When Dry January Is Over: How to Keep Momentum When the Noise Comes Back

Dry January might be ending, but that doesn’t mean your progress has to.

In this episode of the Sober Vibes Podcast, I talk about the exact moment many people struggle with the most: when everyone stops talking about not drinking, alcohol marketing comes back, and the external support fades.

This episode is for the woman who made it through January or started cutting back and now finds herself asking,
 “Why does this feel harder now?”
 or
 “How do I keep going when no one else is doing this anymore?”

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why sobriety can feel shakier after Dry January ends
• What actually happens when external motivation disappears
• How to stay steady when alcohol marketing and social pressure return
• Why wanting to keep going doesn’t mean you have to commit “forever”
• How to rebuild motivation to stay sober without white-knuckling
• What to do if you’ve done 30 days without alcohol and feel unsure what’s next
• How to stop drinking every night when the structure of January is gone
• How to stop drinking wine when stress and habit start creeping back in

This episode helps you understand that the discomfort you feel isn’t failure, it’s a transition.

Resources & Support Mentioned:

• Sobriety Circle
• Sober Coaching
• Free resources for quitting alcohol and staying consistent

PODCAST SPONSOR:

This episode is sponsored by ExactNature, a trusted holistic tool for anyone navigating recovery and sobriety. Use code SV25 at checkout to save on your order. Click here to shop and save. 

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Gain access to my Masterclass when you submit a review on iTunes. Email me sobervibes@gmail.com with a screenshot of the review, and I will send you the code to unlock my Masterclass for free!

Thank you for tuning in!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Stage For Dry January’s End
• 3:42 Marketing Shifts And Social Normalization
• 6:27 Support Options And Resources
• 7:51 Why February Feels Hard
• 11:47 Grief, Goals, And Real-Life Tests
• 16:27 Make Sobriety A Lifestyle, Not A Month
• 19:27 From External Hype To Inner Alignment
• 22:27 Sponsor: Tools For Cravings And Sleep
• 24:37 Choose Sobriety Beyond January

