In the new decade, I offered a sort of challenge: participate in Dry January with me, a month of laying off your particularly addiction, vice, bad habit, or coping mechanism of choice. Some of you might have chosen to lay off the booze or porn or shopping. For those of us who might not struggle with those particular behaviors (or for those of us who’ve struggled so hard in the past that we gave them up forever), we might have chosen to abstain from difference vices. What was my particular Dry January commitment?

Give up the news.

It’s a tricky abstinence, going cold turkey off the stream of information that animates so much of our society. I deleted the News app from my phone. I’ve avoided scrolling the Twitter feed for the hottest take on the most recent What-The-Hell? event. I’ve white-knuckled through my cravings for The Daily, the New York Times daily news podcast. Why?

The News: What is it but an inducement for anxiety these days? What is it but a roiling, angsty cauldron of angry opinion? What is it but corporate-sponsored argument, a divisive device of control, an inducement to pull out your pitchforks and string up your less-enlightened neighbor? And even though I understand these very real truths, what am I but an avid consumer of all that anxiety and anger?

In the days leading up to the new decade, I sensed my anxiety and anger ratcheting up each time I turned to the news. Belly full of opinions, I gave sideways glances at my neighbors who watched certain news networks. I grew more suspicious of the political pundits (particularly those of faith) who supported particular political candidates and grew even more suspicious of the American people who seemed to love those particular pundits. I teetered on the verge of hating my American sister and loathing my American brother. And so, I quit.

I’ve stuck with my personal Dry January challenge, and it’s cleared my mind. In just sixteen days, my skepticism has waned, and it’s allowed me to see the neighbor behind the talking head. It’s increased my capacity for compassion, even if I’ve not put it into action perfectly. The anxiety of a world falling apart doesn’t sit on my chest like a gorilla escaped from the zoo. My Dry January commitment has kept me off my phone more, too—an added bonus.

If you’re participating in your own Dry January, take some time today to examine the differences it’s made in your daily life. If you’re not participating, it’s not too late to start, though you might consider extending the exercise by a couple of weeks. But whether you’re participating or not, let’s keep walking into this new decade with eyes wide open. Let’s keep moving into something like inner sobriety. (How do we keep waking to sobriety? Read below the asterisks.)

***THE BOOK IS HERE! ORDER AND FORWARD***

THE BOOK OF WAKING UP —a book on addiction, attachment, and the Divine Love—launched TUESDAY so order a copy or ten at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookish (my favorite indie bookseller). Then, forward this post to a friend and ask them to read along.