Why Dry in January?

You may have heard that a lot of people who enjoy wine or other alcoholic beverages decide to take a break from drinking them in the month of January. But maybe you wonder “why do they do this?”

It’s, of course, a personal choice for each individual who chooses to “be dry” in the first month of the year. Here are a few:

·         a new year’s resolution

·         to “recover” from over imbibing during the holiday season

·         considering going sober and trying “dry January” to see if they really miss drinking at all, sometimes described as “sober curious”  

·         starting their going sober decision as they have reached a breaking point or just realized they feel better when they do not drink alcohol

 While there is no one perfect answer to why certain people decide to stop drinking alcohol in January, I think it is important to respect their choice and understand that whatever their reason, it is their decision.

So why am I doing Dry January? As a wine blogger and promoter of Connecticut’s wineries, it is a little challenging as I don’t go visiting the wineries during the first month of the year. But I am always supporting them through my Instagram stories and posts and even on blog posts here.

But here are my reasons for giving up alcohol in January:

1)      I like to take a break from wine and alcoholic beverages as I tend to eat more when I drink and that doesn’t help as I work towards losing weight

2)      I am trying to make healthier choices – while wine isn’t unhealthy I need to drink more water and cut back on wine and other high caloric beverages

3)      I’m unemployed and buying wine is an added expense, so not buying wine in January helps me reduce costs and save the wine I do have at home for other times throughout the year

4)      Lastly, it’s part of my “reset” for the new year as I’ve been participating in dry January for a few years now and it’s part of my yearly routine

And for those of you who are also partaking in this month of no wine, you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone. I’m more of an “open book” so I like to share, but if you are doing it for health reasons, personal goals or just because you want to, always feel good about the choices you make. If someone in your life doesn’t understand or gives you a hard time about it, perhaps they are the one with the issue or… perhaps you don’t need that unsupportive person in your life.

Okay, stepping off of my “soap box.” ;)

Do you do dry January or have you participated in the past? If you have any tips to add or would like to share your experience, please do so in the comments below!

Cheers to a new month, new year and to all the goals you have set for yourself!