Anyone in New York Doing Dry January This Year?

Not sure if you keep with New Year's resolutions or not, but something called "Dry January" has gained some attention here in recent years. What is it, and why are some New Yorkers doing it?

It's pretty straight forward. Basically, you give your liver and kidneys much needed break and abstain from alcohol for the entire month of January.

The holidays are stressful even during normal times, and we know some people might drink a little more to ease some of that tension. A month off is a great way to get your system back in balance, and maybe shed a few pounds in the process.

Dry January, Or Not? 

The fad gained some momentum during he COVID years, as New Yorkers were drinking more, and the alcohol sales across the country proved it. 

But with the worst of COVID behind us, alcohol remains a big business. Maybe we should skip skipping out on booze and support our local liquor stores, breweries, wineries, and distilleries and continue to buy their product?

What Time is Last Call in New York State?

According to an article published at Vine Pair, the time for last call can range from Midnight to 5 AM, depending on what state you're in. The general closing time across the country is 2 AM in most states.

See Also: Two Ways You Can Legally Drink Under 21 in New York State

New York state is a bit different though, for last call times can vary by a couple of hours depending on what town or county you're in, or even what day it may be.

The actual closing time is left up to each of New York's sixty-two counties, according to Wikipedia. According to the October 2022 graph at Vine Pair, there are cities and towns in the state such as New York City, Buffalo, and Albany where alcohol sales are pushed back until 4 o'clock.

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According to the latest data from the New York State Liquor Authority, counties that have a 4 AM closing time are; Albany, Bronx, Columbia (Saturdays: 3 a.m.), Dutchess, Erie, Fulton, Greene, Kings (Brooklyn), Montgomery, Nassau, New York (Manhattan), Orange, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Washington, and Westchester.

However, other areas have voted to push back last call times in recent years. The City Council of Saratoga Strings, for example, voted in December 2022 to push back sales from 2 to 4 AM, according to Saratoga Today.

Wikipedia adds that Binghamton has a last call of 3 AM on Saturdays, while Elmira, Geneva, and Ithaca have a time of 1 a.m. Some rural counties across New York may be even earlier times.