Ten years ago, Hilary Sheinbaum participated in Dry January for the first time. She had no idea it would change her life!
“I made a very spontaneous, silly bet with one of my guy friends on New Year’s Eve,” Sheinbaum, who was working as a red carpet entertainment journalist at the time – and also wrote articles on beer, wine and spirits, told the Journal.
The first one to take a sip of alcohol in January lost. Her friend lasted around three weeks, Sheinbaum made it through the entire month.
“That was New Year’s Eve 2016, and here we are 10 years later, 10 dry Januarys later,” she said. “I won a very expensive dinner at a Michelin star restaurant, but honestly the impact that it has had on my life for the past 10 years is worth so much more.”
Sheinbaum is the founder of GoingDry.co, where she throws non-alcoholic (N.A.) events in Los Angeles, New York and other US cities, and helps restaurants, bars and hotels with their non-alcoholic menus. She is the author of “Going Dry: A Workbook: A Practical Guide to Drinking Less and Living More” and “The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month.”
Sober curiosity is a thing. And the interest in it keeps growing.
Sheinbaum believes that since the pandemic, people have been more focused on their health, wellness, immunity and longevity.
“Certainly alcohol obviously contributes to a lot of health risks, so people are looking to scale back,” she said. “They might not be looking to cut it out from their lives altogether, but people are definitely drinking less than they were before.”
Better sleep, weight loss, and financial savings are some of the benefits of going dry. Even your skin will look better, since alcohol dehydrates you.
Besides, she said, some events – social and/or fitness-related – are better for bonding without booze.
A sense of community is an important factor in both Jewish and sober cultures.
“Knowing how you connect with other Jewish individuals is so unique and such a … lovely, magical thing,” she said. “You understand [each other]; you’ve grown up with the same holidays and spiritual background, [though] obviously there is a wide range.”
In the sober and sober-curious community, you automatically “get” each other too. While there are different reasons for going sober – and a wide range of people trying it out – the goal of not drinking is the same. There’s a similar string that ties everyone together.
“There is dry January, there is sober October; you can really go dry at any point in the year or for more than a month if you like,” she said. “It’s not about putting pressure on yourself to be [perfect], it’s really about seeing how reducing alcohol in your life can make it better on a day-to-day basis.”
If you want to try to go dry, Sheinbaum has recommendations:
“Number one, be easy on yourself,” she said. “It’s not easy to give up alcohol.”
Number two is to recruit a friend; there’s strength in numbers.
“It’s really great to have somebody who’s also experiencing the same feelings as you are, whether that is frustration or feeling left out maybe,” Sheinbaum said. “But it’s also great to have somebody who you can make plans with that doesn’t involve booze.”
Her third suggestion is to become the social director of your friend group.
“If your friends are accustomed to meeting at a bar every Friday, maybe suggest that you do a different activity, like go bowling or take a cooking class,” she said. Be the person who is going to plan that because having the ability to gather with people without booze is really important.”
What’s most important to remember is that you are in control of how you honor your “dry spells.”
“If you have an event, like a wedding or a birthday or a Jewish holiday and it calls for a glass of wine or a sip, I think that’s okay,” she said. “Call it a damp January or a damp month.”
Sheinbaum thinks it is important to have alcohol alternatives. Her favorite non-alcoholic margarita recipe is below.
“If you are somebody who wants to enjoy a glass of wine but you don’t want a buzz, you can still drink that and celebrate and have the same experiences.”
Learn more at HilarySheinbaum.com and GoingDry.co. Follow @hilarywritesny and @goingdry.co on Instagram.
For the full conversation, listen to the podcast:
Tommy’s Margarita (Non-Alcoholic)
Recipe adopted from Free Spirits (photo credit is also Free Spirits).
I love this nonalcoholic marg recipe because it tastes like the classic everyone knows and loves– just without a buzz. This might be a stretch for some, but if you– like me– are looking to include a citrus beverage, you can use this recipe to serve NA margaritas and entertain guests.
Ingredients
2 oz Free Spirits The Spirit of Tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz agave syrup
2 slices of lime
kosher salt
Method
Rub a rocks glass with lime. Dip in salt.
Add ice to the glass.
Fill the shaker with ice, add The Spirit of Tequila, agave syrup and lime juice.
Shake vigorously for approximately 15 seconds.
Strain into the rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a slice of lime.
Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.
