Reflections on Dry January

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My year typically ends with the glorious weeklong binge-fest in that magical time between Christmas and New Years, where there is no responsibility, no expectations, and certainly no end of homemade treats and Bailey’s infused coffee.

Although I love this time to let loose and truly indulge, it comes at the expense of making it even harder to get back on track for January.

A part of my motivation for Dry January was due to the gyms being shut down from Covid. I reasoned that if I was not exercising as regularly, I could lose a few pounds to make the return to Crossfit a little easier. So I decided to eat a meat-focused low-carb diet, which included saying no to alcohol.

The Hard Part

I’m not going to sit here and tell you it was a piece of cake to completely cut out the booze. It wasn’t. The transition time between the Holiday indulgence and the January reset was the most difficult. I didn’t return to work until the 4th, so it required a fair amount of self-talk to say no to the Baileys in the coffee in the morning and the afternoon espresso martini. 

But after a couple of days, I started feeling better and happier. My bloating went down, my brain fog cleared, my skin looked great, and I had more energy.

Choosing not to drink got easier each day, and after a week, it was smooth sailing. That was until my friend’s birthday dinner.

Make one decision that saves 100

During my friend’s dinner, we played board games and had a jolly time. They ordered sushi, and I cooked a steak and some carrots (staying true to the low-carb diet). Everything was great until they pulled out a beautiful bottle of champagne and asked if I wanted some. Even though I would always choose a smooth Red over a glass of bubbly, this champagne was calling my name. They said I could just have a little, and it would all be okay. 

However, I knew this was the deciding point. This decision would either break my goal or set the stage for a strong rest of the month. In general, I have always struggled with moderation; I do much better at being all in or altogether avoiding an item.

Years ago, I heard about this concept from Tim Ferriss that I have relied on countless times. Make one decision that saves 100. 

I made the decision that I was not drinking in January. Not a bottle, not a single sip.

 So even though the micro-bubbles of that beautiful champagne were singing to me, I had already made my decision. I didn’t need to contemplate and have an internal battle. Instead, I made the one decision that saved many others. I said no to booze for all of January.

The most interesting finding

Typically I do not drink a lot. But I really do enjoy the taste. On average, I would have 2-3 drinks a week. What I found during this month was that I used drinking as a crutch and a blanket to hide deeper feelings. Alcohol was used as a scapegoat to hide from and not deal with deeper issues.

In the past, after a long week, I would have a delicious Old-Fashioned. Or, if it was a particularly rough Wednesday, my wife and I would open a bottle of wine with dinner.

Even though there was no real harm in this, it did have a detrimental effect which I did not realize until I stopped drinking. 

By not drinking, I had to devise another way to clear my mental cache. Now, when I had a rough Wednesday or a long week, I needed to address the cause. By doing this, I was able to see patterns of what was stressing me out. These patterns were obvious in hindsight, but I couldn’t see them before. I couldn’t see them because I didn’t look.

Results

Over the 31 days of January, I did not drink, and after the first few days, I did not miss it at all. Over the month, I lost 7 pounds, I had better energy, my fitness improved, my focus was clearer, and my skin looked great. 

Advice

I think we should all remove vices from our life for a while to make sure they aren’t addictions.

I personally do not think alcohol is inherently bad or inherently good. Like many things, the poison is in the dose and how you use it. 

I think alcohol can be enjoyed with friends and family, and you can simply enjoy the taste and complexity of it. However, I do not believe it should be relied on or used to mask deeper issues.

So I challenge you to try a dry month and see what reflections and realizations you may have.