David Grabowski has started keeping a journal of his daily habits: what he eats, what he drinks, whether he exercises. For the entire month of January, he hasn’t logged a single alcoholic beverage.
“Usually it’s in the three to five drinks a week range,” he said. “Because what happens is ‘oh this is a special occasion’ … But there’s always an occasion where you can drink a lot. So if you let holidays or occasions become excuses for drinks, it just snowballs.”
So the 30-year-old writer and composer decided to detox by ditching drinking for the month of January. It’s become a popular choice for people who want to reassess their relationship with alcohol and set out on a healthy track for the new year.
The “sober January” movement began in the United Kingdom in 2013 and has gained traction in the United States over the past few years. A 2019 survey from opinion polling site YouGov found 21 percent of Americans planned to participate that year, and another 21 percent supported the idea but did not have plans to try it.
Millennials appear to be leading the trend, with hashtags such as #sobercurious and #dryjanuary bubbling up on social media. Sober nightclubs are opening around the country, and the beverage industry is responding with more alcohol-free options.
Jeff Fromm, a marketing expert who’s written multiple books about millennials, said the 30-day dry spell tracks with their values and behaviors.
“What they are basically saying is ‘I want to be healthier and at the same time enjoy what life has to offer,'” Fromm said. “I know it’s a little bit contradictory, but consumers can be a little bit contradictory.”
The Golden State is often a leader in health trends, and even has its own twist on dry January: “California sober” means taking a break from everything except weed.
Dr. Christopher Zegers, an addiction medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente, said he sometimes recommends a month-long break to patients who are trying to figure out whether they have a substance use disorder.
“To see whether this has a change in your life, ‘now I have more energy, I have more get-up-and-go, my moods are better, my spouse is happier with me,‘“ he said. “We have a lot of people saying, I’m not really sure if I have a problem or not. And I think that is a good thing for a lot of people.”
More than seven drinks a week for women or 14 drinks a week for men is considered heavy drinking, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Dropping alcohol permanently reduces the risk of cancer and liver disease. But some research shows there are benefits even in the short-term. Psychologists at the University of Sussex surveyed roughly 800 people who took part in dry January in 2018. Participants reported losing weight, sleeping better, and having healthier skin. By August of that year, they reported one less drinking day per week. There were even some benefits, though less significant, for people who attempted to quit drinking for the month.
Katie Hanzlik, a 31-year-old Capitol worker, said she tried sober January last year just to see if she could do it. She ended up letting it slide, but says she’s been more stringent this year.
“It helped me realize that I don’t have a very unhealthy relationship with [alcohol], but it’s more the social pressures,” she said. “So when I’m home by myself it’s easy to have a cup of tea, but when you’re out with friends or colleagues it’s a little difficult to say no or figure out an alternative.”
She said that’s getting easier as sober January gains traction.
“Is this cool and trendy now? On a micro-level it feels kind of lame, like you’re the one person at the party without a drink, but now it seems like it’s getting kind of popular,” Hanzlik said.
Grabowski had a wake-up call this year when he found himself out of breath after a hike. He says lots of younger adults want to get in shape.
“They’re seeing their parents' health decline and they’re saying ... I don’t want this to be me,” he said. “So there’s this greater consciousness about what it means to be healthy, and maybe that doesn’t involve alcohol.”
He said it hasn’t been hard to give up booze, especially with abundant juice, coffee and kombucha options around town. Many local restaurants have also beefed up their mocktail offerings in response to the movement.
He's looking forward to grabbing a beer February 1, but says he’ll be keeping his limit to a few drinks a month, instead of a few drinks a week.
“How do I want this to be in my life? Do I want this to be a nightly thing? Do I want it to be whenever everybody is having a drink I have a drink? Sober January is a good chance to reflect and reevaluate all those things,” Grabowski said.
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