A 31-day alcohol-free challenge and a surge of new year’s excitement greeted Chicago comic Kristi Durkin on January 1. Durkin laughs. “Everyone on the internet is going sober.” “Everyone is drinking, like, tart cherry juice, and I’m really susceptible to internet trends.”
The 26-year-old Durkin has taken a shine to Dry January, an annual challenge made popular by Alcohol Change UK, an advocacy group. Supposedly to “dry out” following the holidays, participants pledge to abstain from alcohol for a month every January to learn more about the benefits of leading a sober lifestyle.
Interest in Dry January is high: 529,000 posts on Instagram and over 425 million views on TikTok are associated with the hashtag #DryJanuary, and 15% of US adults, according to business intelligence firm Morning Consult, took part in the initiative last year.
