On New Years Day , most people are cleaning up the champagne glasses, popping Advil and pouring themselves a big glass of Hair of the Dog.
Meanwhile, I'm swapping the wine and beers in my fridge for sodas and sparkling water, and getting ready for my annual Dry January detox, which you may know from some eyeroll-worthy portmanteau, such as "Drynuary" or the "Dryathlon."
For almost a decade, I've given up alcohol for a period of time each year. It's moved around the calendar, but seems to have settled in January.
While I love the holiday season, the parade of family dinners, seasonal happy hours and house parties that begins so brightly at the beginning of December turns into a slog by New Year's Eve.
Too many big meals, too many cocktails with old friends, too many big, boozy imperial stouts. By Jan. 1, I'm full, I'm tired and I want to push away from the table and take a break.
I'm not the only one. Internet searches for "Dry January" and "Drynuary" begin to climb every December, according to Google Trends. Both have seen strong growth since 2012, with the all-time high coming in late 2016 and early 2017.
In Britain, where the idea of Dry January has a much higher public profile, the government's Public Health England program has supported an annual campaign that "encourages drinkers to take a break and have a Dry January."
There's even an app called Dry January, created by the British charity Alcohol Concern, that shows how much money and calories are saved by not imbibing. (It's free for both Apple and Android.)
While Dry January is mostly targeted at social drinkers, the idea has taken hold with people who work in the bar-and-beverage industry.
While approaches may vary, there are some general tips:
- Drinking a soda water with lime looks makes it look like you're drinking a gin and tonic, which may help avoid questions.
- Tip your bartenders for sodas and water the same way you would for a beer or cocktail.
- Talk to people.
- Remember: There are other places to have fun in January outside of bars, too.
Most of all, don't worry if you slip up, or decide to change the length of your hiatus. I know I've ended a few days early because there was a beer tapping I really, really wanted to attend. "It doesn't matter," Brown says. "It's not a religion; it's a practice." (In fact, 2015 research from the University of Sussex showed that even people who don't complete Dry January still drank fewer drinks and had fewer drunken episodes six months later.)
The Washington Post