Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.

Posted in Character on Jan 12, 2024

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✍️ 33 stories

“Giving Up Time Travel” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #233

I promise Alli that I’ll give up time travel for “Dry January,” but she doesn’t think I can do it. She doesn’t exactly give me an ultimatum, but it sure feels like one.“If I’m giving up milk chocolate, coffee, red wine, and fries, you can ween yourself off of time travel,” Alli says, hands on hips, chin cocked high, and shoulders back, exposing her neck and indicating she is not afraid of a fight.“Can I start tomorrow?” I plead. After all, we still have two hours before the ball drops. I could still do a lot of damage in that time.“Starting ...

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“Auld Hornie’s Wirk” by Howard Halsall

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #233

Glasgae’s dry January always ends on th’ twenty-fifth night o’ th’ month. That’s fair enough, fur na parched Glaswegian kin sustain such perverse cruelty beyond that hallowed date. Th’ end o’ that thirsty month can’t come quick enough, fur then we raise a cup o’ cheer tae Rabbie Burns. Th’ Bard’s rousing words on that night ne’er fail to restore oor tortured souls anew, banishing th’ self-inflicted drought fur annur year.* * *However, Burns Night is an age from Hogmanay’s tolling midnight bells and the thunderous arrival o’ th’ New Year. The...

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“Writing Dry” by William Glewicz

Submitted to Contest #233

Writing Dry Friday. Janet sits at the kitchen table, staring at her phone. “Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.” In all her 70 years, she’s never tasted alcohol. Well, there was that time junior year that left her heaving in the bathroom with her mother standing outside the door calling her names. Once, it turned out, can be enough. After that? Janet rubs her eyes, searching for relevant memories, anything that could be of use. Cooking sherry surely doesn’t count. There was that time Ed took her to that fancy res...

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“Riley and the Reinvention of Harmony Hills” by Leigh Nassiry

Submitted to Contest #233

In the charming town of Harmony Hills, where the sun painted the houses golden every evening, lived a character named Riley who was about to embark on an unexpected journey. Known for his lively spirit and the ability to turn any mundane moment into a laughter-filled memory, Riley decided to take on the challenge of Dry January. It all began on a cold winter's night when Riley found himself at the local pub, surrounded by friends and the usual merriment. As the clock struck midnight, signaling the start of a new year, Riley made a proclamati...

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“Wine Wednesday” by Elli Price

Submitted to Contest #233

“I am not over-reacting!” Edie screamed as she smashed the golf club into Dean’s shoulder. He yelped in pain and retreated behind the couch, holding a cushion with a happy yellow duck on it up as a shield. “Hon, stop! You’re going mental!” he cried. “I am not mental!” she shouted, bringing the golf club down on the ugly lamp he had brought home from that boys weekend last year. Damn, she hated that lamp. “You stop!” “How about you just put the four-iron down and we can talk about this,” he said in a conciliatory tone. He peeked out around ...

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“Zone Defense” by Gregg Voss

Submitted to Contest #233

The boos cascaded like rushing rapids onto the blond hardwood. They splashed back up, wave-like into Jimmy’s mouth and nostrils, damn near wetting his hair already coated with sweat. The boos were for him. All him. Damn, I love this game, he thought. &n...

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“Day One ” by K.A. Murray

Submitted to Contest #233

Day 1 My sisters and I are doing Dry January this year. This was not my idea. In fact, full disclosure, Day 1 is already a bust. I was doing shots after midnight, and then when I woke up I finished the beer on my bedtime table. But that was before I even realized what day it was. It was my younger sister Genevieve’s idea to do this, and she got Lill and Jane on board, a few days before New Year’s Eve. We were all at Mom’s house, celebrating her birthday (December 27) - usually for Mom’s birthday we congregate at home with her for dinne...

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“The Dry Realization ” by Jenna Shuck

Submitted to Contest #233

“It’s just one drink” I thought to myself. I stared down at a text message from my best friend, Isabelle, asking me to go out with her to our favorite Mexican restaurant for margaritas. We usually made it a point to go out for drinks most weekends, which is why it was really tempting to leave my apartment and rush to meet her. But, it was January 1st. Damnit. I promised myself that my New Year’s resolution this year was to stay sober in January. I wanted to prove that I could go an entire month without alcohol, as painful as that sounde...

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“Completely Dry” by Joanna Brown

Submitted to Contest #233

Joanna heard about dry January as an immigrant in the UK. Making sure to dot her I’s and cross her T’s of making and keeping white friends, she acted like she knew what dry January meant when the “friends” she met at “Uni” swore undying allegiance to this pact for the new year over their third round of sake at Christmas dinner in China Town. Dry January? Joanna’s mind tried to analyze what this meant while maintaining an air of je ne sais quoi, masking the anxiety of fitting in that forever plagued her subconscious by downing the alcohol in ...

