My Top 5 Resources for Dry (or Dryish) January

If you’re starting Dry January or Dry(ish) January today, this episode is about support, not pressure. We talk about how to approach the month with kindness instead of correction, what to expect in those first couple of weeks, why an off night doesn’t undo progress, and how to set yourself up with tools that actually help once January is underway. We walk through practical support like the Dry(ish) January Challenge with Sunnyside, medical and physical support options, urge surfing, and motivating resources that make this feel doable in real life. This episode builds on Monday’s conversation about planning ahead, but it stands on its own as a grounded way to start the year feeling clear, steady, and supported.

My Top 5 Resources for Dry (or Dryish) January

1. Dry(ish) January Challenge with Sunnyside
Join the free challenge, choose your goal, track your drinks, and earn rewards.
https://get.sunnyside.co/january

2. Sunnyside Med
Medical support designed to help when cravings feel bigger than intentions.
https://www.joinsunnysidemed.com/

3. Cloud9 – Daily Restore (Sunnyside Edition)
Physical support for sleep, nervous system recovery, and liver health during alcohol reduction.
https://trycloud9.com/products/daily-restore-sunnyside

4. Urge Surfing (Behavioral Psychology Tool)
Clinical overview:
👉 https://ssihi.uci.edu/news-and-media/blog/urge-surfing-in-the-new-year-resolving-to-ride-the-waves-of-change/

5. SoberishMom on Instagram
Motivating, real-life support that makes Dry(ish) Jan
👉 https://www.instagram.com/soberishmom/

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Host

Mike Hardenbrook

#1 best-selling author of "No Willpower Required," neuroscience enthusiast, and habit change expert.

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Speaker 1: 00:56

Hey, everyone. If you're listening to this, it is 01/01/2026. First of all, welcome to the brand new year. Oh, I'm so excited about what's ahead for everyone here. I'm sitting actually in a brand new spot.

Speaker 1: 01:10

We just moved from Scottsdale, now in Boulder area. We drove through the night, had a U Haul, you know, three kids and a dog. But I am full of energy to get this year started, to connect with you, to make this year even better than last year. And before we dive into January, I actually wanna start somewhere else. I wanna start with 2025.

Speaker 1: 01:35

So whatever the year looked like, however it ended, whether your last night was chill and went as planned, whether it was messy, or maybe somewhere in between, all of it counts as you being human and you being here trying to be your best. So nothing needs fixing. Nothing needs erasing. You don't need to make anything mean something today. Take that pressure away because January is gonna work out best when it starts from a place of kindness instead of correction or self criticism.

Speaker 1: 02:10

And that's really the tone I wanna set for this whole episode. So, obviously, you're here because you've been thinking about doing dry January or dryish January, or maybe just drinking a little bit differently this month. This episode is about how to support that and how to actually sustain it once you're in it. And if you caught Monday's episode, we talked about the setup, making decisions before January starts so that you're not negotiating in the moment. And today, it builds on that.

Speaker 1: 02:38

But if you're just joining us and you didn't catch Mondays, don't worry. This episode is gonna stand on its own. You can always, of course, go back to Monday if you want for the full breakdown planning ahead. Now let's talk about the energy of January for a second. January, it doesn't need to feel like a recovery period.

Speaker 1: 02:57

It can actually feel very clean, very calm, very forward looking. And one of the most helpful shifts that I've done for myself and that I see people make is moving away from this idea of what I have to give up and instead moving towards what do I want more of or what do I stand to gain and focusing on that. Maybe it's better mornings. Maybe it's stable mood. Maybe it's feeling proud of yourself.

Speaker 1: 03:23

Maybe it's better energy levels. Whatever it is, when that's the anchor, choices tend to line up on their own. And that's the framing also that makes space for things that we really need, which is grace. Because January doesn't need to be this flawless thing for it to be useful to us. And that's something I really want to stress is that it doesn't have to be perfect because we're all human.

Speaker 1: 03:50

Nothing is gonna be perfect. Now I do wanna say this in full transparency. Most of the time, that first week usually is gonna feel the biggest change and challenges. And, you know, that just comes with the territory. Our routines are maybe gonna be different.

