Raw-Dogging 2026

I’m not someone who drinks heavily. A couple of glasses of wine on a Friday, a couple on Saturday. Wine as celebration. Wine as relaxation. Wine as exploring places I’ve never visited. 

In 2026, I want to drink less and I started on January 2. No wine. I don’t have an addictive personality, but I do believe in disrupting habits to see what they’re actually doing to me. Sometimes my willpower needs a stress test.

I’ve taken breaks before. The difference this time is I downloaded an app. I wanted something simple to track calories and money saved, partly because I don’t get the dramatic physical payoff people promise. No sudden glow or de-puffing. No better sleep. No instant proof this is “healthier.” The last time I took a wine break, I sent before-and-after photos to my mom. She said, “You look happier in the one where you’re drinking.” Interpret that however you want, but it confirmed what I already knew: appearance is not a reliable compass for me.

I found a free tracking, but it’s a sobriety app, which immediately made this feel far more serious than intended. The testimonials and inspirational push notifications seem written for people in much deeper crisis than I am. Ironically, the reminders make me think about wine more.

But they also led to clarity. I realized that in the last fifteen years, I haven’t gone more than a couple of months without at least one drink (pregnancy aside). There is always a reason. A toast. A dinner. A moment worth marking.

And even in small amounts, alcohol is still something my body has to process, filter, and recover from.

That clarity matters, especially now. It means feeling the full weight of what’s happening right now—politically, culturally, morally—without any numbing any thing. Sitting with anger and grief that can’t be masked, or at least one less thing to distract myself from the heavy emotions. 

I don’t know how long this experiment will last. I’m thinking longer than a month. And honestly, that’s a shame because gangs of wine moms are really having a moment in resisting this regime. 🍷