After 'Dry January,' keep going

In 2023, 230 million people committed to Dry January, a popular annual resolution that began in 2011. People instinctively recognize the harmful effects of alcohol via headaches, sleep disturbances, nausea, and poor decision-making. The American Cancer Society recommends consuming no alcohol for the best chances of prevention. But we’re not really listening.

Trends such as Dry January and Sober October falsely assure us that we don’t drink too much. But the body keeps the score, and alcohol-related deaths continue to rise year after year. Domestic violence incidents are drenched in it, and such intimate partner violence is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States.