Speaker 1: 04:08

Evenings might feel a little bit unfamiliar territory or not sure what to do with your time. Your body could be going through some adjustments. And the best part, though, it all and for most people, weeks two and then three are gonna feel much more steady. You're settling into this new routine. Your sleep might start to normalize and improve.

Speaker 1: 04:30

Your energy might smooth out a little bit and you feel more level. And decision making might get easier and better because you're not so depleted, you've already sort of committed and you're well into it. And here's something that often gets missed. Unless you were drinking every single night, every single day before January, You're not suddenly doing a thirty days no drinking. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 04:56

Of course, it's thirty consecutive days, but you're not taking away thirty drinking days. You're actually doing fewer drinking days than usual. That's really all you are doing is just taking some drinking days away. And that's a very different mental framing when you just kind of look at it that way instead of this monumental thing, a month long thing. And today we're going to get into all the tools and resources that I suggest to make January more of a success.

Speaker 1: 05:24

But I do want to say one thing clearly. One night off does not undo your progress. I touched on this on Monday, but it's worth repeating here. Habit research is really consistent here. A single deviation has little to no impact on long term habit formation.

Speaker 1: 05:43

What matters is the pattern that you return to. So January only goes sideways when one moment turns into the entire story. And when it becomes, you know, well, now I ruined it. I messed up. I might as well just, you know, throw it all down the drain.

Speaker 1: 05:59

But that story, it's completely optional. You can just notice it, keep the structure, and continue on. And momentum, it survives when you don't escalate that story. Alright. Here's the practical stuff.

Speaker 1: 06:12

I I want to walk you through some of the tools and resources that can make this month easier. Not all of these will be right for everyone. So take what's useful and leave what's not. All right. Tool number one is the dryish January challenge.

Speaker 1: 06:28

If you haven't signed up yet, now is the time. The dryish January challenge through Sunnyside gives you structure without all the rigidity. So you get to pick your own goal, whether that's going full dry, maybe dry weeknights, or just cutting back on a certain percentage or amount. You'll get to plan each week. You have daily tracking.

Speaker 1: 06:50

We have community support and real human coaching if you want it. Plus, there are some fun incentives this year including a free gift from Boysen worth about $25 if you track for twenty days. Silverish Mom she's giving away her driest January guide for free which includes meal plans, a beginner weightlifting guide, and foods that help curb cravings. The challenge is it's gonna make January feel like something that you're doing with people instead of maybe doing it alone or white knuckling through it. And, of course, we wanna stay away from that.

Speaker 1: 07:24

The challenge makes January feel like something that you're doing with people instead of maybe doing it alone or feeling like you're white knuckling it through January. And that matters more than most people expect. Okay. Tool number two is Sunnyside Med. You've heard me talk about it.

Speaker 1: 07:43

We've had some interviews on this. Sometimes January isn't hard just because of habits. It's it's hard because cravings feel bigger than your intentions, and that can make it really tough. Or maybe you find yourself overdrinking even when you planned not to. And that's where Sunnyside Med comes in.

Speaker 1: 08:02

It is medical support prescription that helps you when you're in those moments that you told yourself, you know, I'm just going to have one. And then it turned into a lot more than that. If that's sort of been your pattern, this might be the tool that actually changes that. And this doesn't mean that the depth of the problem is either higher or lower. It's about matching the tool to what's actually happening.

Speaker 1: 08:28

Okay. Tool number three is physical support with Cloud9. Now this one I haven't talked about on the show before, and I'm really excited to. So let me give you some context. A while back, I started a company called Cloud9 Health.

Speaker 1: 08:44

It came out of my own experiences changing my drinking. I wanted better sleep, steadier mood, fewer rough mornings, and I couldn't find anything that was designed specifically for that transition. And also for when I did get to a moderate amount that I was happy with, I still was concerned about my health and what I could do to protect it. So I worked with doctors to create Cloud9, and DailyRestore is the core product. It supports liver function, nervous system recovery, and sleep quality.

