Cities across the nation are joining in on a movement that may help some kick off their sobriety. One northern Illinois city is urging its businesses to join in.
Aurora is taking part in Dry January® USA. This campaign urges people to put down the booze for this month.
Kelly O’Brien is the president and CEO of the Aurora Regional Economic Alliance. She said she learned about the initiative through Michael Caldwell, the chief medical officer for Dry January® USA.
“And Dr. Caldwell and I, you know, have mutual friends,” she said, “we met, and I learned what he that he was leading this effort, and thought it would be so fun to bring this to Aurora, you know, and to this region.”
She said she talked to Mayor Richard Irvin and business leaders, and they were all on board. Some Aurora businesses will offer special mocktails this month.
Irvin stated in a press release that many people are looking for wellness as they transition into the new year.
This movement coincides with the recent U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy statement that drinking alcohol is the leading cause of cancer based on recent data. Murthy is asking that the surgeon general label on alcoholic beverages be updated with this warning. Congress would have to approve this.
Caldwell said the data reveals how few people knew about the link between alcohol and cancer.
“I was struck by the fact that 55% of Americans did not realize there was this link,” he said. “So, we believe that knowledge is power. We believe that we shouldn't have to give cancer a head start. Let people make their own decisions. Let's be transparent.”
He said the campaign began in the United Kingdom about a decade ago. They trademarked the term “dry January.”
“And now we at Meharry Medical College and our School of Global Health are the official licensee for the United States version of Dry January. So Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, it's a historically Black school with a rich 150-year history.”
He said yellow is the official color for this initiative in the U.S. He said he found through researching that yellow has been the color for those who get together but don’t drink alcohol. One instance is the Yellow Balloon Movement.
The “City of Lights’” theme is “Aurora is Going Yellow.”
The city will brighten certain downtown areas starting Jan. 7 through the 13. Residents are also encouraged to use the Try Dry app.
The mayor will issue a proclamation for the campaign during Aurora’s city council meeting this evening.
