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

by Hilary Sheinbaum

Trend journalist, on-air host, and lifestyle expert Hilary Sheinbaum explores the incredible life-changing benefits of abstaining from alcohol for one month and provides a comprehensive guide to help you tackle Dry January, Sober October, and other booze-free challenges.

For many people, the holidays bring too much fun, too much food, and too much booze. January can be the perfect time to embrace the new you—and it all starts with taking a break from the bottle . . . but this challenge isn’t limited to the month of January. 

The Dry Challenge is ideal for anyone who wants to complete a dry month challenge, giving up all forms of alcohol—wine, beer, spirits and cocktails, including no shots, no low ABV cocktails, and absolutely no champagne toasts—for thirty-one days. 

Whether you’re thinking of participating in Dry January, Sober October, or want to choose a time of your own, this book walks you step-by-step through one drink-free month, from making a plan to sharing the news with friends and family (and what to do when someone tries to sabotage it) to getting back on track if you slip up and have a drink (or two).

Hilary Sheinbaum covers essential topics and provides informative tips such as:

- “What You’ll Gain When You Lose the Booze”—a deep dive into the health benefits of living a month without booze.
- “Sober Month Support Squad”—how to enlist friends for support and combat social pressures from our current drinking culture.
- Fun non-boozy activities everyone can participate in, dating (without drinks), “zero-proof” drink recipes, how to throw a nonalcoholic shindig, and the new sober nightlife trend.

With interactive activities from prompts to checklists to recipes, The Dry Challenge is the ultimate guide to stay booze free for one month. Cheers to a whole new you!

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Alcohol, Food and Drink, Self Help

720 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 29, 2020

About the author

Hilary Sheinbaum is a journalist, content creator and host.

With a press pass around her neck, Hilary enthusiastically started her journalism career as a red carpet reporter interviewing celebrities. Since then, she has contributed to 60+ publications including The New York Times, USA TODAY, New York Magazine, Us Weekly, Marie Claire, ELLE.com and Forbes.com. She writes about beauty, entertainment, food, fitness, love and more.

As a lifestyle and entertainment expert, Hilary also hosts segments on national, local and online broadcast outlets such as FOX, CBS and NBC.

When Hilary isn't writing, in front of the camera, or investigating a new trend: she's likely working out or eating ice cream.

She grew up in South Florida and currently lives in New York City.

Reviews

[E.M. Welsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having now read a few different book on sober curiosity, I may have gone into this book with too high expectations or far too much awareness on how unhelpful a book like this is.

While the book starts out promising, it overall is repetitive and far too focused on alcohol jokes to ever share anything meaningful. And while it’s each individuals choice on what they do with alcohol after their dry month, for being a book that’s supposed to also help those with AUD try going sober, I don’t think it was appropriate at all to hint at binge drinking rewards after a month of being dry.

I get it. It’s a fun book for those taking a month off from alcohol. And going dry isn’t easy for some. But half the book is filled with light advice saying basically “just don’t drink” or “swap alcohol for club soda.” This is all advice readily available online for free, in far less words. If you want ideas on what to actually do in situations where alcohol is present, I’d steer clear of this book and opt for The Sober Lush, which gives tangible advice in a way that makes sobriety feel freeing and magical, not like a 31-day trap.

Experimenting with sobriety is very personal. For some like myself, I like to regularly check my relationship with drinking and to also recognize spots in society where alcohol is so naturally ingrained, then question that. For others, it could be much more serious one day, and the point of sober months for them could be preventing rock bottom from ever happening. Or maybe for some you do it to detox from Christmas indulgences or help cut back on overall drinking.

Whatever your reason, I promise you can find better, more tangible advice, that is actually sensitive to the reality that some people may be addicted to alcohol, in the books Sober Curious, The Sober Lush, and Quit Like a Woman. (I haven’t read the latter yet, but I wish I had. It comes recommended with the former two.) I believe Ruby Warrington also has a workbook on a 100 day dry challenge, which I think offers more of what I was looking for in this book.

I really hate to go off on a book so hard, but given that this topic can quickly become related to those suffering from AUD, it came off as quite tone deaf.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read more like a highschool term paper than a book. I think it could have been organized better. There were some very juvenile ideas but the statistics on how alcohol affects our health and finances were really eye opening. There were a few insightful points that I referred to when I was asked what I’ve learned from participating in dry January and I would say it overall helped me get through the month without imbibing.

[Jessica White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Def drawn out.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My sister grabbed me this when she saw it just after I’d mentioned taking a little liquor break. One of those books you’re kind of like “an editor read this and gave it the okey dokey?!” the entire time you’re fishing through the same joke over and over. I was hoping maybe it’d have some advice or insight on how angry people get when you go to the bar and get a seltzer- but not too much there. I also live in the Midwest, not anywhere I can just hit a go-kart joint for a little “uninfluenced” fun, and a lot of the ideas felt pretty irrelevant for me. Doesn’t really tell you anything you don’t already know unless you’re in some serious denial and need someone to hit you over the head with the fact that a lot of time is wasted when uhh….you’re getting wasted. Felt like she thought she was talking to a child the whole time. Lots of weird puns, repetition, and SO many parenthetical remarks. I’m sure there are more serious and helpful books on the subject.

