It is the second day of a new decade, a day marking the transition from resolution to action. As E.E. Cummings might say, this is the day for “tasting, touching, seeing, breathing, any….” This Day of Doing begs a simple question: How will you craft the next ten years of your lives? Will you do it with intention?

Intentional crafting takes a sober touch, and as I’ve written ad nauseum, the sober way isn’t about abstaining from the bottle. It’s not about drinking or not drinking (or eating or not eating, or shopping or not shopping, or whatever’ing or not whatever’ing). The way of inner sobriety is the way of adoration, of attaching to the Divine Love instead of succumbing to vice. But doesn’t sobriety sometimes require a season of abstinence? Sometimes, doesn’t that season of abstinence last a lifetime?

Welcome to January 2020, a month to try on sobriety. More than a few abstain from drinking during the month, participating in what’s called a “Dry January.” Some do it to sort out whether they have a problem. Some do it knowing they have a problem. Some layoff the booze in an effort to save cash, or to goad their lover into laying off the sauce, or to reset their gut microbiomes (yes, this is a thing). But Dry January shouldn’t just be for the drinkers in the room. After all, couldn’t we all take a break from our vices of choice? Couldn’t we all stretch into a deeper experience of inner sobriety?

I’ve spilled a few thousand words on the notion of inner sobriety in The Book of Waking Up, and today, I’m extending a three-step, Dry January invitation:

Identify your personal coping mechanism, that habit you can’t seem to shake, especially when the pain comes calling;
Participate in Dry January, and abstain from your favorite coping mechanism for the entire month;
Order a copy of The Book of Waking Up (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookish), and learn how to wake to the way of true inner sobriety.

It’s the second day of a new decade. Walk into it with intention. Wake to inner sobriety.