First of all, let me start off this Dry January update post by stating, I did it! While the whole Dry January thing started off a bit dodgy, in the end, I pulled it out. In fact, I did it one day better, and didn’t have my first beer until February 2nd. I was so excited to finish my first dry month (I missed Sober October) that I created a bunch of Dry January Memes to celebrate! They’re kinda silly, but were quite therapeutic to make.
As I mentioned above, the start of January was definitely touch and go. Coming off a not so dry New Year’s Eve made matters much worse than they needed to be. If I’m being honest, the first three days of January felt like a month to me! I was constantly asking myself when it would be over already.
But, thankfully, I made it through in one piece and found that Dry January, like Sober October, and Dry July have much to teach us. And this would hold true for any dry month you might choose to pursue. It’s important to point out, that if you need an excuse to dry out and give your brain and liver a break, there’s no need to wait for a designated ‘dry’ month! You can start anytime.
My Top Takeaways from Dry January
I don’t pretend to be anything I am not…
Except for sober, I’ve pretended to be sober a few times.
– Anonymous
There was no pretending to be sober during Dry January. I was sober as f*ck. January marked six months of pot sobriety and six months of drastically reduced alcohol consumption. From July to November I went from drinking a six pack or more 5+ nights a week to a few beers once or twice a month.
In a weird way, I was training for Dry January in the same way a long distance runner might train for the New York Marathon. I know that sounds pathetic, but it’s true! I’m fairly certain I never could’ve gone sober for an entire month prior November of last year.
Until I completed this year’s Dry January Annual Sobriety Marathon, my longest stretch was from just after a Sober Thanksgiving to just before a Sober Christmas (with a not so sober Christmas Eve thrown in the mix). That sobriety run lasted 28 days and was my best before the 31 (+1) that made up Dry January.
So many of the lessons Dry January taught me were really reinforcements of hard sobriety lessons learned during my training period, but there were some new ones thrown in for good measure.
Lesson 1
The single biggest lesson Dry January taught me?
I can do this!
Yes, that’s right. I can remain sober for an entire month. To some, this may seem like a silly thing for me to get excited about, but if you’ve spent any time reading about my sobriety journey to this point, you’ll know my victory over Dry January was well earned.
At the beginning of this road, it was all I could do to stay sober for more than a couple of days. It wasn’t until somewhere around Day 35 that I quit pot (that’s now seven months ago as of the publication of this blog!). But I still struggled with alcohol for several more months (and still do sometimes).
Having the marijuana monkey (Smokie) off my back was a huge help in getting my alcoholic demon (Drinkie) to bugger off. I definitely credit meditation for relieving me of my decades long marijuana addiction and I continue to experience its power everyday I don’t drink or do so mindfully.
But, to reiterate, my biggest takeaway from Dry January – IT IS DOABLE!
Dry January Lesson 2
My second lesson from completing my first dry month since probably sophomore year of High School (and that was like 35 years ago) is:
Dry January Is Not As Easy As It Sounds
No, it is not. At least it wasn’t for me. This funny sign I found on Pinterest about says it all. This was almost me except three years later in 2023. By the fifth of January, I was majorly Jonesing for a beer.
I mean why Dry January? One might argue that there are no ‘drinking’ holidays in January (sorry MLK day, but you haven’t graduated to St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo status quite yet). Unless, of course, you realize that every Saturday and Sunday are drinking holidays because it’s the damn NFL playoffs!
And this brings me to Dry January Lesson #3…
Lesson #3
And so how did I make it through all of those NFL filled weekends? That’s the crux of Dry January Lesson #3:
NA Beer helps a lot!
In fact, I got to try lots of different non-alcoholic craft beers in January. Athletic Brewing Company craft non alcoholic beer had become my standby when I discovered it sometime before Halloween. I even pulled a fast one on my father-in-law during a visit in January. He asked me for a beer, and knowing he likes stouts, I grabbed an Athletic All Out Extra Dark and poured it into a frosted mug.
I quickly disposed of the evidence (the can clearly labeled non-alcoholic brew) and waited for his reaction. He seemed to enjoy it and certainly didn’t appear to miss the alcohol. He drank the whole mug and probably would’ve asked for another had his cat allergies not forced him to cut his visit short.
