Tell Us

Tell us: Are you doing Dry January?

For many, the monthlong sobriety challenge is just the thing to start the New Year.

Mika Klos-Shakaid prepares a zero-proof cocktail behind the bar of Shy Bird in Boston. With an increasing demand for nonalcoholic drinks, Shy Bird has stepped up their game, now offering several options to their customers. Erin Clark/Globe Staff

By Zipporah Osei

January 3, 2024

After a month of holiday celebrations featuring festive cocktails, spiked eggnog, and champagne, the New Year can be a time for a hard reset. For a growing number of Americans, that means taking on the Dry January challenge.

The goal is to spend the first month of the year alcohol-free as a way to build better habits, spend less money, and be more liver- and heart-healthy. Many of the top New Year’s resolutions of 2024 involve living a healthier lifestyle and monthlong sobriety has become a popular way to get a step closer to those goals, whatever they may be.

An estimated 15 to 19 percent of adults in the country are taking on Dry January and the challenge is most popular among Millenials and Gen X. On social media, you’ll find influencers sharing recipes for alcohol-free drinks and hashtags touting the “sober curious” lifestyle. Generally, young adults drink less than previous generations and the oldest among Gen Z are stepping away from drinking as the center of their social activities at higher rates.

Thankfully for sober and sober curious alike, there’s no shortage of alcohol-free fun to be had in Boston this January or any other month.

Alcohol and nightlife businesses have noticed the trend and are capitalizing on it by whipping up mocktails and hosting sober-friendly events. Here in Boston, Dray Drinks, a newly opened South End non-alcoholic bottle shop, is promising to be a space for non-alcoholic taste testing, mixology sessions, mixers, and more.

Tell us: Are you doing Dry January? If this is your first time, what motivated you to take on the monthlong sobriety challenge? If it’s a yearly tradition, what keeps you coming back?

We also want to know if Boston is an easy city to do Dry January or if the fear of missing out on a full social life makes the challenge harder. Share your thoughts and experiences with Boston.com by filling out the survey below or e-mailing us at [email protected].

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