Transcript

Courney Andersen: 1:08

Welcome to Sober Vibes, your podcast for alcohol-free lifestyle tips and real talk about long-term sobriety. I'm your host, Courtney Anderson, sober coach, author, and mom. Each week I share strategies, stories, and encouragement to help you navigate cravings, build confidence, and thrive in sobriety. Whether you're sober curious or years in, this is your space to feel supported and inspired. Hey, welcome back to the Sober Vives Podcast. I am your host and sober coach, Courtney Anderson. You are listening to episode 259. And if you're listening to this and thinking, okay, dry January, I'm doing quotation marks for you listeners. Dry January is about to end. Now what do I do? This episode is for you. Because something very real happens when January ends. And I feel if you've noticed the theme so far in January, I want for you to succeed and understand what's about to come your way. All right. Because you have to continue on in your alcohol-free life. All right. So you'll start noticing that the social media posts start to slow down. The encouragement kind of quiets you. You might have been seeing some people that you follow who not necessarily live a sober alcohol-free life, but they're doing dry January. You will see too, marketing will come to a total halt. They you'll feel like everybody was doing this together, right? And then that energy fades. So suddenly alcohol is going to be back everywhere come February 1st. And this is a good one to realize about the industry, just also too with the marketing. Once dry January ends, then you will start, you'll start seeing it ramp up for Valentine's Day. So then you'll probably see more of wines being pushed towards your way, or even how shit is displayed at the grocery store or Target. Target right now has a great stand of, I believe it's Athletica, because they came out too with a couple different actually mocktails, I believe. They started coming out with mocktails this year. I have to double check on that. I don't know if it was like our flavored beer or it was actually mocktail. They look good though. Just in, but there's so there's a stand and it's on like the on the end, right? On that end cabinet. And which usually that's not there. But what's there in February is the red wine. Okay. So before we get started in today's episode, if you are needing help in your sober journey, make sure to check out my one-on-one sober coaching and also to my coaching community sobriety circle. The info is in the show notes below, or you can go to CourtneyRecovered.com and as always check out my book, A Sober Vise, A Guide to Thriving in its first three months without alcohol. It's a real banger. It's a real banger. And I do say that with pride. Because when I wrote that, my little dictator was about seven months old. And I still to this day cannot believe I wrote a book when I was in the thick of it with my little one. All right. Why this moment is going to feel so hard, right? So in January, not drinking is completely fucking normalized. It is so normalized that it's just expected of people to do. And then when you tell somebody you're not drinking in January, it's right off the bat, like, oh, are you doing dry January? That's a person's response now, right? And why it's normalized too, you're gonna see a lot more Instagram accounts posting daily check-ins, right? Friends doing it with you. Again, going back to brands leading into wellness, conversations are centered around not drinking. But like I said, once February hits, the marketing will pivot. Alcohols, alcohol ads are gonna come back, happy hours are gonna resurface, right? Social media and life is going to move on. And you're gonna feel a little bit shaky. Now, yes, there are still a lot of sober accounts, right? But if you as well sometimes notice with some of these sober accounts, I and this is why I don't I stand on business with not marketing towards dry January, sober October, July, July, because guess what? There's sober fucking February, sober March, sober April, right? Like I don't use this as marketing toys. And because every day is a great day to be sober and live an alcohol-free life. Every day is a great day to quit drinking. And sometimes too, with the talk specifically around these months, especially with dry January, it's like then people make a joke about it. Once they can't hit it, they're like, oh, it's okay. I'll just do a day of January. It's no, that's not the point. Now we're just bending it to your own rules when it fits your narrative. Okay. For example, I haven't I've announced this, but I haven't, I don't think I I've said it on the podcast. Last week I took a break from the show because my father actually has uh he passed away. So on January 3rd, and I I'm I was gonna wait. I don't want to cry. So January 3rd, he passed away, and it's been a couple weeks, and the episodes that I did was they were they were before that, or right around that time where I was still in a fight or flight mode. Anyway, so I didn't release an episode last week because I just didn't have it in me, and I was in a process of grief with the second week of my father's passing, and I was angry, so I was pissed last week. And I don't like to record things when I'm in a mood that's not fair to anybody because I want to be fresh as a daisy for you. So my point that I'm trying to make is I had to stand on business with my brother a week ago, two weeks ago, when he was like, I picked a hell of a time to quit drinking and do dry January and was like, I could go home and drink a bourbon. I said, You don't fucking do that. I you guys know that I it's like everybody is on their that is their side of the street. If people want to drink, you're going to drink, right? And so I said, Don't you fucking do that? And he was like, What? I said, you go home and pound a Coca-Cola plastic if you need to, Chatty. I was like, but you set out a goal for yourself. I said, because listen, the pain that we are experiencing, it's still gonna be there tomorrow. So don't ambush it, don't do this, and don't then use like you set out a goal, do it for yourself because my daughter is very goal-oriented. And I said, keep going, your future self will think you tomorrow. So whether he did or not, I don't know. I never asked him, but this is the truth when it comes to dry January, is people so often give in because it's not taken serious. So that was my point of me trying to make. It's going back to with these specific months, it's not looked at. No, this is legit like a lifestyle change. For some people, they do start in Jan dry January, and I think that's great, or they start in January, and I think that is great, but a lot of people do not succeed the full 30 days because you have to start looking at this as not just you have to start looking at this as more that this is a lifestyle, this is something that I'm doing to better myself and mind, body, soul of why you're doing it, right? So just remember that, okay? So