Forget Dry January: perhaps Damp January is what New Jersey needs

Surely by 2024 you’ve heard of “Dry January,” but for those who haven’t, it’s when people abstain from alcohol for the first month of the year.

Let’s face it, the weeks between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve have their fair share of imbibing: there’s no doubt our livers could use a break.

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The trend has been around since 2013, but if we’re being honest… is that really New Jersey’s speed?

With the basic annoyances we face every day (property taxes, our congested roads, any time a politician opens their mouths, etc.) can we really expect the average New Jerseyan to go the whole month of January without a drink to take the edge off?

Allow me to introduce you to “Damp January.”

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What is Damp January?

Instead of quitting drinking for the entire month, “Damp January” promotes cutting back on your alcohol intake so you can be healthier while still having the occasional libation.

To me, this sounds far more realistic for the Garden State.

Of course, it’s your own personal health decision, but for those who want to consider cutting back on alcohol without going cold turkey for the month of January, try going “damp.”

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It should be said that for the unfortunate 14 million Americans with an alcohol use disorder, stopping altogether and not just in January should be the goal. However if you just want a better handle on your consumption, “Damp January” may be for you.

Easy ways to participate in Damp January:

🔴 Stock your fridge with non-alcoholic beer, so you still get the feeling of sipping a cold one without the booze.
🔴 Alternate cocktails with mocktails, after all they can be just as tasty!

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For the times you choose to dampen up your month, take a look at each state’s signature drink. If you think Alaska’s is bad, wait until you get to what our neighbors in New York prefer….

What Are the Signature Drinks From Every State?

Or you could always give these brews a try….

LOOK: Best Beers From Every State

To find the best beer in each state and Washington D.C., Stacker analyzed January 2020 data from BeerAdvocate, a website that gathers user scores for beer in real-time. BeerAdvocate makes its determinations by compiling consumer ratings for all 50 states and Washington D.C. and applying a weighted rank to each. The weighted rank pulls the beer toward the list's average based on the number of ratings it has and aims to allow lesser-known beers to increase in rank. Only beers with at least 10 rankings to be considered; we took it a step further to only include beers with at least 100 user rankings in our gallery. Keep reading to find out what the best beer is in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C.

Gallery Credit: Angela Underwood

LOOK: 19 Drinks Only '90s Kids Remember

Grab that weird bendy straw you bought with your Chuck. E Cheese tokens, because we're sluprin' up these definitive flavors of the '90s.

Gallery Credit: Meg Dowdy

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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