Reaping the âincredible benefitsâ of a month without alcohol By Christy DeSmith Globe Staff,Updated January 1, 2021, 2:01 p.m. Email to a Friend Hilary Sheinbaum is the author of "The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month."LISA RICHOV (Custom credit) In the pandemic, there are two kinds of drinkers, says author and freelance journalist Hilary Sheinbaum. There are social drinkers-turned-teetotalers in a world without happy hours and dinner parties. And there are those leaning heavily upon alcohol to cope with uncertainty and stress. âNobody has maintained their exact level of drinking,â Sheinbaum says.