Speaker 1: 09:18

And the idea is simple. When your body feels supported, evenings tend to feel calmer and mornings feel lighter, and that physical foundation makes behavior change easier to sustain. Basically, when you feel good, you make better choices. I get hundreds of people saying that it's helped them, and I think it fits really well here for people doing something like dry January in driest January. And I'm partnered up here with Sunnyside on this.

Speaker 1: 09:46

We have a special discount for anybody that wants to try our products. You'll find that in the show description below along with any of the links for the resources that I talk about today. Okay. Tool number four is urge surfing. This one I've talked about before, and I bring it up anytime that somebody is having difficulties with urges and cravings because this is one of the most effective tools and it's absolutely free.

Speaker 1: 10:10

So most people, they fight urges or they give into it. Urge surfing, however, is a third option. You just observe it. You don't suppress it. You don't fight it.

Speaker 1: 10:21

You don't act on it. You just ride it out. And here's how it works in practice. When a craving hits, instead of reacting, get curious about it. Feel where it maybe is in your body.

Speaker 1: 10:33

And you just kind of close your eyes and you focus on your breath, slow and steady, and you just watch the sensation. You imagine the urge as this wave in the ocean. You know, you can have your own visualizations, but this is my own. I visualize this big, dark ocean, giant, like, you know, you see those videos of those freighters out in the middle of the ocean like that. That's what I visualize.

Speaker 1: 11:00

And I let that water get turbulent and big, and I just observe it. That's my craving. That's what I believe is my craving, and I let it get as big as I want because I know that is eventually when that wave goes up, it must come down. As with any storm, the storm gives way to sunlight and calm, And that's really all you have to do is have a visualization. You're observing.

Speaker 1: 11:26

You're not acting. And you watch it until it goes away visually. And then you'll notice actually that it in your body and in your mind that that urge will begin to subside as well because most cravings will pass in about twenty minutes. So if it doesn't work the first time, you can always try it again. Now, if this mindfulness thing isn't your thing, I understand and that's totally fine.

Speaker 1: 11:52

Here's another one. This is the simplest version. Go out for a walk, call a friend, or just get occupied with something for the next twenty minutes. And you don't have to fight that urge. Just have to let them pass by not acting on them.

Speaker 1: 12:07

That's the thing. You have to realize that cravings are going to show up, but the difference between success and giving in is by acting on them. So allow them to come and go and just don't act on them. Okay. Tool number five is soberish mom and the right kind of inspiration.

Speaker 1: 12:25

You know, we got to talk a couple of weeks ago. I always love speaking with Katie. And one resource that I want to point people to is Soberish Mom on Instagram. You know, she's motivating in this really grounded kind of way. It's fun.

Speaker 1: 12:39

It's entertaining. It's light. You know, she shares food ideas that give you energy, simple movements that fit into your normal day. And she's also she's pretty funny. So if you wanna follow her, if you're not already, I urge you to go do so.

Speaker 1: 12:54

It's just a daily thing that just, you know, makes you realize you're not alone. It doesn't have to be this deep, heavy thing. It can be fun, and we can laugh at ourselves, and that's what she really puts out there in a positive way. Okay. And I wanna close with something for a little bit of grounding.

Speaker 1: 13:11

You know? Maybe you came in really excited. Maybe you feel a lot of pressure. Maybe it's a mix of emotions, whatever it is, we're going to end here with a little bit of grounding. And so I just want you to take a deep breath.

Speaker 1: 13:23

So take a deep breath through your nose and out your mouth. Get a little high on your supply and, drop your shoulders. And if you want, just gently tap on the front of your collarbone here. You know, just a nice little rhythm if you can hear mine. And then say quietly to yourself, I'm allowed to start from here.

Speaker 1: 13:49

I don't need to do this perfectly. I just need to support myself today. And that's enough. January doesn't need to be something that you get through. It can be something that sets the tone for how you want to live the rest of this year.

Speaker 1: 14:12

If you haven't joined the dryish January challenge, make sure to do so. Go to sunnyside.co/january. Absolutely free and there's still time to get in there, But whatever tool you use, make sure to lead with kindness and grace. And that's gonna set up your full year, and that's how it sticks. Thanks for hanging out with me today.

Speaker 1: 14:35

Happy New Year. And until next time, cheers to your mindful drinking journey.