VANCOUVER — Whatever your tipple, Angela Hansen's liquor store on Vancouver's Commercial Drive has stock to satisfy, from Prosecco to tequila — so long as you don't want any actual liquor.
The rise of stores like Mocktails and others comes as health concerns around alcohol rise — and as British Columbia's once-booming craft beer industry goes through tough times. A series of high-profile brewers have closed down or are in financial strife; many cite economic conditions as well as a shift in drinking preferences.
The risks of excessive alcohol consumption are well-documented, but have come into sharper focus in Canada since January 2023, when the government-supported Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction said the risk of cancer rises at much lower levels of alcohol consumption than previously thought.Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General released a new advisory about alcohol and the risks of cancer it carries, calling for health warning labels on alcohol products.
"Alcohol consumption was at an all-time high during COVID and it's come down a little bit to more like pre-COVID levels," he said. "I don't think it's changed that much."