Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Eric Hirshberg has released a new song in time for Dry January. “I Love Not Drinking” lauds an alcohol-free life in which “I love not thinking about how I’m gonna get home.” This is the third single from Hirshberg’s second full-length album Second Hand Smoke, which is set for release on February 2nd.

Hirshberg says of “I Love Not Drinking”: “This song is an anthem, a celebration, and a declaration of non-dependence. It is not a song about addiction, or hitting bottom (there are plenty of those already). It’s a song that simply celebrates the joys of life without alcohol in it. I wanted this song to have all of the celebratory joy of a pub sing-along. Because why should drinkers have all the fun? So whether you’re sober, sober-curious, or, like me, just like life better without alcohol in it, this song is for you.”

“I Love Not Drinking” is built around a beat “constructed entirely of bartender sounds, from glasses clinking to cocktail shakers shaking to ice-cubes stirring.”

The song also features guest vocals from Aloe Blacc, who declares, “I’m all about inspiring positive change through music and Eric’s song really delivers on that front.”

Second Hand Smoke is the follow-up to 2021’s Spare Room, which was hailed as “an airy and infectious collection of tunes in the vein of the great LA songwriters.” This new record builds on the debut, exploring positive themes in the face of personal challenges. Hirshberg observes, “I am someone who needed to live a lot of life before I had something to sing.”

The song is available here and the lyrics and credits appear below.

I woke up in my own bed
No pounding in my head
And no dark circles beneath my eyes
I love not disguising
And not realizing that was compromising
I love not worrying and nothing is blurry and
I’ve got no stamps on the back of my hand
I pick up the phone and
I’ve got no texts that I don’t understand
I love not drinking
I love not thinking about how I’m gonna get home
Or what I said
Or if this is my bed
I love not drinking
I love not thinking, “Did I just say that out loud?”
Or, “Where am I right now?”
Or, “My kids would be so proud,” sarcastically
I love not forgetting the start of a sentence
Before I even get to the end
I love not calling old girlfriends
And not hearing words bend
I love not hitting send
I love not mumbling, I love not bumbling
I love not fumbling or stumbling or tumbling
And not saying dumb things
I love leaving some things left unsaid
I love not drinking
I love not thinking about how I’m gonna get home
Or what I said
Or if this is my bed
I love not drinking
I love not thinking, “Did I just say that out loud?”
Or, “Where am I right now?”
Or, “My kids would be so proud,” sarcastically
I never really had a problem
I never came close to the bottom
I just realized, I love a clear head, I love a full heart
I love a clean conscience, I love a fresh start
I’ve got no nonsense to worry about
I guess these are the things that give me fear of missing out

***

Song Written and Produced by Eric Hirshberg
Video Directed by Josh S. Rose and Produced by Sean Levitan
Eric Hirshberg: Guitar, Bass, Lead Vocals, Percussion Track
Aloe Blacc: Backing Vocals, Whistling, Vocal Solo
Blair Sinta: Drums
Additional Backing Vocals: Tara Hirshberg, Jake Hirshberg