I’m doing dry January. Anyone with me?

I used to have a glass of wine almost every night. For the past few months, I’ve mostly only been having wine on the weekends, or when I’m at a social event, or if I go out to dinner…which still leaves plenty of opportunities for enjoying a glass.

It hasn’t been a hard and fast rule, just a gradual change of habit.

The fact that my husband rarely drinks (allergies) has probably made it easier for me to drink less than it would be for someone whose partner drinks every night. Now, I often open a bottle, have one glass, and kind of forget about the bottle for several days. In the past, an open bottle would usually be empty within a week.

The only real change I’ve noticed so far is sleep. I go to sleep more easily, sleep more deeply, and wake up less in the middle of the night.

My decreased consumption has in part been influenced by articles about how alcohol prematurely ages the skin. Ten years ago, perhaps I could get away with drinking a couple of glasses of wine per night most nights, without it taking much of a toll on my face. But now, I notice that if I have a week where I drink more, my skin looks dull and sallow. I bet if alcohol were labeled with, “This drink will make you look old and waxy,” wine consumption would plummet.

For dry January, the harder thing will probably be not having a beer if I’m out at a casual restaurant that has good beer on tap. I do love a cold beer with French fries!

Are you planning a dry January? I’d love to hear why in the comments. Have you done it before? If you’ve done it in the past: was it easier/harder than you expected? Did you notice any changes mentally or physically?