What Comes After Dry January?
It would have been hard to make it through last month without reading or hearing about Dry, dry-ish, or damp January. Every year during the past decade more people have joined the Dry January movement to start the new year in a more sober state. The uptick in participants may in part relate to cultural changes. Twenty-somethings don’t drink as much as their Millenial or Gen X predecessors; cannabis is legal in many states, and in recent years there has been an increase in mindful or intentional drinking and sober curiosity. Offerings of mocktails and no alcohol beverages have surged to meet customer demand. The news has also been flooded with warnings about the harmful effects of alcohol.
Reports of alcohol leading to an early grave is important to most of us, and efforts to achieve longevity and preserve brain health are in the news. Everyone seems to know alcoholic liver disease is associated with alcohol abuse and that pregnant women should not drink. But links between alcohol and cancer, in particular breast and colon cancers, is scary news to some. Declarations that no amount of alcohol is safe can be confusing, especially because this follows years of us hearing that red wine is good for the heart. No one, including the surgeon general knows how much alcohol is safe, if any. While it’s easy to scoff at the wide swings of the pendulum for food and beverage safety, it’s hard to dismiss all the cautions about drinking.
People reassess their drinking habits for a lot of reasons. Some people want to get back to pre-pandemic levels of drinking, others notice they drink more in retirement, and I frequently see patients who increased their use alcohol to cope with a stressful event. If you joined the Dry January crowd and found you slept better, had more energy, or enjoyed a healthy detox you may not want to lose momentum. You may decide to carry sobriety over to Dry February, practice mindful drinking, or switch to low or no alcohol containing beverages at least some of the time.
No Alcohol Beverages
My search for low or no alcohol beverages started when I noticed that alcohol sometimes interrupted my sleep. Those who know me well know I love to get my 8 or 9 hours of sleep. That is my magic elixir! Luckily, no alcohol beverages are popular now. I asked a salesman at a large liquor store about no alcohol wine. He told me he didn’t sell much of it, that mostly he sold what he referred to as N/A beer. At a social gathering recently, I heard several people say they had tried no alcohol beer. I didn’t hear any enthusiasm for no alcohol wines. The increase in no alcohol beverage sales is mainly thanks to the beer industry because no alcohol beer can taste very similar to the real thing. One good example is Stella Artois. A friend prefers the IPA, Sierra Nevada. There are a lot of similar products that are options for people who want to limit alcohol but still enjoy the social aspect or refreshment of beer.
The low demand for low alcohol wines is not surprising. They mostly taste watered down or are too sweet. Low alcohol beer isn’t needed because most don’t get much lower than typical light beers which are both low in calories and lower in alcohol content. Heineken Light has one of the lowest alcohol contents I've seen. Other low alcohol beverage options include some hard siders, cocktails purposely made with less alcohol (easier if you are making them at home for yourself) and wine spritzers made of 1/2 white wine and 1/2 spritzer or carbonated water, flavored with a twist of lemon or lime. Martinelli Sparkling Cider is also an option. Restaurants understand their customers want a choice of alcohol or no alcohol beverages, and many offer creative mocktails on their menus.
Think Before You Drink
People have various reasons for drinking less: personal preference, health, pursuit of longevity, or saving money. Though the pandemic’s role was mixed with few social event, some people drank more liberally to cope with boredom and loneliness during the Covid lockdown. Whatever the reasons for limiting alcohol, the mantra of ‘think before you drink’ makes sense to a lot of people.
So, what comes after Dry January? It may be mindful moderation. This is the practice of carefully considering whether to abstain or to drink on any particular occasion, and if you do drink to think through the pros and cons of a second or a third. Consider what the cost may be. You may pay the price of disrupted sleep, heartburn, or unwanted calories.
I don't expect drinking to become taboo like cigarettes. The percentage of Americans who drink has remained a steady 2/3 of the population throughout the past 75 years according to the Pew Research Center. However, some of us may adopt a more reasoned approach. Dry January may lead to Dry February and beyond. If you benefited from abstinence or from drinking less alcohol, then there is good reason to think before you drink. If you are part of the roughly 30% of Americans who do not drink alcohol then keep doing what you’re doing. If you didn't participate in Dry January you haven’t missed your chance to practice mindful moderation. You can do this at any time, and there's always Sober October.
Mind Games
Try mindful moderation. Think before you drink by asking yourself if you truly want an alcohol-containing beverage or if sparkling water is fine. Consider the reason you want a drink and if there is a cost to it. If there is a downside then identify what that is likely to be. For instance, you might ask yourself if that first or second drink is worth a restless night’s sleep or if you prefer a to have a ginger ale and an undisturbed slumber.
