much like vegans and vegetarians don't just sit in a corner and eat lettuce, people who choose sobriety shouldn't have their options limited either.
"It's like the cherry on top that, you know, I can come here and order a non-alcoholic beverage and that's not just Diet Coke," Krumm said. "That's not just spray, it's not just water. You know, it's thought through, it's complex, just like a cocktail."
For 'Mr. Mocktail' and so many others across New York state and the U.S., sobriety has been a choice. For so many others, it's a necessity. But that shouldn't mean you miss out on other parts of life.
"I'm someone who, when I stopped drinking, I still wanted to go out and have a good time and dance around," Krumm said. "You know, the only thing that I was 'missing' was the alcohol. But everything else could stay the same."
Larger supermarket chains are starting to carry more and more mocktail ingredients for you to bring along to your tailgate or home to watch and mix in. What Krumm and a growing community would like to see is their options be included in the party planning.
"I feel like a lot of people, the social anxiety takes over and that's what prevents them from going out and doing things," said Krumm.
So if you feel like you're included, if you feel comfortable. I feel like that's when people started coming out of their shells and actually go to certain events.
"All we're doing here is voicing the need for non-alcoholic options and saying, 'Hey, we're here.' We want to be included too. We want to have a good time too. I want to put on a jersey and go to the stadium and drink a non-alcoholic beer and eat some nachos. Like I just I want to be included in the experience," said Krumm. "And all it takes as for businesses and grocery stores and people to just say, 'Hey, you're right. Let me carry those options.'"