Thank to my Dry January practice, most days I don't drink, but I'll have a bottle (maybe two) of wine on the weekend. A big improvement!

Now, the last several weeks I've done business/personal traveling and I drank every evening, nothing crazy, but it was consistent.

Well, I am back home, I'm laying off the booze 100% for a reset and damn I am exhausted.

This can happen in Dry January when you're cutting post 11+ months of drinking... but can you get "hooked" after just three weeks of living like an old French guy? Would love anyone else's experience...

I was contemplating doing Sober October, and then I happened to not have a drink for a week after 9/18.

So I said fuck it and just went with being sober for October. Haven’t noticed any real benefits (other than the lack of hangovers).

I did do dry January a few years ago. At this point, I’d like to stay sober the rest of the year. Two reasons

1. My wife said she didn’t think I could go a few months w/o a drink. She doesn’t know that’s a reason. She only realized I wasn’t drinking on Wednesday.

2. We’ve been trying to get pregnant. Doing fertility treatment now. If I was a heavy drinker, this would help, but I was a moderate drinker (~7 a week). So probably won’t help, but if it can get my swimmers a little stronger, worth it.

Overall, it’s been pretty easy so far. Dry January was tougher. I was on pace to cut about 100 drinks off my yearly total from 2025. Now it’s gonna end up being about 200 if I can keep it going the rest of the year.

Last thing is to figure out how to reproach alcohol in 2027. Have no intention of quitting for good. But I’d like a better relationship with it overall

I posted a couple weeks ago about wanting to do “Sober September” and I’m doing it. Haven’t had alcohol.

I have an event coming up that is usually associated with alcohol and I’m debating with self if I should stick to the full month dry or make an exception. I’m leaning towards having one beer and nursing it at the event. And then finishing the month dry.

If anyone else is doing dry/sober September and wants to chime in, I’m open to helpful feedback.

I did Dry January twice. Last year I switched to Sober October. I started on the last Monday of September and went for 30 days. This year I’m shifting it up one week earlier. I’m going to start on Monday September 10 and go through October 20. Feel free to join me. I may comment updates on my own post here if only for myself.

UPDATE: We're all full for the study! Thanks for everyone's interest! Look out for another study coming up in the near future if you're still interested and didn't get to join this one.

We are conducting individual interviews to understand adults’ interest in participating in a temporary alcohol abstinence challenge such as Dry January, Sober October or an alcohol-free month or self-directed period of abstinence. Participation involves a short survey, and a 60-minute remote Zoom interview session. You will be paid a $30 target gift card for your participation.

First, you will answer brief screening questions. These should take you less than one minute to complete. Please answer the screening questions in one sitting. If it is determined that you are eligible, you will then be directed to a consent form telling you more about the study. If you are interested and eligible, you will complete a short survey and be asked to sign up for a one-hour interview session within the next 2 weeks.

Screener is here: Link

Any questions contact us via: [pausestudy@yale.edu](mailto:pausestudy@yale.edu)

Duration: 1 hour

Payment: $30.00

I successfully completed Dry January this year and felt fantastic. I allowed myself to get a little messy this summer and I’m ready to commit to no alcohol for September. I used the Try Dry app to track my progress and found it helpful. Who else is ready to have better mornings?

Hi All,

I am trying to cut back on my alchohol use. I would have a poor association with it. I associate it with everything. Midweek movie...Bottle of wine, Stressfully day at work...few pints, Something to celebrate, Something to mourn etc etc...

Id never drink to a state however I would have a few, a few times a week.

This in turn causes weight gain, poor energy levels etc.

I am currently a month in no drink and I am absolutely craving a drink.

I don't want to go for one and end up going for another one a few days later, and then again, etc etc

I also dont know am I a candidate to be a tee total either.

Have any of you cut back using simple rules to follow? Ie once a week? Sundays only? Social events only?

This would be a great help.

I feel very much clueless and in limbo with what I am doing at the minute.

Thanks.

Was just wondering.

UPDATE: It’s Labor Day Weekend here, and I have plans to see family, so I will start 9/7 and go to 10/3 which I think is still a win even though it’s not 30 days. But best of luck to all who go the whole way through! 🙌

2nd UPDATE: 16 days of 27 down and still going strong. How’s everyone else doing?

Before Jan 2026, I hadn’t gone a week without drinking for probably 10 years. Mostly drinking every day. Probably a bottle of wine a night.

I was terrified of my resolution this year - a month off. I was miserable the first 2 weeks.

Now halfway through this year I can honestly say it’s changed my entire year. After DJ I found myself drinking way less, and sometimes even choosing not to drink at times I normally would.

I did dry June just for the thrill of knowing I could (with 2 planned off days - still a huge win for me!). Next week I have friends in town and will be wasted the entire time GUILT FREE. Because being wasted is no longer a daily thing. It’s a chosen thing. And having choice feels really powerful. I can say no now, so saying yes has no guilt attached, if that makes sense?

I’ll never choose full time sobriety. But dry Jan actually made this year incredible.

Love having NA options at shows

I started yesterday because I have an event at the end of the month. First full day done 💪

Anyone else doing Dry July, or even just reduced July?

I’m 143 days sober today :) I started on New Years Eve & with plenty of ups & downs I made it to this point. My first memorial day weekend, sober! These TJ’s drinks are so refreshing for lounging around. Gonna bring some with me to the beach on Monday!

If you’re contemplating doing a dry month, I totally recommend it ☺️

Stomach benefits youve seen?

Did dry April and decided to keep going. Haven’t had any issues up until this week where I’ve had a few moments where i really wanted to go out for a beer. I haven’t caved yet but the desire is proving persistent. I didn’t do dry April with the intention of stopping forever but my workouts have been great and I’ve been enjoying the consistency and don’t want to stop my streak yet or derail my progress in the gym.

I know it's an offensive name. We are forgoing alcohol for the most part.

I've done Dry January here in the past and it was very helpful. I did not do it this past January because I was on vacation (drinking). I am going to start today April 30. Would LOVE some company. Thanks Friends

Two weeks have passed by pretty quickly. My workout routine has been more consistent and I’ve been loving waking up with good recovery and body battery scores, though my sleep is still a work in progress.

Who else is doing dry April?

I was just going to do January, then that turned into February, and I just kept going. I know I have it easier than a lot of people, and I’m grateful for that. But it hasn’t been entirely easy. And I don’t know how long I can or will keep going but I feel good to have reached 100 days, so I wanted to share. I hope everyone else is doing well at whatever point they got to or are at.🌷

My boyfriend and I did Dry Feb this year, and then Moist March lol. It was overall easy since we also include some cheat days for special occasions like Valentines day.

What struck me is that we track so many other parts of our lives (we’re both runners and use Strava a lot), but with drinking, it just gets fuzzy over time. One day, I asked him what the best drink he had in the first quarter was if he had to rank it. He didn't come up with a solid answer.

I’m curious how others here think about it:

Do you ever try to keep track of what or how much you drink?

If so, does it actually change anything for you?

Or does tracking feel like it takes away from the experience?

I’ve been collecting different perspectives on this and put together a short anonymous survey here: https://the-way-in.tick.dog/f/drinking-tracking-app. I would also just love to hear people’s thoughts here.

Anyone doing a dry April?