With Dry January coming to a close, nonprofit SAFE Project is hammering home the popular trend’s message of sobriety and moderation — in a musical way.

Earlier this week, the SAFE Project debuted “It Ain’t 5 O’clock Somewhere,” a song aimed at encouraging sobriety and offering a counterpoint to pro-drinking themes often found in country music. 

The song’s title is a play on the 2003 hit “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” from Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett. 

“You’re always drinking beer with your friends,” the lyrics say. “You can’t keep the drinks out your hands… It’s time to get some help, you owe it to yourself. It ain’t 5 o’clock somewhere, but you might have somewhere to be. You don’t need to drink away your problems from your 40 hour week… Going down whiskey river won’t take you very far.”

The song was written in partnership with Omnicom Health Group’s Purpose Group, as well as country singer Ryan Whyte Maloney, who finished as a finalist on NBC’s The Voice in 2014. 

“It Ain’t 5 O’clock Somewhere” is part of SAFE Project’s Sensible Strumming campaign, a collaboration to create tunes that confront country music’s “glamorization of boozing,” while encouraging people to drink in moderation.

The nonprofit said it hopes the song will last beyond Dry January and remind Americans that being a responsible drinker is better than the romanticization of alcoholism in music.

According to the SAFE Project, music that glorifies alcohol can act as a trigger for addiction and contribute to stigmas around getting help for substance abuse issues.

“Excessive drinking should not be normalized,” said Leslie Plaia, executive director of substance use and behavioral health at SAFE Project, in a statement. “Let’s normalize moderation or even not drinking at all. There is no shame in asking for help or in talking about addiction.”

Launched at the end of January, the campaign aims to grab the attention of people who may have participated in Dry January — and encourage them to extend the practice beyond one month.

Dry or “Damp” January has become popular on TikTok, including among young people, who are becoming more self-aware about the negative health effects of consuming alcohol.

“Dry January has had a massive uptake,” Omnicom Health Group CEO Matt McNally said in a statement. “But having a plan for the other 11-months is worth talking about; too many people are struggling over the rest of the year. The song is about moderation and transformation, and it can provide hope and connection for someone who is trying to change.”

To read a January 2024 article on the rise of the ‘sober curious’ movement, click here.