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“A Month of Clarity: Navigating the Landscape of Dry January” by Angela Moore

Submitted to Contest #233

Entry 1: January 1 Dear Diary, The first day of the new year dawns with a quiet resolve, and I stand at the threshold of a transformative journey—Dry January. The decision to abstain from my long-time companion, alcohol, arises from a deep yearning for change, for a clarity that has been obscured by the familiar haze of intoxication. Tonight, as the clock strikes midnight, I make a solemn commitment to forgo the customary glass of wine, choosing sobriety in the hope that it will reveal a new perspective on life. Reflecting on the moments t...

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“Dry January” by Kelsey Voskamp

Submitted to Contest #233

I never really believed in participating in dry January. What’s the point? You don’t drink for a month and then come February 1st you're back to your same old self and drinking almost on a daily basis. One month isn’t going to save your liver. I never felt the need to do it until Taylor. Oh Taylor. My best friend- my soulmate. She’s the kind of person that you meet and instantly know that she is going to be in your life forever. Or so I thought. When I got the phone call that she was in the hospital I didn’t expect what I saw. She was 27. I ...

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“Ronny's Retreat” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #233

“You are so full of crap, Ronny”, said Mad Max, “You ain’t no different from the rest of us. Fact is, you’re muddle-minded, and full of shit about what coulda, woulda, shoulda been”. Mad Max stamped his feet, flicked his cigarette into Station Road gutter. “Couldn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t”, chimed in Squidward, “I could tell you a thing or two about the things that I didn’t do”. Squidward rocked his giant bulk back and forth on the park bench, always in motion, never eating in public; it was a mystery to the other tenants how he sta...

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“Beyond the Bottle” by James Moore

Submitted to Contest #233

‘"Because it's right," George says to himself. "Since when have you ever known what's right!?" the voice in George's head retorts. "Since when have you ever been good or right about anything?" "I'm not going to sit here and have another argument with myself," George thinks. It had been three weeks since George gave up drinking. It wasn't bothering him; he had never been a heavy drinker. Not even really a social drinker, just a few drinks on the weekend to mark the end of the working week. That's how George had always seen it: a way to de-str...

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“Love at the Park” by Mr. Pierre

Submitted to Contest #233

At the largest local park in Hertfordshire, from afar, Sasha sees a muscular man wearing a yellow, silky shorts and wearing a golden necklace that reflects a cheerful smile. As she approaches him, Sasha says, “Hi, I’m Sasha. Lovely to meet you.” Mark says, “Nice to meet you, I’m Mark.” As they shake hands, Mark kisses Sasha on the right side of her face while her eyes shine like a golden glitter on his muscular physique, and Mark says, “Super Sasha.” Then, Sasha laughs and feels encouragingly loved. On the circular path of the park, Mark hol...

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“Sharon” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #233

At school she had felt she wanted to be part of a crowd , going along with he gang the odd smoke around the bike shed at senior school. Followed by college and yemp work. Meeting others in wine bars the odd glass of wine or prosseco weekends. Habit formed in her thirties the need to be noticed. Excuses for headaches, not being able to face food mornings and skipping meals. Drink lunch time. Evenings to get noticed. Feeling groogy. Falling asleep on the floor of her small flat where Sharon lived with Moocha her persian cat. The friendly posti...

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Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 33 stories

“Giving Up Time Travel” by Jonathan Page

“Auld Hornie’s Wirk” by Howard Halsall

“Writing Dry” by William Glewicz

“Riley and the Reinvention of Harmony Hills” by Leigh Nassiry

“Wine Wednesday” by Elli Price

“Zone Defense” by Gregg Voss

“Day One ” by K.A. Murray

“The Dry Realization ” by Jenna Shuck

“Completely Dry” by Joanna Brown

“A Month of Clarity: Navigating the Landscape of Dry January” by Angela Moore

“Dry January” by Kelsey Voskamp

“Ronny's Retreat” by Luca King Greek

“Beyond the Bottle” by James Moore

“Love at the Park” by Mr. Pierre

“Sharon” by Christine LW

🌟 Similar prompts

Your character, having abstained from their worst vice (big or small), finds new clarity.

Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by someone who has set themselves a month-long challenge.

Set your story in a bar that doesn’t serve alcohol.

Set your story during a month of drought — whether literal, or metaphorical.

Contest #233

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

231

Contest entries

78

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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