Do You Really Need That Glass of Wine?

By Anissa Durham | Word In Black(WIB) – With deadly wildfires burning entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles, the Israel-Hamas war raging on, and the Trump administration doing everything from terminating federal DEI programs to conducting ICE raids at schools — you might think Americans would be reaching for the bottle more than ever. Instead, millions of them are doing exactly the opposite. That’s because they’ve committed to Dry January, a challenge to stay sober for the first 31 days of the year. In 2024, a& quarter of Americans& participated in Dry January, choosing sparkling water over spirits, not just to reset their livers, but to rethink their entire relationship with alcohol.Related:& Dry January: 3 Tips to Make the Most of the Sobriety Challenge“I was very comfortable with leisure drinking, and I didn’t like that,” says Santierra Hutson, a 28-year-old D.C. resident who turned her Dry January into a 90-day sobriety journey.  This is her fourth year doing Dry January. For her, it started during those isolated pandemic days when a glass of wine became less of a treat and more of a habit.& “I don’t regret it,” she says. “When I initially stopped drinking … it was really hard. But...