The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month

“The definitive guide to giving up booze.”—People

Foreword by Lo Bosworth

For many people, drinking a glass of beer or wine after work is a part of everyday life. But did you know taking a break from drinking (even for just a month!) has extreme benefits and can be incredibly life-changing? From losing weight, to saving money, to sleeping better at night, the overall health and mental gains of going dry for a month are endless.

Whether you’re eager to try Dry January or simply want to lessen your quarantine drinking habits in a positive and approachable way, as daunting as it may seem, you too can do it! Understandably, more and more people have been turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism to get through the pandemic, but maybe this is a good time to ask yourself: Are you waking up feeling out of sorts more often than you’d like to be?  

Offering friendly support and encouragement and filled with engaging activities to help you prepare –and complete – a full alcohol-free month, The Dry Challenge provides an easy step-by-step guide for completing your first Dry January, Sober October, or any other alcohol-free month. You’ll find plenty of booze-free activities from prompts to checklists to the best mocktail recipes around. From making a plan to sharing the news with friends and family (and what to do when someone tries to sabotage your boozeless journey) to getting back on track if you slip up and have a drink (or two), we got you covered.

Trend journalist, on-air host, and lifestyle expert Hilary Sheinbaum has been participating in Dry January for the past four years. What started out as a bet with a friend to see who could go the longest without taking a sip of alcohol during January became a ritual she looked most forward to every year. As friends, family, and readers turned to her for advice on how to start their own dry month journeys, Hilary realized everyone’s motivations differed greatly. The decision to give up alcohol is deeply personal and making the choice to stop drinking for any length of time can be discouraging given how normalized alcohol culture is in our society. Have you noticed we use every celebratory event as an excuse to get our drink on? But you don’t have to do it alone! In The Dry Challenge, you’ll find a best friend support system ready to help you tackle the challenges of forgoing alcohol for a month and encourage you every step of the way to the finish line.

In The Dry Challenge, you’ll:

·       Discover the health, mental, and financial benefits of living a month without booze

·       Learn how to combat social pressures from our current drinking culture

·       Find fun non-boozy activities everyone can participate in (including making delicious “zero-proof” drinks and throwing the best nonalcoholic shindigs)

Gorgeously packaged and filled with bold colors and graphics, The Dry Challenge is the ultimate interactive guide to staying booze free for one month (yes, this includes champagne!). Written with humor, compassion, and insight, this book will help you achieve your goal of completing an alcohol-free month, one less drink at a time.

Journalist Hilary Sheinbaum has been a (4x) Dry January participant and advocate since 2017. Covering food & beverage, health & fitness, beauty & lifestyle, entertainment, weddings and more, her trend and profile pieces have appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Marie Claire, and Travel + Leisure, Today.com, and Yahoo!, amNew York and many other outlets. Hilary has been featured as an entertainment and lifestyle expert on Inside Edition, CBS, Fox & Friends, and more. The former South Floridian graduated from the University of Florida. She currently lives in New York City.