Dry January

January is usually a month of resolutions, goals, and monthly "challenges". Go one month vegan (veganuary), one month of an exercise every day, or one month of sobriety. Dry January started in the UK from an organization by the name Alcohol Change UK which aims at helping people reduce their alcohol intake both for health and social reasons. The challenge calls for participants to stop drinking for 31 days. Since the challenge started in the UK it's spread across the globe with more attention and look into the "sober-curious movement". Looking at one's relationship with alcohol and how much we consume on a weekly basis is something I think we should all at least try. As Alcohol Change puts it neatly, "Being alcohol-free for 31 days shows us that we don’t need alcohol to have fun, to relax, or to socialize. It helps us learn the skills we need to manage our drinking. That means that for the rest of the year we are better able to make decisions about when we drink and how much, so we can avoid slipping into drinking more than we really want to,"

My journey into becoming "sober-curious" is an interesting one. I decided to do my first dry January in 2020 after a wild seven months of moving to DC and realizing the work-hard play-hard culture was turning me slowly into a problem drinker. I would often find myself working a 9-10 hour day and then going out for happy hour with coworkers. Sometimes it would end up with me venturing out until 1 or 2 in the morning trying out expensive cocktail bars and lounges around the city. I would wake up early the next day for work after sleeping a garbage 4-6 hours and then repeat the cycle. Sometimes when it was a stressful or bad day at work I would find myself ready to tell round up co-workers or friends to go to the bar to "blow off some steam".

I had a taste of this before. When I was 19 I studied abroad in Beijing, China and thoroughly enjoyed partying and staying out late with locals, expats and everything else in-between. I had classes at the butt-crack of dawn and then late in the evening. I would use the rest of the day to hammer out essays on foreign policy, arms control and Chinese at a 24 hour cafe. Then, I spent the rest of the night after the class going out to sing karaoke, go dancing, and enjoy martinis and baijiu shots. In some bizarre fashion, this system worked for me when I was abroad.

Now in DC, I was finding that this was taking a toll on my health. In July 2019 I received a terrible health scare. I was continuously getting Strep throat and landed myself in the ER after developing a Peritonsillar abscess. When the doctor drained the disgusting thing out of me he asked me why I did not go to an urgent care or even a hospital sooner. My response?

"Oh I dunno. I was busy with work and seeing everyone. I don't just want to be sitting at home all day. It's DC. I've only been here for a few months and it's really cool,". I sounded like Kermit the Frog for days. I felt incredibly tired and unable to eat or drink much. Despite it sounding like hellish symptoms, I kept trying to power through the pain and ignore it. I am stubborn.

The Doc I'm sure had heard this line before with his patients. He told me to lay off drinking and to just "slow down". Several months later down the road I found myself developing the same abscesses two more times. My immune system was shot. The final solution was set for me to get my tonsils removed in the summer. In the meanwhile, I would have to consider limiting my alcohol intake as it was probably worsening my already weakened immune system. It was then in January of 2020 I stumbled across dry January and decided to take the challenge.

That month, I found the challenge relatively easy. I found tasty alcohol free options like Ritual's Zero proof line, Seedlip, and even found several events around the city doing Dry January events, such as Sans Bar DC , and bars that offered superb mocktails. I also had supportive friends and a very supportive partner that helped me avoid any temptations. After the month was over I felt great. My immune system was doing a lot better. I had saved money from not going out and plunking an easy $15-17 on a cocktail. I was also becoming more aware in what I wanted in an expensive cocktail the next time I went out. And what flavors and experiences would qualify for me spending that much money and time. Awesome, right? This should be my yearly tradition since it was easier than I thought.

Flash-forward nearly a year later and we have been through a horrible pandemic as well as political instability that has been mostly unheard of in the United States.

On Twitter many people are joking that they've lost or "quit" dry January because it's been too ugly of a past year. A glass of wine or a sip of beer to just ease the nerves. Have I considered joining them? Yes. It has been objectively very stressful both in my personal life and societal wise especially in DC. But have I given in?

No. Despite being tempted I've followed through and have less than 10 days left as of tomorrow. What keeps me motivated is my health scare and the fact that I've told everyone I was committed to doing this. If there is anything that I succeed in it is stubbornness. So today while everyone went blabbing about online about quitting so they could share a toast to celebrate the inauguration of Joe Biden I went to the supermarket, got myself some alcohol-free Rose, and just watched the celebrations completely sober.

When the month is done I'll probably go celebrate with an actual drink. But if anything 2021's Dry January has taught me I don't need alcohol to take "the edge off" or to help relieve the existential dread or anxiety that likes to pop up in my head often. If anything, it makes it worse. And for that... Cheers to gaining clarity. Cheers to my stubborn attitude being used for good this time!