Why I Do Dry January Every Year (And How It's Changed My Brain)
I'm on day 5 of Dry January.
I've done this a few times now… at least three successful rounds, maybe more if you count the attempts that didn't quite stick. One year I even kept going through February and into March because I was feeling so good.
Weekends are still the hardest part. I typically don't drink during the week. But weekends? It’s game on! Miller Lite is my drink of choice and I more than make up for my lack of weekday drinking on Friday and Saturdays.
Some people know me as "Drunk Sarah." (In the best way possible. At least that's what I'm told.) I'm a happy, fun drunk. I know when it's time to shut it down. Most of the time, anyway.
But here's the thing: When you're known as the "fun drunk" person, doing Dry January feels like a bit of an identity crisis.
Who am I at social events if I'm not drinking? Am I still fun? Will people still want to hang out with me? What the hell do I DO on a Saturday night?
And THAT'S the real value of Dry January.
It's not about proving you can go 31 days without alcohol. It's about answering the question: Who am I when I'm not drinking?
Let me break down what I've learned from doing this for a few years. Including what I'm already wrestling with on day 5 and what the science actually says about taking a month off.
What Multiple Rounds of Dry January Have Taught Me
The first year I did Dry January, I took a different approach than I do now. I just... didn't go out. At all. For the entire month. I avoided everyone. Turned down invitations. Stayed home on weekends. It worked. I made it through January, but it wasn’t all that fun.
Here's what I noticed that first year:
My Sundays were completely different. No hangovers. No "recovery mode" where I'm useless until 2pm. I was actually productive on Sunday mornings. It was wild.
My sleep got SO much better. I wasn't waking up at 3am on Saturday and Sunday nights. I wasn't groggy and foggy on Monday mornings.
I had way more energy. All weekend. Not just the energy you get FROM drinking, but actual, sustained energy that carried through to Monday.
But I also learned: Avoiding my social life for a month wasn't sustainable.
The next year, I didn't hide as much. But that year wasn't just about alcohol. It was about weight loss too. I had a lot to lose, so I was focused on both the drinking AND the eating.
That was the year I went January, February, and half of March without drinking. And it worked. I felt great. Lost the weight.
But again, I realized: I was treating Dry January like deprivation. Like punishment. Not like an experiment.
The more recent years have been different. I don't avoid going out anymore. I just prepare differently. I tell people ahead of time: "Hey, I'm doing Dry January, so I won't be drinking." No big announcement. No drama. Just a heads up so I don't have to explain myself 15 times at the bar.
And you know what? My friends are cool with it.
Some of them give me shit for it. But I've learned how to ignore that, and honestly, I know it's all in good fun. And some of my friends go out of their way to support me. When they hear others giving me crap, they jump in: "Hey, we love Sober Sarah too."
That means a lot.
This year, I'm trying something new: canned mocktails and NA beer. Honestly, I'm curious if having something in my hand that FEELS like drinking will make the social situations easier.
We'll see.
The Science Backs This Up
Look, I'm a skeptic. I don't believe wellness trends just because they're popular.
But the research on Dry January is legit.
A 2018 study from the University of Sussex followed 800+ people who did Dry January and found:
70% reported better sleep
66% had more energy
58% lost weight
54% noticed better skin
71% said they realized they didn't need alcohol to have fun
But here's what I found most compelling: Six months later, participants were still drinking 25% less than before Dry January—even though the challenge was over.
They averaged 3.3 drinks per week instead of 4.3.
Why? Because taking a break gave them awareness. They noticed their drinking patterns. They found other coping mechanisms. And that awareness STUCK.
Additional research shows:
Liver fat decreased by 15% after one month of abstinence (University College London)
Blood pressure dropped significantly
Insulin resistance improved
Cancer-related growth factors in the blood decreased
So yeah, the science checks out. This isn't just a wellness fad. Taking a break from alcohol has real, measurable health benefits.
What Makes Dry January Work (What I've Figured Out Over Multiple Rounds)
Here's what I've learned from doing Dry January multiple times as a weekend drinker: Avoidance doesn't work. Preparation does.
My first year, I tried to white-knuckle it by just avoiding everyone. I stayed home. Didn't go out. Turned down invitations. And yeah, I made it through January. But I was not super happy about it.
Here's what actually works:
1. Get Clear on Your "Why"
My first year, my "why" was just curiosity. I wanted to see if I could do it.
Another year, it was weight loss. I had a lot to lose, and alcohol (and the late-night eating that came with it) wasn't helping.
This year, it's because I know how good I feel when I do this. Better sleep. More productive weekends. Clearer head.
But also? I'm curious if I can still have a social life without drinking. Not by AVOIDING it like year one. But by actually showing up sober and being okay with it.
Your "why" matters.
If you're doing this because you think you "should," you'll quit the first time it gets hard.
If you're doing it because you're genuinely curious, you'll stick with it.
2. Don't Avoid Your Life… Prepare for It
This is the BIG lesson I've learned.
Year one: Avoided everyone. Stayed home. Miserable.
Now: Tell people ahead of time. Show up anyway. Have a plan.
