MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Every year, more and more Americans embark on Dry January - a whole month of giving up alcohol. It's easy to imagine the benefits - no hangovers, better sleep, maybe a happier wallet. But as with any resolution for the new year, change can be hard. Our friends at the Life Kit podcast have tips for staying sober in 2025. Here's host Marielle Segarra, talking with sobriety coach Casey Davidson.
MARIELLE SEGARRA, BYLINE: I wonder, for folks who are considering giving up drinking even for a time, might it help to ask themselves what they're actually getting from drinking? Like, what role it plays in their lives?
CASEY DAVIDSON: Absolutely, because we keep alcohol in our life for a reason. I think when you write down what you think alcohol is helping you with, that gives you a really good list of things that you can experiment with to find other ways to meet those needs.
SEGARRA: So it's a little bit of a pro-con list - what you think you're getting from alcohol and then also what you know it's blocking for you?
DAVIDSON: Yeah, absolutely.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SEGARRA: I mean, I've heard from friends that they don't want to stop drinking or they just can't stop drinking because that is how they socialize or it's how they date. How can you, if you're considering this, reimagine your social life without alcohol?
DAVIDSON: I feel like, sometimes, a drink is just a shorthand for, I want to hang out with you. I mean, if someone asks you to go out to coffee, they honestly don't care if you order tea or not. There are so many nonalcoholic options. But try new activities, whether it's picking up a bunch of books or taking up guitar or going to a yoga class, moving from happy hours to brunches. There are so many things that you can do that don't involve drinking.
SEGARRA: How do you rewire that reward system? And especially if you're like - you know what? - I want to transition from this to drinking alcohol way less or stopping entirely.
DAVIDSON: Yeah. I mean, my favorite thing to suggest is to actually plan out what I call sober treats. And in the beginning, in your first week or two, I recommend planning them out every single day. So for example, on Friday nights, instead of getting a bottle of wine, I would maybe get a pedicure. During the week, it might be blocking off an hour on my calendar and going for a walk somewhere really nice with music on, getting sushi takeout and watching a movie. And honestly, once you stop drinking, like, waking up feeling good, feeling clear-eyed, being in your home in the morning when it's quiet, with coffee - that's a sober treat.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SEGARRA: If you find yourself in a situation where you have to go to a space where a lot of people are going to be drinking, what can you do to support yourself there?
DAVIDSON: First is eat something, and eat something with protein before you go. Hunger is a huge trigger to drink. I would say tell someone in advance, if you can at all, that you're not drinking. And you can do this even going to a party, really casually, saying, hey, I'm so excited to see you. It'll be fantastic. By the way, I'm not drinking. The last thing I would say is absolutely don't volunteer to be a designated driver just because you're not drinking. People tend to immediately say, oh, you're doing a no-alcohol challenge. Great. You can drive us. And then you're stuck there till the end with a whole bunch of people who might get drunk, and it's really annoying.
KELLY: That was an episode of Life Kit, and you can listen to the full story online at npr.org or in your podcast app of choice.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