also too, I don't want you to lose the momentum, okay? You can still keep going, even if you feel like you lost that external reinforcement from, like I said, from media, from looking at social media feeds, right? From listening to people, even in the non-sober world of listening to to podcast hosts or people saying that they're doing dry January. So don't feel like you've lost that internal reinforcement because you have it with other people, right? So why momentum can drop after dry January? In January, sobriety is held up by structure, right? In February, it's going to require more self-trust within yourself. And that is an entirely different muscle. So this usually is when thoughts creep in. I proved I can stop, right? Maybe I don't need to be so serious. Everyone else is drinking again. I proved it to myself that I could go 30 days without booze, right? Was I overreacting? This doesn't mean that you're backsliding. It means you're transitioning from kind of like borrowed motivation to internal alignment. And also too, with going back to January, we're really big on the resolutions because that is what we've been trained to do. And whoever created the resolutions, I'm gonna need to lift that up of why where resolutions came from with New Year's. I shared this with on a meeting over the weekend with a uh my get the gal palsy sobriety circle. And I found this really, really great. Instagram reel came across my feed, and it was up that James Vanderbeek who played Dawson Creek, or who played Dawson on Dawson's Creek. And that guy is super insightful. And he was saying, he was like, Why are we trying to do the most in a season where we're supposed to be rusting? And it is so very fucking true because in the wintertime, we are supposed as human beings, we are supposed to be, it's a hibernation season. So again, if the only thing that you are putting on your plate starting January 1st is not to drink alcohol, ride that out because when spring comes, you are going, and when I say ride it out, keep going. And that only being the thing that you put on your plate, not trying to get a credit score of 800. We're not gonna let try to lose 50 pounds in a week. You are not gonna try to gain 50 pounds in a week, okay? Whatever end of that spectrum you need to go. We just need to focus on the most important thing, and that is to not quit drinking alcohol. Stop trying to do the most in a season where you are meant to relax and stay indoors and eat mini steps. It's true, like warm things, okay, where I'm getting at. And just put your ass to bed by 6 p.m. As soon as I put that little dictator down at 7 p.m., I'm like, I actually start getting my pajamas on before I do his nighttime routine. I do my nighttime routine and then put him down, and then I'm like, okay, it's now time for me to get in my bed and hibernate and read books. So keep that in mind, okay? So again, January is you have that external motivation, and now come the shift in February where you have to start now getting that alignment with you to keep going. And this shift also too is uncomfortable, right? But it is also where real change happens. January is here, that challenge where you take a month-long break from alcohol to reset your habits and see how life feels like without drinking. Time off can bring huge benefits: better sleep, more energy, weight loss, and improvements to your liver health, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. But those first few weeks can be tough. That's where Exact Nature comes in. Exact Nature makes safe, non-intoxicating CBD products designed to help you take the edge off. Easing cravings, calming anxiety, improving sleep, and stabilizing your mood, all without getting you high or causing harm. Founded by a father-son team in recovery, Exact Nature truly understands its journey. Their range of products is value-priced, subscription ready, and designed to support your success over time. As a listener, you'll get 25% off your order at exactnature.com with checkout code SV25. Start off strong in 2026 with Exact Nature. Your future self will thank you. You can also find the link in the show notes below. Make sure to use code SV as it's sober vibes25. SB25. Because this is all about you. This is not about anybody else. So you have to stop using January as the benchmark. Okay. Just stop. Okay. January sobriety is supported by sobriety. February sobriety is chosen sobriety as and to keep going. And I I will say this because of how this dry January has gotten in this. And it's very easy. It's the same thing. And the and then the wellness culture too, it's heightened of you need to be doing this and and be eating clean and all that jazz. They're kind of not the same and they don't need to feel the same, right? So I want you to decide what this is meant for you. It's not forever, it's not dramatically. Just ask, what did I notice about myself without alcohol for the month of January to keep you going for February? Is it more energy, clear mornings, less anxiety, better boundaries? So those are data points and they're not rules. This is you being like, wow, I really do feel better without alcohol. Should I keep this going? And the answer is yes. And next week I'm gonna have a special episode for you. I actually haven't done something like this before, and I it came from when I the gals in a sobriety circle. So that episode, actually, that episode, I'm gonna drop it a little bit early. So it will come to you some in this next last week. So I will drop that in a couple days from when this one airs. Okay. So again, it's not rules, it's just it's your body telling you how much better you thought. And do you want to know what's gonna happen if you reintroduce alcohol to that? You're gonna feel like shit within a matter of 10 days. A matter of 10 days, you're gonna feel like garbage, okay? Expect to the alcohol noise to get louder. Okay. This is key. When you expect it, it's not gonna catch you off guard, right? So the ads, the invites, the jokes, the blind culture, and even two, you might have written out a cute pink wave in the month of January, and then all of a sudden, you might then start to have a really bad craving and come February 2nd, because maybe that bubble burst, and also two, you had a day that didn't go so right. You also might be starting your period that day. You might be sick with, I don't know, one of these 1,000 strands of cold slash flues that we get where you're like, oh, I'm craving because I don't like it when I don't feel good, right? I like to drink when I don't feel good, so I can keep pushing forward to do the things that I need to do. You will be triggered, and that does happen. It's different for everybody, but either people really do have those cravings in those first couple weeks and then they die out, or people don't, and then come after that 30 days, those cravings are gonna hit you. And then when you start seeing more ads for alcohol and all of that, and the jokes and people being