Ah, January. It’s the month where many of us collectively pause poisoning ourselves with alcohol, only to turn the damage onto our bank accounts instead. Yes, I’m talking about Dry January. If you’re new to the internet, Dry January is a health initiative that started in the UK back in 2013. Initially, it was designed to get people to commit to one month without alcohol so they could reassess their relationship with the substance and maybe think about what life could be like if they gave it up for good. It’s intended to be a deeply personal and meaningful commitment to give up alcohol for the sake of your health, the dynamics of the relationships you enjoy with others, and just general self-improvement. It’s a good thing to do, and it costs nothing to participate—so naturally, influencers have found a way to monetize it.
Dry January began as a public health initiative, a health-focused movement encouraging sobriety not for glamorous reasons or public perception, but as a chance for genuine self-reflection. It gave participants time to decide what they’d like their relationship with alcohol to look like going forward. Participants have reported improved mental health—reminder: alcohol is a depressant—better physical health, improved sleep quality, and a more robust bank account due to not spending money on alcohol for a month. It can be challenging to commit to, especially coming off the universally high-stress December holiday season. But high-stress timing or not, for many participants, Dry January has become almost like a religious experience.
Because no spiritually adjacent movement or experience can be safe from monetization, influencers have swept in with a “better way” to do Dry January. A quick scroll through Instagram will present you with countless opportunities to purchase high-end mocktail kits featuring $20 syrups, artisanal garnishes harvested by shoeless nuns outside of Amsterdam, and fancy glassware you absolutely must have to unleash the full potential of the booze-free beverage. Given that a not-small part of the “why” behind Dry January involves not spending money on alcohol, spending upwards of $150 on a mocktail starter kit feels hilariously counterproductive.
For many people choosing to give up alcohol, the last thing they need is to replace one addictive habit with another—and that’s precisely what’s happening when influencers entice people who’ve just cut off a chemical their brain has come to depend on into spending money on things they don’t need (or even actually want). The irony of giving up one bad habit—habitual drinking—just to swap it for another—impulsive spending—is not lost on this writer. Many “sober lifestyle” products start at $40, and the price only goes up from there. If you’re supposedly saving money by not buying alcohol, then spending a ton on alcohol substitutes defeats the purpose. You’re still stuck with an addictive habit—just a different one.
Mocktails may not have alcohol in them, but many are loaded with sugar and artificial additives—neither of which is exactly good for the body you’re trying to tune into during your month without alcohol. Mixing up a mocktail every evening also reinforces the mental block that many people are trying to break away from to begin with: the idea that they need a drink in hand to enjoy themselves or relax. If watching influencers make money off people in the vulnerable early stages of giving up alcohol doesn’t give you the ick, I don’t know what will. They’re essentially selling the same kind of toxic dependency, just in a fancier bottle, pretending it’s more ethical because there’s no alcohol involved.
Sobriety doesn’t have to be expensive, and you don’t need to replace your evening nightcap with a fancy booze-free mixed drink to embrace Dry January. It’s absolutely possible to have a meaningful experience without falling into influencer traps! Try any of the following ideas:
- Increase your water intake.
- Make herbal tea in the evening instead of a mocktail.
- See what mocktail you can make with what you already have in the kitchen (you might be surprised!).
- Note and enjoy the free benefits of Dry January: mental clarity, better sleep, and extra cash in your bank account.
Remember, Dry January is supposed to be a personal journey, not a performative experience for an audience. You don’t need pretty alcohol substitute products to create better habits for yourself or to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of this challenge.
There isn’t a single meaningful life change that influencers won’t try to turn into a capitalist frenzy—Dry January included. Just remember: Dry January isn’t about swapping out fancy vodka for small-batch vanilla syrup or trading high bar tabs for higher credit card bills. It’s about taking a breather from the madness—rampant consumerism included. You don’t need that $15 bottle of elderflower cordial to prove to the world that this is the year you’re getting your life together. Your liver already knows the journey it’s been on and will thank you for the direction you’re committing to this Dry January.
