You Must Be Drunk if You Think I’m Sticking to Dry January

Sobriety after an attempted coup is just too much to ask

Morgan Jerkins
GEN

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Photo: Grace Cary/Getty Images

I started my day crying tears of joy to my therapist about Democrats taking over the Senate and ended it watching a coup attempt in real time. As my heart raced and cortisol shot through my veins, the only thing I could think of was, “Damn, I need a drink.”

Like many other Americans, I’m trying my best to adhere to a Dry January. It’s a way to clean my corporeal slate and start the year off right. But the year isn’t starting off right. I can’t even celebrate Warnock and Ossoff’s wins because domestic terrorists erected a noose around what is known in Black circles as “Chocolate City.” I hear glass breaking on national television and I see President Trump, in spite of all the violence, still saying that the election was fraudulent. Now is not the time to be sober.

I vented on Twitter about wanting a freebie for this horrific day and many people commented to me about breaking it. Writers, artists, professors, and all those in between are joining me on social media in giving up on a Dry January because something has to give. Our bodies have been under duress for so long during this administration. We’ve been separated from our communities for so long because of a global pandemic that could’ve been under…

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Morgan Jerkins
GEN
Writer for

Morgan Jerkins is the Senior Editor at ZORA and a New York Times bestselling author. Her debut novel, “Caul Baby,” will be published by Harper in April 2021.