like, Well, I I went through dry January, I got this, right? It's gonna be loud. Alcohol noise is what I'm gonna phrase that. So it doesn't mean that you're not you're doing something wrong, okay? It just means that as well that alcohol is socially normalized again. I was watching Bravo came out with the valley, uh, Shaws of Sunset, Persian style, I believe it's called Shaws of Sunset. Anyways, there's a couple people if anyone was fans of Shaws of Sunset, so they came out with this Persian style, which is I don't know. But this is how normalized this is. I'm watching this scene, and what this couple gets mad that Gigi starts smoking a joint at this party. Okay, they're like pissed. Now, mind you, marijuana, I think at this point, I don't know, tell me any differently. Please slide into my DMs on Silver Vives. I'm pretty sure it's almost legal in all states now. And so in California, it's been legal for years. And so she's smoking, and these people are like taken back. Like, how dare she? We have kids in the house. Meanwhile, they have a fully stuck bar and they're passing out cocktails, like it's their jobs, and also to the host of this party is pissed that her husband canceled the bartender. Okay. This is what I'm telling you. Marijuana is now legal, but it's still looked upon as a drug. But we're sitting over here where there's alcohol and people are drinking and gonna get fucked up with booze, and there's children in the house. How is it any different? But that's because of how socially acceptable and normalized drinking is in our culture. It's absolutely disgusting. And I just I saw this last week and it made me giggle, and it's nothing to do about politics, but this just made me laugh. The president of the United States sent out a tweet. I don't know if it was real, because who knows what's real, right? When it comes to him. But he sent out this tweet saying, let's bring back the 18th amendment and talking about prohibition. And this was actually something I was like, fuck yeah, Gotnie. I would actually get on board with you with this. Like bringing back the 18th amendment, because he was talking about, he was like, and I don't know if he did it because it was January, right? But he was just talking about like how there is an epidemic of alcoholism running rampant in this country. And he touched on on he touched on leadership, and it is so true. And and so he was like, we should bring that prohibition. And then at the bottom, it said, make America sober again. Now, I understand some people are not gonna find this humorous because of the their details, distaste for him. I get it. But that though, I was like, oh man, this man probably has big alcohol companies shaking in their boots. Anyways, I appreciated it. No matter the ways I I appreciated it. It made me giggle. So again, just realize how, how, how socially acceptable thoes is in our country. Okay. So how are you gonna keep that momentum going without feeling like your white knuckle yet? So momentum again doesn't come from the motivation. It comes from having one place you feel supported. And this is the thing, too, of you going forward, sometimes listening to 125 solar podcasts or following 125 sober accounts. I don't want you to do that because you're going to get overwhelmed because everybody has their own position on what sobriety looks like for them. You truly have to figure out what is going to work best for you. And when you're listening to all the podcasts and is listening to all the accounts and reading all the quit lit books or following all the counts, we should say, you're going to hit a point where you feel very overwhelmed in what I like to call recovery burnout. Okay. I understand somebody's going to be pissed. I say this, but like sometimes too, do I get why people do 90 days and 90 meetings and 90 days, but sometimes it is too much. That is why in the sobriety circle, I do not have a meeting for every day. I I don't. I had meetings twice a week because guess what? I want you to be able to stand on your own two feet because that is real life. That is real life. Yes, people can disagree, but that it's which is fine. But I do believe that this is a great structure. I have it, it's very intentional. So again, I invite you to check out the sobriety circle if you're looking for more support in your sober journey. And it's a great group of ladies, and or if you're needing one-on-one sober coaching, okay, check out the links in the show note below. If January felt easier because you weren't alone, then that is not flaw. It's an information. And whether it be you join the sobriety circle or you go to an AA meeting or you find another online community, please do whatever works for you to stay alcohol free another day is what's most important. It's what's most important. I don't care how you do it, as long as you your head hits that pillow another day without drinking. I support you. And you're not hurting somebody. Okay. I'm gonna add that one in there. So I hoped this helped. Just please remember that there will be a low that comes February 1st. And you might be looking around, being like, what happened? And those are the reasons I wanted to share that with you. Because sometimes it's nice to know things before it happens, and then not when it happens, and then you feel like you've just been left in the dark. And then you start questioning your own journey with alcohol because such and such isn't doing it, or you're not seeing those ads anymore, right? Or people aren't talking about it as much. Because you will then see, again, going back to the marketing, that's gonna be February Valentine's Day. Then we pick up for St. Patrick's Day, and then what's after, and then the summer. Then we get into the summertime, and then all through the summer, it's all about drinking and having fun. And then we get into football season, and then we get into the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then we'll be back to January. It is a cycle, and that is why, too, that these SOBs in these alcohol industries did start branching out with these with companies with with providing their own NA product because they had to, and they had to keep up with what is probably, I don't know, I think it was probably by this year, next year, or if it didn't happen already, what was projected to be a billion-dollar industry with the NA industry. But that just means that progress has happened. And then we decided to go back to now a president of the United States tweeting about prohibition and and seeing that there is a problem here now with with alcohol. All right, good people of the world. And if you haven't gotten it yet, feel free to check out my masterclass. If you leave a rating and review on Apple, then just screen chat it, email it to me, and I will give you access to that masterclass. Make sure you're following over at Silvervives on my Instagram page. And as always, good people of the world, keep on trucking. Let me know if this episode helped you today.