[Jennie Staples · Rating 2 out of 5]

Similar feelings as the other reviews here. Not sure what I was looking for in this book, but it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. Wasn’t particularly insightful.

[Geekfork · Rating 2 out of 5]

[I actually stopped listening to the audiobook last month and forgot to update my Goodreads status ;)]

The book was...not completely unhelpful, but I only got about a quarter of the way through before I felt like I got all I was gonna get out of it. I applaud anyone who attempts to help others quit alcohol, even if only for a one-month period, and I was initially drawn to this book because I definitely need to change my relationship with the hooch, yet this book felt kind of repetitive and mostly common sense.

Other people might need certain things spelled out in black and white for them and repeated (***not even saying that to be an asshole -- seriously, whatever works for you!!***), but it just didn't penetrate for me. Maybe I would feel differently if I had finished it?

I truly hope this book does end up helping people, though.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read - maybe 2 hours with some skimming. This book is a good match for those looking to moderate their drinking and try a 30 day challenge in general and not with daily prompts. It isn’t scientific like This Naked Mind, who focuses on subconscious thoughts to eliminate triggers. This book is more witty and light hearted.

If I recommended this to a friend looking to drink more mindfully, it would only be for the standout, CHAPTER 2 “What you gain when you loose the booze.” That chapter was excellent and had memorable numbers that act as motivation.

[Meg]

DNF at 16%. This is written for / geared toward people who are going out to bars 4 nights a week. I suppose one could apply the same approach for an at-home "Dry January" or other month, but the motivations in this book have so much to do with social drinking and partying out on the town that it just wasn't for me. May be helpful for younger people, though? In their 20s, who find themselves spending a lot out at bars?

[Stephanie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely written for Millenials... Though the book does not encourage drinking again on February 1st, it assumes most people will. That was a bit of a turn-off. On the flip side, it was full of good ideas for things to do instead of drink, and I was astounded at how much money I spent each week on wine once I did the math. Nice and eye-opening.

[Natasha Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun book for anyone who's sober curious and isn't sure where to start. This book has information about what drinking does to your body, tricks for abstaining from booze and recipes for mocktails. It's a great one-stop-shop for those who want to embark on this challenge.

[Theresa F · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not at all what i thought it would be. Said the same thing over and over again, essentially, don't drink alcohol. Read more like an AA bible then helpful tool to help you through 31 days or a day challenge.

[Cassi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would be a good book if you are young and have a social circle is 100% around booze. I was hoping for some good tips. But really it was just the same stuff you could google over and over again.
I honestly wouldn't waste your time.

[Emily Mellow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I abandoned it after reading 4/5 of the book. It's just not good, interesting, or useful. It's full of cutesy catchphrases, and trying too hard to prove how hip & cool it is.
Also, most of the alcohol replacement suggestions involve sugar, which is equally problematic.

[Robyn Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book fun and helpful, especially after the last few months of quarantine.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's more of a reminder of "I need to stop drinking". There really no scientific proof nor methods to help you stop in this book.

[Marianne Pestana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that will inspire a new way of being in a era where overindulgence can turn into sometime more serious.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, and a couple good suggestions and a bit of rah rah to get me through my self imposed dry January.

[Ashley Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Samani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was incredibly repetitive and spoke to the reader in a somewhat childish manner. I gave it 3 stars because I enjoyed how aesthetically pleasing the design of the book was.

[heffa · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 stars

Written like a Seventeen Magazine article. Repetitive, unorganized, all common sense.

Read the first 80 pages, skimmed the rest.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been a pamphlet. 720 pages in the ebook?! COME ON. Repetitive and seemingly written for young people who do all their drinking in groups at bars. Nowhere near helpful for someone really attempting alcohol detoxes and oversimplifies everything. What to do if you normally drink at home with dinner and don't go to bars? Nothing, apparently, because drinking is only done under peer pressure? Just remove the alcohol from the house, that's her only tip. The extremely excessive use of exclamation points is another massive no. Hard pass on this if you need a guide to help you with a dry month. All this info is on the internet.

[JoJo Shanky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very repetitive - nothing you can't find on the internet - geared towards big city pre-pandemic social drinkers. Would make a good gift. It's visually very pretty with glossy full color pages.

[Kayle]

This book is probably best suited for someone who has never given up alcohol before (more power to you). For people exploring a sober or sober curious lifestyle for a month or longer this is a great primer on the practical ways to approach a Dry January for example. This book's timing couldn't have been better or worse depending on how open your city or state is and your willingness to drink in your abode in your pod.