Sober October is awful. That’s why I do it

As Sober October comes to an end and we turn our attention to two months of forced festivities, it might be time to ask ourselves if these month-long periods of sobriety actually do anything. In short, I’ve found the answer is that they do. This year, I attempted Dry January. Why? For one simple reason: shame. There are few emotions in life more powerful and more potent than shame. And what is a hangover if not chemically-induced shame?

The first time I got really drunk was at a house party. I was 15. My friend and I were new to alcohol and so we thought it clever to buy a litre of Disaronno Originale and eight pints of Kronenbourg. ‘Is that going to be enough?’ I asked. ‘Probably not,’ my friend said, ‘but we can always steal some more at the party.’ It turns out that it was enough. It was more than enough.