Better sober?

Dry January seems to be the buzzing trend nowadays. Abstaining from alcohol for the whole month of January appeals to many, especially to those who overdid the feasting and boozing during the festive season before New Year's. Dry January, as a term, was registered in 2014 in the United Kingdom by Alcohol Concern, an advocacy group that initiated the first campaign in January 2013. Each year there is an increasing number of followers; some very keen, some just pretending to be so, some utilizing the opportunity as a sort of detox, or as a jump-start for a healthier life. In any case, it is a step for the good, as staying sober is better, even if for a mere one-twelfth of the year. 

Suggested sobriety for January is in reality not a new phenomenon. It has been promoted before; the Finnish government had such a campaign back in 1942, naming it Sober January. The idea of giving the body a break is a good one, though not a new one. Actually, mankind's effort to abstain from the pleasures of life, including the intoxicating and bewildering alcohol, is a very old struggle dating back to the creation of religions. In every religion there is a period of abstention or fasting, like the Lenten period in Christianity, when you have to forego seductive things including alcohol. 

Some faiths like Islam and Bahaism totally reject alcoholic consumption, which is tough in practice, as we all know that religion is open to discussion, especially when it comes to enjoying a glass or two. Some people in Turkey take Ramadan as their dry month, whether they are religious or not, or fast or not. Their real reason might just be that they really need time off and the holy month seems to be an appropriate time - a period very justifiable socially in a country where 99 percent...