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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC and now they're your calls on doing a Dry January routine this year and how it's different in the past with all that's been going on in the last year. KP in Parsippany, you're our first call around this. Welcome to WNYC.

KP: Hi, Brian. Good morning. A long time listener, first-time caller.

Brian: Welcome.

KP: I've been doing a Dry January for the past five to six years. I just wanted a good way to reset from all the holidays that previously came up. Of course, the past year has been COVID. All of that has been thrown into mayhem, but as you get it, there's holidays, holiday parties, birthdays, things like that, Thanksgiving. I think it's just a great way to reset the body to start the new year right.

Brian: Different for you in any way because of the pandemic or stress from world events or anything?

KP: Yes. Different in a good way though because there's not that many gatherings or outings in general. For somebody that is doing it for the first time, they might find it easier because of the social pressures that are now not there. Of course, I've been doing it for some time now. It's a little bit easier, but I do find it easier. For me, I think I've been doing it for six or seven years now. It's a bit easier.

Brian: KP, thanks for starting us off. Casey in Westchester. You're on WNYC. Hi, Casey.

Casey: Hey, how you doing Brian? Longtime fan, big listener. Thanks so much for having me on.

Brian: Great you're on. Doing Dry January?

Casey: Doing Dry January. Didn't think I was going to do it this year because I felt like I needed to be able to have a glass of wine to unwind on the daily. What I found was it was like so many women. I think you used this statistic of 41% of us are drinking more and just found the pressures piling on. During the weekday when I used to skip it, I was no longer doing that. It was one glass and then it really needed to be two, and then it had to be two big glasses. Then if I'd already done that on a weekday, it needed to be more on the weekend and came to a crucial moment where I just said, "My God, this has to stop." It was almost like I needed to prove it to myself that I could, and that I should.

My husband joined me last time and he won't join me this time. It's been a little bit tougher because he still has a glass of wine with dinner, but my resolve got just strengthened. I also decided to start a big diet at the same time and it's been nice to be able to hit that reset. It's with everything in my life that is uncontrollable, it resonated that this was controllable and that was really nice.

Brian: Really. A good story and that you can make that decision and follow-through that. It sounds like and it's in your control. Do you want to talk more about what might be agenda aspect here since you referred to it? Do you think the-- I don't know what goes on in your family if you have kids at home, or gender roles, or anything like that, but what's striking you about that?

Casey: I think it's really interesting. All of the doctors and the governments come out and say like, "Guys can have two drinks, and that's okay, and women can only have one." Now, all of a sudden, I was like, "Well, why can't I have more?" I think men get a pass. Men get a pass more so. It's more accepted because they have more stresses. Right now, I feel like I have far more stress than my husband does. I actually do go to work every day. When the pandemic hit, I was educating my son at home, and I am commuting, and I am working.

All of that piling on, it all came to a head and my daughter is home when she shouldn't be home because she should be in college. All of that came to a head. As a woman, I think I feel that more. I'm the one that's still grocery shopping, and making dinner, and making sure that all the papers go into the backpack and all of that stuff.

Brian: Thank you, Casey. Thank you for your openness. I think it's really helpful to other people to hear everything you said really. Thank you very much.

Casey: Sure.

Brian: That's why we do this primarily. We don't just want to be nosy about your relationship with alcohol. People do Dry January for a reason. Sometimes, "Yes, I had too much at the holidays. I'm going to dry out for a few weeks," and sometimes it's just for bigger reasons and especially this year with all that's going on in the world, and so maybe hearing stories like Casey's, like KP's before hers just helps other people take a look and figure out what's going on and just gives you a little support even from afar through the virtual community of The Brian Lehrer Show to do which can be helpful for you. Sean in Harlem. You're on WNYC. Hi, Sean. Thanks for calling in.

