There’s a sobering shift in high society, as stiff drinks cede to the rise of soft power – and now chic spots around town are brimming with sophisticated non-alcoholic offerings as Dry January hits its stride.

For Scott Page, Dry January goes year-round. At the beginning of his sobriety journey, he avoided even being in bars where other people were drinking alcohol. “I was worried it could be triggering,” the South Side resident said.

In 2025 the trend continues, with Newsweek reporting that almost a third of Americans plan to participate in some form of Dry January. "More than 90 percent of people on our platform, they're doing it purely to get healthier," says Vedant Pradeep, co-founder of the sobriety app, Reframe. "They want to live [as] the best version of themselves."

The popularity of Dry January has gone up and up in recent years. The sentiment is sound - December is a big month for drinking and eating so it's best to start a new year with a bit of a reset. But why not watch movies about people doing the exact opposite of your healthy choices to make the countdown to February just a bit easier?

It’s that time of year again when your timeline fills with hashtags like #DryJanuary and your friends enthusiastically declare their commitment to a booze-free month. While the idea of taking a break from alcohol for 31 days can be a wonderful way to reset and reflect,