When Sober Curious Strikes Past Dry January

In the beginning of 2025, the previous US Surgeon Basic issued an advisory on the hyperlink between alcohol consumption and cancer risk. Whereas it is a sobering name to motion, there isn’t any denying that sober curiosity has elevated lately. From Dry January to extra manufacturers creating alcohol-free drinks to the rise of mainstream mocktails, now greater than ever even informal drinkers have gotten sober curious and inspecting their relationship with alcohol.

Final 12 months in Episode 146 of the FBG Podcast, Sobriety Coach, and Founding father of Sober Wild, Krysty Krywko, Ed.D, joined our EIC Alison for an interview on sobriety. At the moment we’re persevering with this dialog with Krysty. Dry January has handed however actually not the questions on what we are able to do if we’re eager about a sober (fully alcohol free), or damp (a discount in alcohol consumption), life. 

Tam: Ought to we method ingesting as all or nothing, particularly if we’re sober curious?

Krysty: I believe it’s a really private resolution, however when you’re any form of an everyday drinker (which means three or 4 nights per week “simply to unwind”) then alcohol is impacting the way in which you are feeling – mentally, emotionally, and bodily – your physique simply doesn’t know there’s one other manner. For those who’re not ingesting throughout the week, however then ingesting a few bottles of wine over the weekend, you by no means actually get the possibility to see how your physique and thoughts reacts to no alcohol. Anna Lembke, in her ebook, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, talks about how “abstaining from our drug of alternative for no less than 4 weeks offers clarifying behaviors. Perception that merely shouldn’t be attainable whereas we proceed to make use of.” In different phrases, you don’t have any concept how shitty you actually really feel if you’re utilizing a substance that’s making you are feeling shitty. It often takes just a few weeks to your physique to regulate to the truth that you’re now not consuming a poisonous substance.

Tam: Are there issues/finest practices to go from Dry January to extra of a Damp February and past? 

Krysty: So, I don’t actually know the reply to that query, it actually is determined by what your motivation was for Dry January. Was the plan to only see when you may make it with out ingesting for 30 days? Or had been you in search of actual well being advantages? Or did you understand that your ingesting has elevated over the previous few years and you understand you wanted to take a break?

Moderation, which is basically what Damp February is all about, doesn’t work for lots of people. For those who spend a variety of time bargaining with your self at any time when alcohol is concerned, which ends up in a variety of “guidelines” round your ingesting, you may wish to take a step again.

You won’t even pay attention to these guidelines. They’ve simply develop into a part of your interior chatter. That chatter may sound like this:
I’m not going to drink on my own.
No ingesting earlier than 5:00 p.m.
No arduous alcohol throughout the week
I’m solely going to drink white wine (or beer, or vodka, and so on.)
I can’t have greater than two drinks on per week night time.
I can’t drink greater than two nights in a row. 

The top days of my ingesting had been crammed with elaborate and arcane guidelines that had been continually shifting as I broke one after one other. I used to be letting myself down each day, and that form of self-disappointment was like a relentless stream of micro-cuts to my soul.

Take a second and take into consideration why you’re placing so many guidelines round your ingesting. You may simply determine that it’s now not price it.

Tam: If somebody is studying this pondering “I should not have an issue with my alcohol consumption however wish to take a extra aware method to what I eat/drink,” what questions must be explored when eager about alcohol consumption? 

Krysty: One of many first issues we have to do is transfer away from the language round ingesting and the assumption that there are “downside drinkers” after which everybody else. This results in disgrace, stigma, and judgement.

A way more helpful, and life like, mannequin to make use of in relation to speaking about alcohol is the thought of ingesting occurring on a spectrum. That’s the place the thought of “grey space drinker” emerged from, which encompasses everybody from the every-now-and-then drinker to those that are bodily hooked on alcohol. The fantastic thing about this mannequin is that you simply don’t must hit any type of a all-time low earlier than you may discover your relationship with alcohol, you get to determine at any level on the spectrum what’s best for you.

For those who’re able to get sincere with the function alcohol performs in your life, I might counsel sitting down with a pen and paper and answering the next questions. Get inquisitive about your self, and take the time to reply truthfully. Don’t cloud your responses with disgrace, or judgement, or what your bestie goes to suppose. That is about you and the one life that you’ve got, and whether or not or not you desire a poisonous substance to play a task within the creation of that life. 

Is alcohol nonetheless working for me?
How is alcohol making me really feel?
What areas of my life has alcohol taken over?
Does ingesting align with the particular person I’m now?
What would “future you” inform “current you” on this scenario?

Tam: What if our associates have gone again to ingesting after Dry January, however we try to proceed. Do you’ve got recommendations/suggestions for easy methods to make this a part of my life-style with my ingesting associates? 

Krysty: You may want to seek out new associates – haha. However, severely, if your mates really respect and help you within the choices you make in your life, then it shouldn’t be an issue. However, in the event that they’re regularly attempting to push you to start out ingesting once more, whining that you simply’re not enjoyable anymore, or that one shot of tequila gained’t do any hurt, then you definately may must rethink who you’re spending time with. That you must work out for your self what you wish to do with the time that you’ve got, and the individuals you spend it with. 

Moreover, in case your buddy group is closely immersed in ingesting tradition – which means most social actions revolve round alcohol – then you definately may want to seek out some new peeps that love to do various things.

Tam: Any favourite “drink” hacks to exchange that Friday night time cocktail? 

Krysty: I’m essentially the most primary sober particular person round – and I’m proud of ingesting a seltzer on my sofa to unwind after a busy week. However, I do know that individuals have completely different wants, and I get that within the early days of going alcohol-free you may want one thing somewhat extra thrilling. Fortunately, the alcohol-free market is on hearth! There are such a lot of merchandise available on the market – suppose flavored seltzers, glowing teas, alcohol-free beers, wines, and spirits, kombuchas – I actually may go on and on. I’m regularly impressed on the locations the place I discover alcohol-free drinks – Goal, Dealer Joe’s, Complete Meals, common grocery shops, and native alcohol-free bottle retailers are beginning to provide such all kinds. My solely warning is be intentional when utilizing alcohol-free merchandise, particularly issues like alcohol-free wine or beer. For those who’re downing a bottle of alcohol-free wine most nights of the week, it’s form of like ripping off one bandage and placing on one other, and also you may wish to discover why you’re caught in the identical behaviors. 

Did you do Dry January this 12 months and keep a dry or damp February? What’s your sober curious hack? ~ Tam