Alcohol delivers sensory pleasure, social connection, global subcultures, and powerful neurochemical effects that create warmth and cheer even amid societal stress. Drawbacks include hangovers and a range of negative health associations, yet those concerns do not necessarily deter continued consumption. Participation in Dry January has grown since 2011 and may involve up to a quarter of Americans, although self-reports can overstate participation. A month without drinking can provide a liver break, prompt reevaluation of drinking habits, and increase appreciation for alcohol when resumed. Improved quality of non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits in recent years makes temporary abstinence more interesting and accessible.
"I love pretty much everything about alcohol: The flavors, the conviviality, the global subcultures it fosters, and its power to blast the synapses of the human nervous system in such a way that it makes us feel warm and full of cheer even in a time when the world is melting down around us. That said, there are a few things about alcohol I don't particularly celebrate with a similar ardor."
"Last year, I found I rather liked Dry January, the unexpected legacy of a British woman who first gave up drinking for a month in January of 2011 as part of her training for a half-marathon. She couldn't have known at the time that her own little personal challenge would grow into a massively popular tiptoe into modern teetotaling, one that potentially up to a quarter of all Americans now engage with,"
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