January is traditionally the month of renewed resolve – reining in excesses, realigning priorities and restoring vigor. It’s why so many people vow on New Year’s Eve to hit the gym more often.

It’s also why it has become a month for tapping the reset button on holiday overindulgences of food – and especially drink.

Hence, the “Dry January” movement profiled in The Gazette this week. It began about a decade ago in the UK and has since made a lap around the globe and taken hold in the U.S. It’s a call to abstain from alcohol all month – or, at least, moderate one’s consumption – for those who feel they could use a break. And while the trend can’t claim to be the origin of the alcohol-free “mocktail” or of an expression like “sober-curious,” it likely has given them new lift.

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It can be a touchy subject because alcohol use is so deeply ingrained in Western Civilization – as is alcohol abuse. From the ancient sanctity of wine to the latter-day boom in craft beer, many people prize their alcoholic beverages. But with their use comes the responsibility to imbibe sensibly. Not only for the sake of safety on our roadways but also for our health.

While wine plays an important role in the sacred rituals of many observant Christians and Jews, it is of course used in moderation. Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament include numerous admonitions against drunkenness and its consequences.

For those who perceive the need to press “pause” on their intake, it’s refreshing to see a new support movement by way of Dry January. And it’s encouraging that even purveyors of alcohol are embracing the idea, as noted in The Gazette’s coverage.

Around Denver, in Colorado Springs and all along the Front Range, popular pubs are pitching premium nonalcoholic beers. Trendy bars are mixing up a range of tasty and refreshing mocktails with names like “Island Hopper,” “Perfect Vision” and “Pepper Pantomime.”

As The Gazette’s report also reminds us, there are support communities for those who choose to avoid alcohol. And there’s exercise – and even a health club in Denver that focuses on those trying to quit; the membership fee is simply 48 hours of continued sobriety.

As expected, experts in the health care and health sciences communities are weighing in with their support for Dry January – and offering advice to the sober-curious on how to get started.

Joseph Schacht, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus who specializes in alcohol-use disorder, says first set a realistic and concrete goal.

“Do you want to stop drinking completely? If not, how many days a week do you want to drink, and what is the greatest number of drinks you want to have on those days?” Schacht says in an interview published by the campus this week urging the public to “take the ‘Dry January’ challenge.”

“Many people find that simply keeping track of their drinking on a day-to-day basis, using a calendar app or log, makes them more aware of it and less likely to overindulge.”

For those seeking to cut back on their alcohol use or to cut it out of their lives entirely, it’s reassuring there’s a wide-ranging support base ready to help – and a whole month dedicated to the cause.

To learn more about resources for substance-use issues, the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration is a good place to start. Call 303-866-7400, email cdhs_bha@state.co.us or visit https://bha.colorado.gov/get-behavioral-health-help.

Denver Gazette Editorial Board