New Year, sober you? Many Minnesotans who vow to dry out appear to have only a month-long commitment. Dry January is a growing trend when many people refrain from alcohol to reset their habits and gain from the health benefits. But according to a recent survey, 31% of Dry January participants have their first alcoholic drink on Feb. 1, deeming that Festive February.
The survey of 3,094 drinkers, conducted by Detox.net, wanted to determine if those partaking in Dry January will continue abstaining from alcohol into the following months. It discovered that over 1 in 10 (11%) Minnesotans who partake in Dry January each year admit they drink more alcohol in February to make up for Dry January. This compares to a national average of 18%.
The state with the highest percentage of drinkers eager to head to their local bars in February is Alaska with 40%, but only 8% in Kansas. There’s no place like home, we guess.
But there’s always time to try again: 43% of respondents who either skipped or failed Dry January this year said they’d still participate in Sober October, giving themselves 9 months to prepare. Of those who did succeed in the challenge, 56% claimed this year’s attempt has been the easiest one yet due to the uptick of the Omicron variant.
As Festive February draws to a close, we remind readers to be safe, be smart, and always have a buddy to pull your hair back if necessary. It’s also time for shameless plug for our Food and Wine Experience March 4-6 at Target Field. See you there!
