Raynham cop finds sobriety, wife launches alcohol-free beverage business with him
Daniel Schemer- Sober Sips Society offers a variety of non-alcoholic wines, beers, spirits, and mocktails, many of which are difficult to find in local stores.
- The Berrys aim to break the misconception that non-alcoholic beverages are not tasty and promote the health benefits of reducing alcohol consumption.
- Future plans for Sober Sips Society include expanding their product line, opening a physical store, and hosting events related to mental health and sobriety.
This story has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
RAYNHAM – For years, Detective Russell Berry of the Raynham Police Department had turned to drinking as a way to cope. After two decades in law enforcement, Berry acknowledged in 2024 that the pressures of his career had taken a significant toll. It was clear to him that it was time for a change—both for his own well-being and for the sake of his family.
“There was no specific incident. There was a lot of bad calls. Death. Shootings. A lot of scary situations that most people don’t see,” said Russell, about the trauma he saw and experienced on the beat, what most of us expect law enforcement to deal with daily.
Jessie, his wife, said she had concerns for Russell. “We talked about it. He would have bad calls, reach for a drink. I started noticing,” she said, recalling that his pattern of drinking was “throwing a wrench” into their social plans and family activities.
Jessie said she was also worried their three kids would start noticing. “He recognized a need for change.”
Russell said he wouldn’t drink every day, but when he did, it was in excess. A bad call while on the job, he said, would trigger him, and reaching for a bottle or can would be the first thing he would do when he got home. Looking back, he said, he “didn’t think it was out of hand” but “it was weighing on me” and “I wanted to be the best version of me.”
Now sober for a year, having reached that milestone on March 18, 2024, Russell and Jessie are also celebrating another exciting achievement: the grand opening of her new business, Sober Sips Society, this month.
Inspired by Russell’s journey to sobriety, Sober Sips Society sells assorted non-alcoholic beverages. Jessie said the business is for anyone and everyone “navigating a path to sobriety” or for anyone wanting to cut back and lead a healthier lifestyle.
About Sober Sips Society
At present time, Sober Sips Society is online only.
The selections from Sober Sips Society include assorted non-alcoholic wine, beer, spirits, such as bourbon, tequila, and gin, and canned mocktails, such as mojitos, ginger lime mules, margaritas, and cosmopolitans.
Jessie explained most of their catalog consists of products you can’t find nearby or in the non-alcoholic shelf selection at liquor stores or grocery stores in the area.
Jessie also said most of their products are “nice and light” by being low-calorie and low in sugar.
Origin of idea
The idea for Sober Sips Society stemmed from a visit Russell made last year to Tennessee to visit a friend. While there, he discovered a bottle shop strictly selling non-alcoholic beverages.
Jessie said Russell was raving about the place over the phone, which led to her doing research and discovering there are only three non-alcoholic stores in all of Massachusetts: two of them in Boston and one in Easthampton.
“I thought it was a great opportunity,” said Jessie, who before changing careers and working as a sixth grade teacher at Howard Elementary in West Bridgewater, worked in municipal government, has a strong business background in marketing and finance, and was interested in starting her own small business.
Said Russell, jokingly: "This is my wife's baby. She's the brains, and I'm the beauty."
Breaking misconceptions
Jessie said one of the misconceptions she wants to help stop is the idea that non-alcoholic beverages don’t taste good or don’t taste enough like the real thing. “If you do your research, you’ll find that the good products taste very similar.”
Many of their selections go through de-alcoholization where, after the fermentation or distillation process, the alcohol is extracted from the finished product. “It’s made like a regular spirit; they just remove the alcohol,” said Jessie, adding these are the products she has found to taste the best.
Most of these products have their alcohol by volume levels reduced to .5% or lower, which meets the legal definition of non-alcoholic.
Jessie points to the Joyus brand of wine they sell, specifically the Sparkling Rose she said is her favorite because it tastes exactly like a Rose.
Russell promotes as his favorite Hop Water, a beer-seltzer hybrid consisting of soda water infused with hops, fruity flavors, and ashwagandha, an herbal supplement believed to have health benefits, such as stress and anxiety relief.
Said Jessie: “We try everything. If we wouldn’t drink it, we’re not selling it.”
Addressing mental health
Russell achieved sobriety through a program offered at McLean Hospital in Belmont called LEADER – Law Enforcement, Active Duty, and Emergency Responder. The program is specifically meant for first responders and military, and it addresses mental health conditions, like post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It helped me find alternative coping mechanisms,” he said, which includes more involvement in youth sports.
He said programs like LEADER and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) are important programs in the area addressing mental health amongst first responders, something that was lacking when he entered law enforcement.
“You were taught to ‘man up.’ That was police culture” when he came into the field. “We’re all type A personalities,” he said, adding, in a social, off-duty setting with other cops/co-workers, you were looked at differently if you weren’t drinking.
Hip to be square
Russell said he feels healthier now and bringing his own alternative, non-alcoholic beverages to social gatherings has helped ensure his sobriety. “I can still enjoy social activities because of these options.”
Jessie and Russell contend that it’s becoming far more socially acceptable in public settings to abstain from alcohol or drink alternatives, especially among younger generations.
In 2023, 49.6% of Americans between ages 18 and 25 had used alcohol in the last month, according to U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national survey figures, down from 59.6% from 2013.
Total alcohol sales fell by less than 1% in 2024 to $112.9 billion from $113.6 billion in 2023, according to sales tracking from data firm NIQ.
“It’s becoming more popular. People are realizing the health benefits of not drinking,” said Jessie, adding mocktails and other non-alcoholic products are good for those who hate the hangover effects from drinking, but still appreciate the social aspect behind it.
Long-term goals
Right now, Sober Sips Society only offers delivery and pick-up for orders. Besides Raynham, the delivery area spans to surrounding municipalities, including Taunton, Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Easton, Middleboro, and Lakeville.
Shipping is an option that will be offered in the future, Jessie said.
Expanding the product catalog and opening a brick-and-mortar store are key long-term goals for the business’s growth and success.
With a physical location in the future, Jessie said they would like to offer it as a space for events, including meetings and programming related to mental health, maintaining sobriety, appreciation for first responders.
Sober Sips Society intends on doing pop-up events during spring and summer.
Learn more about Sober Sips Society at its website or Facebook page.