What happens after Dry January?

Experts discuss whether 30 days is long enough to see the benefits of kicking alcohol

- JEN MCNEELY

Cravings, as well as symptoms of withdrawal such as insomnia, irritability and anxiety, can persist for weeks or months after someone removes an addictive substance, like alcohol.

PEXELS

Dry January generally attracts three types. There are the health fanatics who never drank much to begin with (they’ve already cut back on sugar and meat, and alcohol is next). There are people who are feel they’re drinking too much and are starting to question their relationship with alcohol, or know in their heart they should stop. And there are the binge drinkers who take the month off, somewhat begrudgingly, because December was a mess and a significant other or friend group is fed up.

In any case, “failure rate” is normal, especially if you’ve been a heavy drinker for a long time. If you’ve had a slip or two, don’t beat yourself up. If you’re counting down the days until you can drink again, looking forward to book club, a dinner reservation, Feb. 1, that’s common.

Perhaps you find yourself consumed with the thought of that first drink, obsessing over it. For me, it would have been red wine. Any kind. I wasn’t picky.

I drank voraciously and recklessly for 17 years. During that period there were many patches of short-term sobriety, sometimes for a week, sometimes three. But something would get in the way — a birthday, a work event, Friday night — and I’d start drinking again.