I quietly celebrated 4 years alcohol free on 1/2/24, and to be honest, I had to remind myself several times that it was coming up because it’s such a natural part of my life now. When I embarked on a Dry January in 2020, I could not have imagined a sober life that feels so effortless. At the time I had spent the previous couple of years immersing myself in sober podcasts, quit lit, and lots of self loathing. I had this strong feeling that my life would be easier if I could just walk away from alcohol permanently, but it was so intertwined in my relationships and hobbies I didn’t know what would be left. I couldn’t imagine how I would fill my time or deal with stress. But I hoped that if I just gave it a chance for one month, I could figure out the challenges as they presented themselves, one day at a time.

And as I had hoped, every day got a little bit easier. The quality of my sleep started to improve, which made life a lot more tolerable. I became more patient and my relationships started to improve. I filled my extra time with projects around the house and by going to the gym. At the end of January I looked back at how restorative and productive the time had been and thought, “why on earth would I ever want to go back to how things were before?” And here I am 4 years later.

It’s crazy to look back on some of the big goals I was able to accomplish when I redirected that time and energy. For example:

• I took on the project of refinishing and painting my kitchen cabinets (NOT a small job 😝)
• I finally enrolled in the coaching program I’d been dreaming about for years, and passed my boards exam about 6 months earlier than I was expecting to
• I completed a cross-country move that I’d also been dreaming about for years, and
• I went on my first sober European vacation (Paris, without wine? It IS possible!)

I don’t know what your relationship with alcohol is like, but if you’ve been wanting to take a short break just to see how that feels for you, Dry January is an excellent time to try it out! It seems like more people are trying this challenge every year so you’ll be in good company. Plus the alcohol-free drinks market has exploded in the last couple of years so there are tons of fun substitutes to try instead. If you’d like some of my favorite suggestions, check out my ‘What to drink when you’re not drinking’ guide. You can grab it HERE!

For more Dry January reading: 

https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/dry-january-5-health-benefits-to-cutting-alcohol-in-the-new-year/2020/01