New Year/New You 2025: How The “Sober Friends List” Can Help You Kick Off Dry January & A Healthy Year

January 15, 2025
3 mins read
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After all the year-end celebrations have subsided and commitments may be created to yourself to not over-indulge, one of the hardest parts about taking a pass on drinking is silencing that menacing inner critic who may tell you that people may be judging you for not drinking. In today’s sober-curious world with an explosive inventory of mocktails, Dry January gives people a socially acceptable––and healthy––excuse to take a break from alcohol without questions.

Who doesn’t enjoy waking up rested and clear-eyed, knowing exactly what you said, texted, posted, or did the night before? What a relief it is to shed the guilt associated with worries about the genetic minefield of problem drinkers who pickled your family tree. Why not give your liver and your capillaries a rest in 2025? If you fall in any of these camps, you do not owe anyone an explanation for your decision to sip an alcohol-free spritzer in a social setting where your drink of choice may have previously been a hardy Old Fashioned or glass of chardonnay the size of your head.

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I am not a counselor or a psychiatrist but as a longtime non-drinker, I am encountering an increasing number of people who worry about what others might think or say when they say no. Your decision to not drink is yours and yours alone––and you are not alone in this journey. As we embark on the new year, if you are worrying about what to say when asked, “Why aren’t you drinking tonight,” or are harassed by the happy hour crowd who jab you with “Come on, don’t be a bore, have a drink,” there’s a trick that might quiet your real and imagined critics.

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It’s called the “Sober Friends List.”

The sober friends list is a secret list containing the names of ten non-drinkers you admire. They can be high-profile movie stars with public alcohol-free narratives like actor Rob Lowe, health-conscious billionaires such as Warren Buffet or Steve Jobs, self-help expert Breńe Brown, or Buzz Aldrin, the 94-year-old former astronaut and fighter pilot who wrote a book about his struggle with alcohol after he walked the surface of the moon. Your list can include neighbors, teachers, hair stylists, the postman, or the person you sat next to on an airplane––anyone whose life is better after they decided to join the in-vogue band of teetotalers exploding across the Texas social scene.  

The names of your private role models can be typed into your cellphone or scribbled on a napkin folded in your pocket at your next gathering. Unlike naysayers, your sober tribe will stay with you at all times, reassuring you that you are making a healthy choice, and they don’t want to see you do a face plant at a black tie gala or catapult into the dessert table at a wedding.

The new year is a great time to jot down your private list of people who would agree with your choice without judgment. It’s your business and you have nothing to lose except a few pounds and savings from lost cell phones, hefty bar tabs, and costly Ubers when you get behind the wheel of your life and head in the direction you chose to go.

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Since 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of people find sobriety. There are also a lot of resources with professional counselors to support this journey like NPR’s weekly Life Kit’s Guide newsletter offering tips to kick off Dry January detailed in this TIME magazine article. You may also read about alcohol consumption statistics in this recent Newsweek article reporting that more than a quarter of Americans polled said they planned to drink less in 2025. According to studies, 47 percent wanted to improve their physical health, 32 percent said they wanted to live longer, 24 percent said they wanted to lose weight, and 23 percent planned to cut back to improve their mental health. Plus, the U.S. Surgeon General has issued a call last week for cancer warnings on alcohol.

So, why not embrace the new year and all the opportunities you create to make it the one you want?

About the Author: The author is not a psychologist or a trained counselor, just an ordinary anonymous person who decided to abstain from alcohol. These observations are based on shared accounts of people who have successfully tabled the drink during Dry January and year-round.  

Curated Texan Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be considered as advice. Readers should consult with a professional advisor before making any decisions. Curated Texan and the author do not guarantee the information’s accuracy, completeness, or reliability. All opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of any affiliated organizations. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and due diligence.

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