Summary

The author expresses concerns about the potential pitfalls of Sober October and Dry January, suggesting they may provide a false sense of security and justify continued drinking for some individuals.

Abstract

The article titled "The Sober October Trap" discusses the author's perspective on the potential downsides of initiatives like Sober October and Dry January. The author acknowledges the benefits of short-term sobriety but warns that these initiatives can create a false sense of security and even justify continued drinking for some individuals. The author argues that if one needs to prove they can stop drinking, they may already have a problem. The insidious nature of alcohol is highlighted, as it can trick individuals into returning to drinking even after experiencing the benefits of sobriety. The author encourages readers to consider long-term sobriety and not use Sober October as an excuse to drink heavily during the rest of the year.

Bullet points

The author sees a pattern in articles about Sober October and Dry January: writers experience health benefits, plan to start drinking again, and use the phrase "I wanted to prove to myself I could do it."
The author believes Sober October can be detrimental to long-term health and sobriety, providing a false sense of security and justification for continued drinking.
The author questions whether needing to prove one can stop drinking indicates a problem with alcohol.
The author shares a personal anecdote about a parent from his son's sports team who stopped drinking for a short period but returned to it.
The author emphasizes the insidious nature of alcohol, which can trick individuals into returning to drinking even after experiencing the benefits of sobriety.
The author encourages readers to explore long-term sobriety and avoid using Sober October as an excuse for heavy drinking during the rest of the year.

The Sober October trap

Given how much I write about sobriety, you’d think I’d be all for Sober October

Given how much I write about sobriety, you’d think I’d be all for Sober October.

And I am in principle.

I think anything that gets people not only thinking about the benefits of life without alcohol, but actually experiencing them for a short period of time, is probably a good thing.

Here’s the problem though.

I’ve read a lot of articles now from people who are currently taking part in Sober October and/or Dry January or have done so in the past, and they all seem to follow the same format.

The writer wants to experience health benefits from not drinking. The writer has tried sober months before and loved it. The writer feels great again after X days. Eventually the writer plans to start drinking again (and later writes an article confirming it).

One line I see used over and over again in these kinds of articles: “I wanted to prove to myself I could do it.”

The trap is set

This is where I think months like these — Sober October and Dry January — can be detrimental to long-term health and sobriety.

For some people, I think Sober October provides at best a false sense of security and at worst justification to continue drinking.

If you need to prove to yourself you can stop drinking, is it possible that you already have a problem?

I’m not being judgmental. I did this for many years.

Many times, I pulled the “I don’t have a drinking problem. I can stop any time I want to. I just don’t want to.”

Intrinsically I knew the whole time that I DID have a problem, but I was using small alcohol-free phases — a few days here, a week there — to prove to myself I could do it and thus continue drinking guilt-free.

Alcohol is sneaky

Oddly enough, people write about all the great health benefits they’re experiencing without even realizing how tricky alcohol is. How it keeps fooling them into coming back.

I touched on this recently, but I think it’s worth revisiting in this context.

During one of my earlier sober streaks (I’m currently on Day 63), I’d reached about 60 days without drinking when a group of parents from my son’s competitive sports team went out for breakfast after an early morning practice.

One of the dads mentioned how he’d done Dry January and felt better than he had in years. In fact, he’d pushed it all the way into mid-February.

He’d mentioned that he had a trip booked to a sun destination coming up, and I asked: “So, are you going to keep going with the no drinking thing?”

He laughed.

“Oh God no!”

As far as I know, that was the end of his short-lived sobriety.

That’s how insidious alcohol is.

We have to prove to ourselves we can avoid it and, while we dabble in that experience, it just lies in wait for us.

Even with the newfound knowledge that life is so much better without it, we slip back into its clutches.

Maybe it’s because we had a bad day. Maybe it’s because we had a good day.

It waits just long enough for us to return to our baseline good health, at which point we go, “I feel awesome, surely I can have just one drink!”

It’s never really one, is it?

If you’re interested in finding out how great life can be without alcohol, by all means use Sober October as a jumping off point.

Quitting alcohol really is amazing. You’ll be happier, more energetic and way more productive (I say as I tap away on my 65th article since late August).

Just be careful that you aren’t using Sober October as an excuse to keep drinking heavily for the other 11 months of the year.

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