Ah, dry January. A month of detox, clarity, and smug self-righteousness.

Look, there's nothing inherently wrong with dry January. It's commendable, even. Most of us could probably use a reset after the onslaught of booze we pour down our gullets over the course of the holiday season.

(Happy new year, indeed.)

Now I don't know what your preferred poison is, but mine is beer. I love a good amber ale or dark lager... especially during winter when there's nothing to do but wait it out.

And let's acknowledge the strides that've been made since O'Doul's. Once upon a time, that was your only N/A option. You pitied the sad sack who had to drink it, not because they were sober, but because... well, O'Doul's sucks.

Now the N/A beer industry is booming, with Athletic Brewing Company arguably at the forefront. It's the brand you're most likely to see in most major grocery stores and restaurants.

I've tried a bunch of them at various points when scaling back my alcohol consumption, and they're... fine. Some are better than others. I particularly enjoy the "Run Wild" IPA.

But here's my gripe, man...

They cost the same as a regular beer!

WTF is up with that?! Seriously, a lot of times at restaurants, when you see they carry offerings from Athletic, they'll charge you the exact same price of a regular craft beer!

via GIPHY

$7, $8, $9 for a nonalcoholic sparkling oat drink? GTF outta here! Bogus on all fronts.

While the landscape of non-alcoholic options has definitely improved, the pricing still leaves much to be desired. So here's to hoping for a more reasonable balance in the near future.