150. Dry January: The Pros, The Cons & The Sunnyside Perspective

Send me a message 🤗Nick Allen, co-founder and CEO of Sunnyside, joins me to explore why traditional Dry January might be setting us up to fail—and what we can do about it. We discuss Sunnyside's "dry-ish January" approach that prioritises sustainable habit change over perfectionism, examining why February often sees people drinking more than ever after a month of white-knuckling through abstinence. Nick shares insights on breaking decades-long drinking patterns, the limitations of willpower, and why having a system matters more than having goals. We also touch on emerging medical options like Naltrexone for those struggling with biochemical cravings, and how bringing awareness to your drinking triggers during January can create lasting change throughout the year.0:00 New Year, New Listeners4:05 Nick and the Sunnyside story6:46 Dry January Pros10:19 Dry January Cons12:00 The Willpower, Habits & Perfection Challenge19:00 You Don't Have to Start on the 1st21:24 Taking it forward27:47 Breaking Decades Of Habit29:53 Medication As Another Tool35:22 The BBQ-QWE CHAT ABOUT Sunnyside https://get.sunnyside.co/new3/ WE ALSO TALK ABOUT: Best Days Brewing https://bestdaybrewing.com/===🗝️ Become a Vault member to get access to the moderation tools that actually help - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/s/the-vault===✏️ Come hang out with me on Substack - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/===Take the Midlife Drinking Triggers Quiz - https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/68dd33385bb4a20015996a13===*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.