Sadly, my father-in-law left before the Sunday night game, but I helped myself to a Run Wild IPA and watched the Lions upset the Packers. For me, beer and football go together, but I’ve found that a non-alcoholic beer scratches the itch when there’s a game on.
Beyond football, sometimes I just want to have a beer. Like when my wife is enjoying a glass of wine or I’m relaxing after work with a book. While I used to condescend that NA beer was like drinking decaffeinated coffee (what’s the point?), I’ve come to truly appreciate its ability to satiate my desire to drink alcoholic beer AND do so with significantly fewer calories and regrets.
Of course, if you are an alcoholic in recovery, you will want to be cautious with non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits as they may trigger a relapse. Talk with your sponsor or healthcare provider before drinking NA beer if you are unsure.
Dry January Lesson 4
This one shouldn’t be a surprise and I’ve written about this particular challenge before in Swapping Sugar For Alcohol:
I found myself eating A LOT more sugar
Like a lot, lot more. I was stopping by the frozen yogurt shop across that street several times a week and hitting the one on my way home from work.
Candy? Check! Pints of Ice Cream? Check! Dessert With Dinner? Check!
I became a sugar eating machine. So much so, I gained four pounds! (Lesson 4a: Dry January may not result in weight loss). But I can live with it because the goal was to get an entire sober month under my (ever widening) belt. As a result of my sugar craze, Dry January’s weight gain has inspired me to pursue a Sugar Free February to get myself back in fighting shape!
Lesson #5
Another major takeaway from Dry January that will apply year round or whenever I kick off a sobriety streak:
It got easier after the first two weeks
Like a lot easier. In his book Alcohol Lied To Me, author Craig Beck described an alcohol detox period (even for mild and occasional drinkers) of two weeks. After this point, symptoms (insomnia, anxiety, cravings, etc) lessen and sobriety becomes easier.
I certainly found that to be true in my case, especially after drinking a bit more than usual on New Year’s Eve. That lapse in judgement definitely cost me in the detox/recovery department through about January 15th.
But, once I got passed the 15th of the month, the cravings dropped off significantly and could be satisfied with an NA beer or two (or a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup).
Lesson #6
This is a big one, but not so daunting now given what Dry January Lesson #5 taught me:
I thought about drinking much more than I expected to
Since I had some good sobriety stretches leading up to Dry January where I didn’t think too much about drinking, this surprised me a bit. But I can attribute this additional challenge to the fact that I got quite lax about my drinking between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I know now (hindsight is, afterall, 20/20) that I practically set myself up for a Dry January failure.
This is probably also the reason I ate more sugar than usual. But as lesson #5 drove home, after the two week mark, it wasn’t such a big deal. Now that I know what to expect, I won’t worry about getting to January 31st next year. Instead I’ll be focused on making it to the 15th. Same for Sober October.
This simple change alone will make Dry January & Sober October 2024, that much more palatable.
My 7th & Final Dry January Lesson
And at last, we reach my seventh and final Dry January takeaway:
I didn’t feel compelled to drink on February 1st
Sure, I did have a few beers (3) on February 2nd, but I didn’t rush out to the store on February 1st and buy a bunch of beer, wine, and liquor.
This last one was quite surprising because in my first Dry January Post I had written about this concept of ‘What Next?’ By this I meant, supposing I make it through January without having a drink, what happens next?
A part of me was pretty convinced that I’d run out and buy a six pack to celebrate my victory. But that didn’t happen. I waited an extra day for good measure, then when I happened to be at the store anyway grabbing some groceries, I bought a six pack.
Only after I got home, made dinner, and cleaned the kitchen did I crack open a beer. And that’s a big deal because the old me would’ve opened one the moment I got home. Instead I waited until I had eaten a full meal ensuring there wouldn’t be much room left over for a bunch of filling craft IPA.
And guess what? It worked. I was barely able to drink three 12oz IPAs over the next 2-3 hours. Then I was done.
Now that I’m in Sugar Free February I’m hoping I don’t start swapping alcohol for sugar! But I don’t think that will be the case. I’m now six days in and have been keeping my sugar free promise. Also, I’m several days passed those beers and haven’t been thinking about alcohol too much since.
In fact, Dry January Lesson 7a? Once I took a month off from drinking, drinking lost its luster. I really didn’t enjoy drinking all that much when I was finally able to have a few beers. It was just kinda Meh.
And, you know what, that’s a really good thing!
