If you’ve decided to take a month away from drinking, you’re likely not alone. About 15% of U.S. adults reported they would participate in Dry January last year.
The popularity of Dry January and Sober October brings certain advantages: bars are more likely to have a mocktail selection than they were a decade ago, and your friends will have heard of the concept of a dry month, even if they aren’t interested in trying one themselves.
But changing habits around alcohol is still challenging, and the odds of success are higher if you go in with a plan, said Dr. Jeremy Kidd, a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s addiction council.
While many people can stop or curtail drinking on their own, others need support from a doctor or mental health professional, he said.
Dry January presents an opportunity for people to reconsider the role alcohol plays in their lives, he noted, but the same strategies work regardless of the season.
Kidd recommended the following 10 tips for a successful Dry January:
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- If one month seems daunting, try going without alcohol for a week, and then reassess.
- Set a specific goal, either to stop drinking altogether or not to exceed a certain number of drinks per day or week. Most of us don’t do well at keeping vague resolutions, such as that we want to “get healthy.”
- If you’ve noticed alcohol is primarily affecting one area of your life — say, that you argue more with your partner when you’ve been drinking — you might set your goal based on that. For example, in that situation, you can decide not to drink in situations that tend to be stressful.
- If you aren’t sure how much you drink, consider keeping track for a week. Keep in mind that drinks you buy at restaurants and bars may include more than one serving of alcohol.
- Ask your partner or a friend to support you in reducing your drinking.
- Come up with a plan to refuse if someone offers you a drink. You don’t have to give an explanation for why you aren’t drinking if you don’t want to. If you expect serious pressure, you could keep a nonalcoholic drink in your hand to deter offers.
- Consider how you’ll handle people, places and emotions that might tempt you to drink. Avoiding them may be the easiest approach in the short term.
- If you can’t avoid a triggering situation, remind yourself why you aren’t drinking, and that cravings fade.
- Remove alcohol from your home, and come up with alternative activities when you normally would drink.
- If you slip up, start again and don’t beat yourself up. Try again, and consider asking for more support.
People who have been drinking heavily every day for an extended time shouldn’t try to quit drinking on their own, because they risk dangerous withdrawal symptoms such as seizures and hallucinations, Kidd said. Medication can ease the withdrawal process.
Some people who don’t experience withdrawal nonetheless report the first few days can be rough, with more difficulty falling asleep and increased irritability. (Alcohol slows down the central nervous system, so when you take that away, the brain needs time to adjust.) Over time, though, most people report better sleep and more energy, and some have reduced anxiety or depression after a few months without drinking.
Even if a person doesn’t have physical symptoms, giving up drinking can bring up uncomfortable feelings that the alcohol temporarily soothed, Kidd said. If that happens, working with a mental health professional can help you learn healthier coping skills when anxiety or depression appear, he said.
“That gives them a chance to have a conversation with someone about how to manage that anxiety,” he said.
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The Denver Post is part of the Mental Health Parity Collaborative, a group of newsrooms that are covering stories on mental health care access and inequities in the U.S. The partners on this project include The Carter Center, The Center for Public Integrity and newsrooms in select states across the country.