In the ultimate kickoff to Dry January, outgoing US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced a link between alcohol consumption and seven types of cancer at the beginning of the year. While Congress may never act on his recommendation to add new warning labels on bottles, the message lands at a time when Americans’ opinions about alcohol have already been shifting.
A 2024 Gallup poll found that 65% of adults between 18 and 34 said drinking was bad for your health, a 35-point increase since 2001. Current US dietary guidelines suggest women limit themselves to one drink a day and men to two, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that drinking more can lead to liver and heart disease; the World Health Organization has even said “there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.” And for many people alcohol remains a serious problem. Nearly 29 million people in the United States reported alcohol use disorder within the past year, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
No wonder the “sober curious” movement is attracting interest. A growing number of young Americans participated in Dry January in 2025 by abstaining or cutting back on their drinking to see if they could experience benefits such as better sleep quality and improved energy levels. Even for those who didn’t stay sober for the full month, research has shown that a dryer January often means lower alcohol consumption in the following months. A 2024 study found that half of the 18- to 29-year-olds who participated in an abstinence challenge reported lower subsequent alcohol consumption; 15% said they quit drinking completely.
While a monthly challenge like Dry January provides a healthy start to the year, maintaining that momentum can be daunting given the omnipresence of alcohol in modern life at after-work gatherings, happy hours, weddings, sports games and social events. If you made it through January and want to stay dry or just drink a little less going forward, here’s a modest guide to a more soberish lifestyle.
Making a sober habit stick is about consistency
Traditional addiction treatment programs may not be the right fit for the sober curious. Judson Brewer, a professor and director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, recommends a different approach.
Shift how you think about alcohol in three key ways, Brewer said. First, recognize how your drinking negatively impacts you, whether it’s due to physical symptoms or in your relationship dynamics. Next, think about what triggers your desire to drink, such as feeling awkward in social settings or a desire to unwind. Lastly, find something else that’s enjoyable you can do, such as ordering a nonalcoholic beverage at a bar, going for a walk after work or savouring another indulgence.
Repetition is the real key to success, said Wendy Wood, a University of Southern California professor and author of the behaviour-change book Good Habits, Bad Habits; resisting urges also requires determination, desire, and mental energy, added Robert Schlauch, an associate professor of psychology at the University of South Florida. Schlauch said motivation can come from focusing on future positive scenarios, such as how much money you’ll save or how much sharper you’ll feel at work. People with alcohol use disorder who imagined positive future events were found to drink about two drinks less than a control group, according to one 2022 study. In another study, a group of college students who were asked to think about their future academic goals also moderately curbed their alcohol consumption.
Alcohol-free socialising doesn’t have to feel awkward
Socializing without alcohol can seem daunting to the newly sober, especially in settings where you would traditionally be drinking, such as meeting friends at a bar.
For sober-curious individuals, feeling different from other people around you can make sobriety challenging. Humans are social creatures who “fear judgment from others,” Brewer said, and that fear can lead to distress. Experiencing negative emotions including anxiety or sadness can increase after someone stops drinking because part of their identity is changing, according to Schlauch.
Ordering a nonalcoholic beverage can go a long way towards making you feel comfortable in a bar since it will help you blend in with the crowd and, at the very least, give you something to hold. As Brewer likes to point out, seltzer looks like a vodka soda.
Boredom can be another mental hurdle that sometimes leads back to drinking, as many people experienced during the pandemic. And willpower alone won’t necessarily get you through. Schlauch recommends joining a social network that supports your priorities, such as a run club or the sober dance party group Daybreaker. Doing so will help fill your free time while you stick to your goals.
Alternatives to alcohol are everywhere
While seltzer is certainly one option, there’s an expanding universe of nonalcoholic beverages to explore. Products such as the Athletic Brewing Co.’s nonalcoholic beers and the nonalcoholic apéritif Ghia have become household names. Even big alcohol brands such as Budweiser, Heineken and Guinness are jostling to get in on the growing market for nonalcoholic beer.
Bars increasingly offer dedicated “NA” menus and some are entirely booze-free, such as Sans Bar in Austin, Texas, and Mockingbird in Brooklyn, New York. Not surprisingly, better-tasting beverages mean you’re more likely to order them again, according to Wood.
You can also go the DIY route. Australia-based mocktail influencer Natalie Battaglia suggests mixing in sparkling water, apple cider vinegar and kombucha or tea to replace a cocktail’s signature bite. Recipe books and social media posts are filled with ideas, too, like the magnesium-infused “sleepy girl mocktail” trend that took off in 2024.
For people looking to simply cut down on their drinking but not give it up entirely, there are approaches such as “zebra striping” (alternating between an alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage while drinking) or saving alcohol only for weekends. Some even lean into the “California sober” lifestyle, swapping alcohol with cannabis (sometimes in beverage form), which varies in legality depending on where you live and comes with its own set of health risks. Keep in mind Wood said she’s unaware of evidence that weekend-only drinking, “zebra striping” or going California sober will help lower your alcohol consumption long term. And obviously from a health perspective, eliminating alcohol intake altogether is the boldest move of all.