Dry January 2024

Reclaiming our baseline of joy, connection, and creativity.

Welcome to the new year. You are here. Here you are. Dry January is upon us and you might be tempted to jump in under the assumption that it is just about removing booze and giving your body a quick detox at the beginning of the year. Maybe you went hard during the holidays and you’re using Dry January as a socially acceptable excuse to turn down party invites and save some money. Perhaps, your goal for 2024 is to drink less overall and this month is offering you a smooth transition into the scary unknown. All of these are great reasons to participate in the dry month hurrah but unless you’re going into it with an open mind and willingness to learn something about yourself that you didn’t know before, you might miss the bigger picture.

Ok, so what do you do NOW? You’ve decided not to drink this month, you’re committed, and you want to get the most out of this experiment. It’s all about your mindset. It’s all about the energy you’re bringing to the action.

Dry January is about reprogramming our beliefs around what is possible without alcohol. In our culture booze and inebriation have hijacked all things fun, celebratory, expressive, and relaxing. It makes so much sense that we would doubt our ability to experience these things that historically were always accompanied by a buzz. The truth is that the buzz was a buffer. The booze was blurring the fullness of each experience and setting the bar lower and lower. This is where we take back our joy and reestablish our baseline. All of life’s most yummy endeavors (think creativity, sex, exploration, self-expression, human connection, celebration, and love) are innately joyful. They do not require additives. This month is a chance to return to the delicious origin of pleasure. Our raw awareness holds the key to unlocking new levels of happiness.

It’s all about what we expect to find. Take for instance going to see a movie starring your favorite actor. You’ve already made up your mind-it will be great. This preconceived notion that what awaits you will be inspiring and enjoyable has you waltzing into the theater with grand expectation. You’re excited. You’re open to being wowed. You’re expecting to be satisfied. This expectation has increased the likelihood of your joy before the previews even start rolling. Now, imagine going to see a movie that your friend or partner has convinced you to see with them starring an actor that you have always found to be a bit annoying or overrated. Before you even get in line for popcorn you’re expecting to spend the next two hours bored out of your mind and nodding off. You take your seat, already wishing for the whole thing to end so you can get to YOUR joy-the sushi dinner afterwards. You’ve all but eliminated your capacity to enjoy the film by assuming it will confirm your suspicion that not even armageddon can elicit a believable performance from (insert you-know-who).

This is the choice we have for Dry January.

Can you choose to expect that you will find new ideas about joy? Can you choose to believe that alcohol was never the gatekeeper of fun?

As we move through this month, pay attention to the preconceived notions you have about alcohol and it’s role in your life. This is information. Every time you find yourself doubting the enjoyability of a moment that doesn’t include booze ask where that’s coming from. Could it be that it’s just a familiar routine and making a different choice makes you feel uncertain of the outcome? Can you lean into the excitement of that uncertainty instead of fearing it? Instead of resisting the new experience what if you welcomed it? What if you sought it out with vigor?

Remember when we were kids and we got a new toy, a new contraption for Christmas? When I was about eight years old I became obsessed with the idea of remote control vehicles. The idea that I could pilot a plane or drive a miniature army tank with the push of a button was wildly exciting to me. I held the remote in my hand and felt like an all-powerful conductor of space and time. Turn right, then left, stop on a dime, jump this shitty ramp I made with my sister out of dirt and rocks. “What if I push THIS button?” Super speed, baby. When is the last time that you pushed a button that you weren’t sure of? When is the last time you let the unknown leave you in awe?

There are certainly practical tips I could give you for Dry January. Stock up on delicious drinks that feel “adult” and “special.” I personally love NA bubbly wine like French Bloom or an alcohol-removed red like Oceano Zero. There are endless varieties of CBD seltzers and non-alcoholic beers and fun adaptogenic bevvies with functional ingredients that might tickle your fancy. I could encourage you to get active, use your newfound energy and solid sleep to jumpstart a new physical activity (ya’ll already know I’m a sucker for a hot yoga studio). There’s plenty of evidence that journaling and meditation can help us relax and manifest new experiences in our lives. All of these are great and I do suggest you open yourself up to all the self care rituals you can muster this month-but don’t get so bent on changing your entire lifestyle that you miss the unfolding. Don’t forget to leave room for the spontaneity and surprise that awaits you this month.

There is something so magical, so juicy, so undeniably rewarding about doing things we previously thought required alcohol…completely sober. There’s something about moving through all of these moments in complete presence that opens up the possibility of more joy, more satisfaction. In a way, this break from alcohol is a return to some kind of childlike wonder, a return to the simple pleasures in life. Finding awe in the ordinary is the gateway to the extraordinary. When we allow our bodies and minds to come home to a natural, healthy rhythm we begin tuning into our most authentic frequency. This frequency aligns us with the people, places, and purpose we crave.

My hope for you this month and beyond as you experiment with drinking less and living more is that you will remain curious. Curiosity is the seed of all beautiful things. Curiosity is the place you were born and the place we will all return to eventually. Let’s live there now, too.