The problem with Dry January

And other links for your Sunday

Technically, I am participating in Dry January. (Although, if you saw me having a drink last night, no you didn’t, mind your own business.)

Like so many people, I appreciate the opportunity to reset after the holidays. And since I’m 42, these days, more than one drink usually ends in a terrible night’s sleep, and I need my sleep.

Many of my friends are in recovery or eschew drinking for a million different reasons. All of which I support. This is not about that. This is about something else.

This year, I’ve noticed a change in tone about Dry January. No longer are my middle-aged mom “new year, new you” algorithms filled with diet and exercise tips (okay, not completely, but not as much). Instead, it’s been replaced by wellness and mindfulness content that uses a language of chastity, sobriety, and a kind of stoicism that, as an ex-Evangelical, sets my alarm bells ringing.