Pros and Cons of Dry January

Ahhhh, January 1. It’s that time of the year the healthy lifestyle trend of giving up booze for an entire month to start the year called “Dry January” takes over. I gotta admit, I’ve always heard of it, but never actually knew people doing it. Until this year, a friend told me he was considering it and it got me thinking, maybe I should do it too? So I decided to weigh out my pros and cons to see if doing a Dry January would be a good thing for me.

Pro: It’s an objectively healthy way to get your new year off to a great start. As much as we love booze, it really isn’t the best thing for you. Cutting it out for a little could trim your waist and sharpen your mind in ways you had no idea.

Con: You’ll have to deal with people giving you shit when you don’t drink with them and tell them you’re doing a “Dry January.” It’s a new year, with new social events. I admire people who are comfortable enough to meet new people while holding a solo cup of 7 Up… I personally am not there, yet.

Pro: It will help you keep your new year’s resolutions. For example, if your resolution was to work out more and one of your main excuses for not going to the gym is because you’re hungover, if you’re not hungover anymore there’s no reason not to go to the gym. Or if your new year’s resolution was to stop drunkenly ordering Jack in the Box every weekend at 2am, surprisingly you won’t have the urge to do that anymore if you’re not blacked out (okay, maybe that one’s a personal one).

Con: I have a birthday in January, and I love to keep that window open to imbibe incase the night calls for it. I would hate to be the only person not drinking on my own birthday because I have to follow an arbitrary set of rules that I created for myself for no reason. Plus, I’ve got a couple of schweet restaurant reservations lined up for the month. Would it really be fair to the chef who worked so hard on these meals to not pair them with a delicate and beautiful French wine?

Pro: Doing a dry January saves you a shit ton of money when you’re not spending it on alcohol for an entire month. And could even set the standard for resetting your body, so come February… you’re Mr. Lightweight and don’t need to spend lots of dough to get drunk anymore. The real sneaky victory.

Con: I already broke it by having a beer with dinner on January 2nd. Does beer even count? If it’s under 5% it shouldn’t count, right?

Pro: If you actually need to stop drinking, it’s a great way to hit “pause” on your drinking cycle and set yourself up with the energy of people behind you.

Hmmmm I’m still undecided. Let me know in the comments how you’re playing it. I honestly think I might do it just to prove to myself that I can. More of a personal ego thing than actually trying to better myself. But could that just be more toxic? Who knows, I need a drink.