Young adults are drinking less alcohol than their parents' generation. A Gallup poll says in the past 20 years, the percentage of people under 34 that say they drink has fallen from 72% to 62%.
This January, many young people, like Tucsonan Marie Murray, are making it their goal to get through the month without any alcohol.
Murray is going into her second dry January: “the biggest thing that I noticed the first time around was just how much more productive I became.”
Last year, after making it through the first 30 days, Murray extended her stint with sobriety another 45 days. In 2025, she wants to make it 90 days. She says her biggest challenges are fighting cravings and finding new social outlets.
“I’m a social drinker, I love to go out and dance and when I dance, I like to loosen up with a couple drinks,” she said.
Erin Frame, host of the Sober Fierce podcast has a solution.
“A lot of drinking is a habit," she said. "It’s about replacing that habit with something else.”
She recommends something like Kombucha or tonic water because "it still has a kick."