Here's what I do:
Tell people BEFORE you go out. Text the group chat: "Hey, just FYI, I'm doing Dry January so I won't be drinking tonight." This avoids the awkward "why aren't you drinking?" questions when you show up.
Have something in your hand. This year I'm trying canned mocktails and NA beer. Having something to hold makes social situations way less weird.
Find at least ONE sober activity per weekend. Coffee dates. Brunch (actual food brunch, not boozy brunch). Workout classes. Hikes. Movies. Whatever. Just have ONE thing that's not drinking-focused.
Prepare for people to give you shit. They will. Some of it will be good-natured ribbing. Some of it will be weirdly defensive (like your not drinking makes THEM feel judged). Either way, have your response ready: "I'm doing Dry January" or "Not drinking this month" or "Just taking a break." Don't apologize. Don't over-explain.
Lean on the friends who support you. I'm lucky… most of my friends are cool with Sober Sarah. Some even defend me when others give me crap. Find those people. Stick close to them in January.
3. Track What You Notice
This is the REAL value of Dry January.
A few things to track:
How I'm sleeping (usually way better)
Energy levels (usually way higher)
How I feel on Sunday mornings (productive vs. hungover)
What I notice about my social life (who still invites me vs. who doesn't)
How I feel being sober in social situations (awkward at first, then fine)
This awareness is gold. Because even when you go back to drinking in February, you'll drink differently. You'll be more intentional about it.
4. Don't Make It Pass/Fail
Here's my hot take: Even if you only make it 20 days, that's 20 days of awareness you wouldn't have had otherwise.
I've had rounds where I made it the full month. I've had rounds where I went longer (February, March). And I've probably had rounds where I didn't make it at all (though honestly, I don't remember those as much).
The point isn't perfection. It's awareness.
So if you slip up, don't quit. Just notice what happened. What triggered it? What did you learn?
Then get back to it.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before My First Dry January
I wish someone had told me: "Don't avoid your friends. They're not going to abandon you because you're not drinking." And if they do, were they really your friends at all?
I thought if I wasn't drinking, I couldn't go out. I thought people wouldn't want me there if I was sober. I was wrong. My friends don't care if I'm drinking or not. They just want to hang out.
I also wish someone had told me: "The weekends are going to feel weird at first. But you'll adjust."
Because those first few sober weekends? They were strange.
Friday night rolled around and I didn't know what to do with myself. Everyone else was going out. I stayed home. Felt like I was missing out. Saturday came and I realized... I had NO idea how to have fun without drinking. Or at least, I THOUGHT I didn't.
But I started figuring it out. I found different things to do (most of the time being much more productive). And I realized: I wasn't missing out. I was just doing different things.
If You're Doing Dry January Right Now
You're on day 5-ish (depending on when you're reading this).
If you're a weekend drinker like me, here's what I want you to know:
Don't hide from your friends.
Prepare ahead of time.
Have something in your hand.
Find at least ONE sober thing to do each weekend.
Expect some people to give you shit. Ignore them.
Here's what's coming:
This first weekend might feel weird. You might feel like you're missing out while everyone else is out having fun.
You're not missing out. You're just doing something different.
The second weekend will be easier. You'll start to figure out what works for you.
By the third weekend, you'll have a rhythm. You'll know which friends support you, which activities you enjoy sober, and how to navigate social situations without alcohol.
And at the end of the month, you'll have learned something valuable about who you are when you're not drinking.
That's worth it.
Book Bite: From The Self Care Solution, Dr. Jennifer Ashton
"Going alcohol-free for a month gave me more energy, better sleep, and a clearer head. But the real benefit was becoming more mindful about when and why I drink." — Jennifer Ashton, The Self Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter—One Month at a Time
Dr. Jennifer Ashton is ABC News' Chief Medical Correspondent, and in her book "The Self Care Solution," she documents doing Dry January (among other monthly challenges) and tracking the results.
Her experience mirrors mine: The physical benefits are real and measurable. But the mental shift, the AWARENESS, is what actually sticks.
She also found that Dry January wasn't about deprivation. It was about being more intentional.
That's exactly what I've learned over multiple rounds: You're not giving up alcohol forever. You're just creating space to notice your patterns. And that awareness changes how you drink for the rest of the year.
The Bottom Line
I've done Dry January multiple times now. Some years I've made it the full month. One year I went through February and into March. And I've probably had years where I didn't make it at all.
But every time I do it, I learn something. Not just about alcohol. About myself.
Am I still fun without drinking? Yes.
Do my real friends care if I'm sober? No. They just want to hang out.
Can I have a social life without drinking every weekend? Absolutely.
The research backs up the physical benefits: better sleep, more energy, improved health markers, long-term behavior change.
But the real value isn't in the science. It's in the awareness.
Who am I when I'm not drinking?
Turns out, I'm still me. Still funny. Still social. Still the person people want to be around.
I just remember the night better. And don't spend Sunday recovering.
So if you're doing Dry January right now as a weekend drinker: Don't hide from your friends. Tell them ahead of time. Have something in your hand. And give yourself permission to figure it out as you go.
And if you're thinking about trying it next year: Do it. Not because you have a drinking problem. But because you're curious who you are without alcohol.
Progress over perfection. Awareness over judgment. Always experimenting.
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