Dryuary (also known as Dry January or Drynuary) is when people abstain from drinking alcohol during the month of January, especially after the excesses of the holidays. Participation normally arises on the 1st January from all walks of life along with phrases like ‘I will never drink again (…for the next 31 days)’.
Many people take part in Dryuary as a way to kick start a healthier lifestyle as a new year begins. As I approach nearly twenty four months alcohol-free, I wanted to touch on what dryuary means to me now that I am dry all year round. Here’s my key January/Dryuary beats:
1. Healthy reboot
2. Routine reestablisher
3. Resolutions affirmed
1. Healthy reboot
First off, it is important to note that even sober people pick up bad habits over the holidays. Bad habits that need a kick up the bum with the dawn of a new year. For many people, the holiday period is filled with over-indulgence of both booze and food. For me, while booze wasn’t part of the equation, my holiday season was still filled with plenty of over-indulgence. In fact, with so many people being merry (read: drunk) around me, I tended to overindulge on the desserts, chocolate raisins and cheese boards.
In fact, I believe I over-over-indulge at Christmas in order to console myself over the lack of drinking I am doing. And the missing out of delicious alcoholic delights like Baileys, boozey egg nog, champagne and mateus rose. As I acknowledge the lack of drink-based treats, I give myself permission to go hog wild in other areas. Chocolate Santa’s, Christmas Pudding, Mince Pies, Pigs in Blankets…
As such, my Dryuary now consists more significantly of healthy eating and cleansing my system from all the sugar, pastry and butter I’d choffed throughout December. Many friends do their Dryuary as part of a larger regimen like the Whole 30 which forbids consumption of alcohol as well as sugar, grains, dairy and legumes. (I have done it several times and find it to be a very effective way to shift eating behaviors. Not this year, but I am a believer.) This year I am focusing more on fasting alongside reducing overall caloric intake to help shift some lbs and give my digestive system a break. I try and do a four day water fast the first week in January and this year was no exception. Nothing but herbal tea, black coffee and water for 96 hours. It does wonders for my health, shutting down my digestive system for a period of time has a number of proven benefits. Keeping on the fasting kick, I am following the water fast up with a 23:1 fast over a number of days enjoying just a single hour of eating in a 24 hour period. I eat just one meal a day (over a number of days) and make that meal something super light and healthy such as a homemade vegetable soup with wholewheat bread. #healthyreboot
2. Routine reestablisher
Another casualty of the holiday season is my sense of routine and my religious adherence to a daily ritual. With family visiting for the holidays, kids off school and a general sense of vacation-mode, it is hard to maintain the daily routines that help keep me sane.
As such, Dryuary is a return to routine. And in order to make that a reality, it consists of other things that many Dryuary participants also enjoy:
- Early nights, more sleep, better sleep.
- Less partying, more calm activities like reading.
- More tea drinking which, if herbal, can also promote a sense of wellbeing (see: multipliers)
- Re-engagement in exercise and increased activity
For me, this all means reengaging my morning ritual with rigor in all its glory; hot water with freshly squeezed lemon, sipping this hot drink while listening to affirmations, finishing up with full body push ups and kettlebell squats. Over the holiday period, this routine was still done daily but done much quicker and with less severity.
Dryuary sees me step back up to this routine in the name of sobriety, sanity and a swimming pool worthy-bod.
3. Resolutions affirmed
Do you know that while 39% of us make resolutions in January, only 9% of us actually achieve our goals? Well, my #1 resolution for 2023 is to maintain my sobriety and alcohol-free lifestyle and I am 100% certain that I will achieve that goal. Here’s more stats:
- 38.5% of US adults set New Year’s resolutions every year.
- 59% of young adults (18-34) have New Year’s resolutions, which makes it the largest demographic that sets these goals.
- 48% want to exercise more, making it the most popular New Year’s resolution. The top 3 are all health-related.
- 23% quit in the first week, and only 36% make it past the first month.
- 9% successfully keep their New Year’s resolutions.
- 54% of parents with children have New Year’s resolutions, which is 1.6 times more than those who don’t have kids.
Top New Years Resolutions are (according to Forbes) around improving mental health, getting more exercise, eating more healthily, being more financial careful and quitting drinking.
Resolutions are a great way to set an intention for the year and to reflect on improvements you seek to see in yourself or your environment. They offer a reset of sorts from one year to the next and can be a great way to kick start a new hobby. I remember in 2009, my New Year's Resolution was to take ballet lessons which I managed for about a month before realizing my ballet dreams were already over as a novice at age 29 and 145lbs. 🤔 But it was a fun little experiment and made for good cocktail conversations.
This New Year's Resolutions are much simpler:
- Stay resolute in my decision to quit drinking
- Stick religiously to my morning ritual
- As a part of my daily ritual, keep up with my kettlebell squats and push ups
- Reduce other addictive elements from my diet: coffee and chocolate raisins
- Drink more tea, replacing a cup of coffee a day with a herbal tea
Oh and one more:
- Keep up (ungrudgingly) with the guitar lessons 🎸
See you on the other side!