Shaken Not Stirred
Dry 2025 started easy, as most Dry Januarys did for us. You just learn to put something else in your cup — for me, it is literally that easy.
When it’s cold and gross outside, cuddling up with hot tea or coffee is effortless, and you don’t even notice that you could slip some bourbon or liqueur into those hot drinks. Staying inside and not going out makes it easy to not care whether you’re drinking or not.
Where you really start to notice it is on vacation. Bryan and I love a Mexico trip — all‑inclusive beach resort, sun, sand, drinks flowing. But if we weren’t drinking, why were we going to go to an all‑inclusive resort if we weren’t including everything? So, we didn’t book a beach trip in 2025. Sad.
We did have the idea to book a different kind of vacation if we survived Dry 2025 — a big “good job!” moment. (Procrastination got the best of us because we never actually booked that trip to Argentina.)
As February carried on, my friends invited me to visit them in the Sunshine State for a long weekend in March. How could I say no? I couldn’t. So, I booked my flight and off I went. Even though these friends don’t want to dry out themselves, they are no strangers to me and my dry spells. I’ve visited them in Dry Q1, and now I was visiting in Dry 2025. Supportive bunch <3
First sober challenge: check.
Before Dry 2025, I had already reintroduced fitness back into my daily routine. During Dry 2025, I was able to focus more on that consistency — discipline firing on all cylinders from March through November. When the winter chill started to fade, I started running again, consistently. It was nice.
I must caveat I have been a runner for years. On and off, yes, but still a runner. I could be a raging drunk and run. I was a smoker and I could run. These things never seemed to make a difference for me when it came to running. I feel like it’s important to note that because me not drinking wasn’t some miracle that suddenly made me a runner again.
With all this running, I figured I should make use of it and signed up for a 10K. I didn’t think I was quite at half‑marathon level, but it was more challenging than a 5K. Four miles is usually my long distance. Running on adrenaline and a downhill course, I crushed that 10K in 55 minutes. I was impressed with myself!
After five months in the dry lifestyle, I started to waver. Not because I wanted to get drunk — I didn’t — but because I missed the taste of the drinks themselves. A nice wine, St. Germain, dirty martinis… some things just can’t be replicated.
This is where my support system really kicked in. My sister, reminding me why I was doing this. My husband, saying he was going to keep going. And honestly, my therapist — who supported me either way, which was more helpful than you’d think.
Each time, it came down to me not being ready to stop. I’d think about how easy it actually was to not drink, and I knew I could finish it out. June was a big check‑in point. September was another. Both times, I wanted to stop. Both times, I didn’t.
I worked through some big drinking events in 2025:
A long weekend in NYC
Buffalo Bills vs. Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta with a huge family gathering
A work conference in San Francisco with loads of free alcohol
Plenty of work dinners
Birthdays and holidays
We held strong.
In lieu of a big trip to Argentina, I booked us an equally amazing trip to see some National Parks in Utah and Arizona. We hiked Glen Canyon, slot canyons on Navajo land, Horseshoe Bend, Vermillion Cliffs, Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome Basin — even a small stop in Zion. We definitely didn’t want to take that trip without a clear body and mind, and it was breathtaking. We can’t wait to go back for more.
At this point, we were closing in on the end of the year. By the time we got back, it was basically December, so it was smooth sailing from there.
With 2026 closing in, we didn’t have an exit strategy. Were we going to toast at midnight with a glass of champagne? What did we learn from all this? Was it just going to be over, and that was that?
Truthfully, I’m still asking these questions.