The pledge to go alcohol-free to kick off the new year can make or break some people.
“I’m going to try,” said South Loop resident Melissa Smith, 42. “But we will see if I fold like a cheap tent at the first social gathering.”
Still, the monthlong New Year’s resolution called “Dry January” has definite benefits, doctors and participants say.
It can lead to weight loss, higher energy levels and build camaraderie between people as they reevaluate their relationship with alcohol.
“There’s no risk to quitting drinking,” said Dr. Josephine Dlugopolski-Gach, regional director of primary care at Loyola Medicine. “Most things have a risk and a benefit. This can only benefit, and you might be surprised how great you feel by the end of the month.”
A growing number of sober-curious people have sparked Chicago-area businesses that sell exclusively nonalcoholic cocktails, spirits, wines and beers. Creative nonalcoholic drinks have also been added to the menu at some bars and restaurants.
Dry January has been around for more than a decade — beginning in the United Kingdom — but has become even more popular post-2020, after people noticed an uptick in their drinking during the pandemic.
Tony Ho Tran, an Avondale resident, started doing a “dry February” in 2021, because he celebrates his birthday in January.
He says he sees “undeniable” physical and mental health benefits and was shocked at the decrease in his anxiety levels.
“It’s important to take a break every now and again in order to remind yourself that you don’t need alcohol in order to have fun and enjoy yourself,” the 31-year-old said.
His friends are also joining this year.
“They say misery loves company,” Tran laughed.
Better quality REM sleep and lower blood pressure can also be benefits, doctors say.
Long-term binge drinking or frequent social drinking can have lasting effects, including a potential for diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiomyopathy and liver issues, said Dr. Danesh Alam, an addiction psychiatrist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages can affect mental health, too. Alcohol can create unbalanced levels of dopamine that can eventually make happiness unable to be replicated without drinking, Dlugopolski-Gach said.
Jonathan Pilsner, a 40-year-old attorney, said he is trying to abstain from drinking this month. He’s noticed options for nonalcoholic beverages have increased in social settings.
“If you are out with people and want to socialize but you don’t just want to sit there with a can of Coke or water, there are other things that you can pick and still feel like you’re part of the group,” Pilsner said.
“It’s pretty ironic my last name is a beer,” said Pilsner. “Maybe I’m not living up to my name anymore, but I’m totally OK with it.”
Hector Diaz was inspired to quit drinking after being diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2021.
“Once I got sick, it was just kind of a big moment for me to say I really need to fully evaluate my habits, my health choices,” Diaz said. “No drinking was just a very obvious one to me.”
The 33-year-old opened In Good Spirits, an alcohol-free bottle shop and bar in West Town, with his fiancée Adriana Gaspar, who also doesn’t drink alcohol.
Diaz, who has recovered after treatments, opened the brick-and-mortar space in July.
Marz Brewing Co. brews its own beers and sells in several states, aside from its two locations in Bridgeport and Logan Square. It has an extensive menu of nonalcoholic drinks, said owner Ed Marszewski.
“In my opinion, it’s a golden age for this kind of functional beverage and nonalcoholic beverages,” he said.
He’s noticed a growing demand for alcohol-free drinks in the Chicago area. The company’s sales team noted a pickup in nonalcoholic beverage sales in December and predicts it will continue throughout the month.
Foxtrot, a popular Chicago-born chain that sells alcohol, coffee, grocery and cafe items, has capitalized on the nonalcoholic beverage trend in the last three years.
A few days into the year, the first shelving display at a Lincoln Park Foxtrot brims with a “N/A All Day” sign and brightly colored alcohol-free drinking options, including spritzers, wine and beer. A store manager says while it serves some nonalcoholic beverages year-round, it stocks more in January and place them up front.
The newer attitude toward drinking and the availability of fun drinks may be able to lower the stigma about sobriety as an “attractive lifestyle,” Tran said.
“We’ve spent so long drilling it into our kids to resist peer pressure, but when we grow up we kind of forget that. Especially when it comes to alcohol, we need to remember it’s totally fine that people don’t want to drink.”
