Here’s Why ‘Dry January’ Is The Dumbest Commitment You Can Make In 2020

If you’re anything like me, you look forward to every social gathering with your friends because there’s nothing better than good conversation, a glass of wine, and a few great memories to look back on one day. There’s something about having a drink while catching up with someone that makes your time together that much more enjoyable. I know we all tend to overdo it at Christmas, eating way too many carbs and sweets and drinking way too much wine because we feel as though “it’s Christmas” so it’s fine. But to those of you who decide to completely quit alcohol for 30 days, I will never really understand the point.

Instead of going hard in December and then completely becoming an anti-social hermit for the entire month of January, we need to understand the importance of balance. Everything is fine in moderation, and if drinking wine with your friends is something you enjoy, don’t make yourself miserable for an entire month. Setting reasonable and attainable goals is the way we can be successful in what we achieve. Instead of committing to Dry January, why don’t you decide to only have alcohol on the weekends? Or instead of doing Whole 30, why don’t you make a goal to eat clean 5-6 days a week with one or two days to be a normal human?

If I ever went 31 days without wine, I know I would drink like a fish on day 32 because “I’m finally allowed to.” I don’t find this to be a healthy relationship with alcohol. You don’t need to earn your drinks by giving them up for a month. As long as you don’t overdo it, it’s perfectly normal to enjoy wine, even during the month of January. I know for a fact that some of you who are giving up alcohol this month are saying no to certain social gatherings because you would just be sitting there with a glass of water, wishing you were having a drink. So now you’re not only missing out on quality time with people you love, but you’re also just sitting at home wishing you weren’t. That sounds totally miz.

For those of you who have indeed committed to Dry January, before you start hating me for this post, I want you to know that I do understand your reasoning. You can lose weight without alcohol. You’ll wake up feeling wonderfully refreshed every single day of the month. You’ll feel as though you accomplished something huge. I still find all of that to be bullshit. If I workout and eat healthy, I can still lose weight, even if I have wine a couple nights a week. If I have less than three glasses of wine, I’ll still wake up feeling great, plus I’ll enjoy quality time with my friends. If I give up wine Monday-Thursday, I’m still accomplishing something huge.

Like I said, balance and moderation are key. Don’t deprive yourself of things you love. Life is too short to only enjoy it 11 months out of the year.