Dry January Still Matters

Think Dry January is Only for the Sober Curious? Think Again.

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It took me seeing two articles from major publications back to back in my newsfeed on tips for a Dry January for me to realize Dry January has officially gone mainstream.

While more than 35% of the US population now embarks on Dry January, a month-long commitment to abstain from alcohol in — you guessed it — January… the idea of abstaining from alcohol for an entire month has a long, fascinating history.

Alcohol Change UK trademarked the name “Dry January” in 2014, a public service campaign to fight back on growing addiction rates in the country. The name has since stuck (Dryuary just didn’t do it for anyone, I guess). But taking the month of January off from drinking long predates both terms and can be pinpointed as far back as the 1940’s when the Finnish government started “Sober January” to help curb a severe drinking problem in the country as well as their war efforts to improve morale, decrease alcohol demand, and lower addiction rates.

Today, Dry January is more popular than ever, with millions participating and the alcohol industry is saying “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” by offering more low and no alcohol alternatives. Market analysis predicts a 25% growth in non-alcoholic drink options by 2026.

Photo by YesMore Content on Unsplash

But if you are someone like me, in recovery or long-term sobriety, or even someone newly sober but who is trying to make every month a dry month? This might feel like…. so what? For me, I went into January the same way I’ve gone into every month for the last 60 months — one day at a time. Dry January doesn’t mean much because I’ll start February with the same goals.