Sean: Hi, Brian. Thanks for taking my call. Yes, I embarked on the Dry January. I don't do it every year, but I do it periodically. Similar to the last call, I felt this year that it was really crucial that I do it because like so many people, my drinking has increased exponentially. I'm a single woman living in New York. I have an amazingly close group of friends, but obviously, we just haven't been able to get together. I think for me, I realized that drinking to some extent was replacing a lot of the social interaction. It was really important that I get a grip on that.

It's been mostly successful. I've had a couple of slip-ups, just two actually. One where I did actually go out to dinner with friends. We sat outside obviously and then the day of the impeachment hearing. It was just all too much. It was all too much, but by and large, it's been really good. One of the crucial things for me is that my sleep has improved. It really has improved because I don't wake up in the middle of the night with that alcohol interruption that you can sometimes get even if you just have one drink.

Brian: Yes. That rebound effect.

Sean: Yes.

Brian: Any advice for people who might be trying to do Dry January for the first time or might have an experience like yours where they-- it doesn't sound like yours was so serious. You had one drink one time and one drink another time, but for people struggling to stay on the straight and narrow with it, any advice?

Sean: Oh, yes. Two things. One is, don't beat yourself up if you-- I guess I'm going to use the term falling off the wagon. It doesn't mean that you can't get back on and we are living in really horrible times right now. Don't beat yourself up, but continue to try and reduce the alcohol intake. The other thing that I would say is to really understand what's driving you to do it. For me, that was really critical realizing that it was the lack of social interaction and then tell people. It keeps you accountable. It absolutely keeps you accountable.

Brian: Sean, thank you so much. Call us again, please. Laurie in Greenwich. You are on WNYC. Hi, Laurie?

Laurie: Good morning. How are you?

Brian: Good. How are you?

Laurie: Good. Thanks. Doing Dry January for the second January now. I did it last year and found it so different than this year, for sure.

Brian: In what ways?

Laurie: Last year, I was more sociable and going out a lot more often. It was harder. I found myself not going out as much because I was too tempted to go ahead and have that drink with my girlfriends or other friends. This year, I'm staying home more. It's easier. It's easier this year. Also, we were saying you don't sneak that glass by yourself when you're sitting home during January and there's a pandemic in Dry January. It's making me think more about what I'm doing to myself as far as alcohol goes.

Brian: It's interesting because there do seem to be at least two patterns that people describe. I don't know percentages of how many people are in [unintelligible 00:09:19]. We hear so much about people gaining weight during the pandemic when they're staying home more. What do you do? You go to the kitchen and you hit the snacks more times a day and the same might pertain to alcohol that you'd be more tempted to pass some time by drinking. Let me hear the-

Laurie: Absolutely. Boredom has a lot to do with it.

Brian: Yes, and yet I've heard some of the opposite too, which is, I think what you're saying because you're going out less, you're drinking less or it's easier for you to drink less. I've also heard people who eat out a lot in normal time say, "I'm actually losing weight because I'm cooking for myself more and therefore I'm eating more healthfully than I did in normal times." Both patterns can be true.

Laurie: Definitely. I've definitely feel like I've lost weight and I wasn't trying [unintelligible 00:10:15]. It's not my objective. I was just wanting to take a break from alcohol. I've definitely lost weight. I'm definitely sleeping better. I feel like February 1st, I'll probably be more conscious of my intake as well. That's what happened last year too. Come February 1st, I was a lot more alert to things. I hope that happens this year too, but I was going to also say and share with you. I'm glad I wasn't drinking with Wednesday's insurrection because that would have made me more emotional. It would have made me even more upset than I already was. I feel more even. I feel more clear. I don't know. In the sad time, and I noticed that.

Brian: Yes. I have a friend who is having sleep disruption and they told me, "As soon as Michigan certified their electoral votes, I started sleeping for the night to end." Laurie-

Laurie: I know. I know.

Brian: -thank you so much for your call. Cynthia Joe in Brooklyn. You're on WNYC. Hi, Cynthia Joe.

Cynthia Joe: Hi, thank you for taking my call. First-time caller. I decided for the first time ever to do a Dry January, and it was a really hard decision for me because I've been drinking, socially having a beer or two, or a glass of wine every night since I was about 21 years old. This is the first time I have done a dry month. I had tried in the past and failed several times. It started out, "Okay, I've done it a few days, maybe a Friday beer." I've noticed a huge change in my health and my productivity in just this short time and as a result in my emotional state.

Brian: Did you say you're sewing after work now and that's-

Cynthia Joe: Yes. That's one of the things. I love to sew. I love projects. I'm very project-oriented but I found that, especially through the pandemic, the first thing I do is I end up reaching for a beer. I'll get to this project but now I'm done with work. Let me have a beer. I tell myself all these things. A good friend of mine said to me once, "It's the only tool in your toolbox. You have a good day, you get a beer. You have a bad day, you get a beer. Think of something else you can do." That really resonated with me.

Since I've stopped drinking in January, I've made all new beddings for myself. I've made my partner four new pairs of pants as I'm trying to fit him. I'm sewing every night. I'm doing projects I like. Because of that, I find I'm happier or I have-- I'm doing the things I keep telling myself I want to do but didn't realize most of the reason I'm putting them off is because the first thing I do when I have spare time after work is grab a beer or a glass of wine.

Brian: Cynthia Joe, thank you. That's another good instructive thing. I think for a lot of people is if you're looking for the way not to reach for the beer because it's been a good day or reach for the beer because it's been a bad day, have that replacement activity, something that you would do first, at least as a buffer and maybe also have a beer later, or maybe you're going to be more less likely to if that's something you're trying to cut down on by having that specific go-to. In her case, she said sewing. She also mentioned to our screener, "I know yoga." I'll throw that in. That's also really interesting. All right. Let's see. See if we can do two more. Chris in Westchester. I'm going to give you a minute and then Sarah in Rhode Island, you're going to get our last minute. Chris, you're on WNYC. Hi.

Chris: Yes. I decided my Dry January is politics. I think that's what really has been affecting my health more than alcohol. Try and only listen to non-political podcasts. I know being informed is important but the reality is most people are just fulfilling their news addiction and how my dad thinks if he doesn't watch the Mets, they're going to lose. That's the impact most of our news addiction has, and with alcohol, that's the only way I know that my workday is over when I break out the beer. That would make it harder to know when I stopped working for the day. That all said, I've never heard of Dry January before until your show. Now [unintelligible 00:14:42].

Brian: All right. Well, it is good and I hate to say it because in a way it's not my interest. For people who are overdosing on politics, it is good to take a news holiday sometimes. Definitely, in these times, there's that push and pull between-- There's so much that's new every minute, it seems like, and intense. At the same time, it's okay if you detach a little bit and then come back. Sarah in Rhode Island. You're on WNYC. Hi, Sarah.

Sarah: Hi, longtime listener, first-time caller. I am someone who doesn't really drink a lot, and just generally turned off by some of the negative behaviors that I've seen over the course of my life with alcohol with people. I have to admit that during COVID, and not going out as much and not having to worry about my surroundings, about driving home, I've enjoyed learning about wine and having a glass of wine here and there and feeling safe and comfortable at home with it. It's the opposite of Dry January, but it's nice too.

Brian: Something you found and in moderation, it's a nice little addition to your life.

Sarah: Exactly. Yes.

Brian: With that, we end our Dry January call-in. Thank you all for your openness. Again, I hope it helps other people out there who've been listening. The Brian Lehrer Show is produced by Lisa Allison, Mary Croke, Zoe Azulay, Amina Srna, and Carl Boisrond. Zach Gottehrer-Cohen works on our daily podcast. Juliana Fonda and Liora Noam- Kravitz at the audio controls. We'll be back Monday for our Martin Luther King Day special. Have a great weekend, everyone. I'm Brian Lehrer.

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