Sober October Enters the Chat in 2005

Sure, working out is hard. But have you tried not drinking for a month?⁣
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According to Factiva, a database of over 33,000 newspapers, blogs and other publications, the earliest mention of 'Sober October' as a non-drinking holiday appears in the LA Times in Dec. 2005.⁣
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The story (summarized more in Stories) profiles a few fitness buffs who tried to give up drinking that previous Oct.⁣
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The Times' Jeannine Stein wrote: "Skipping alcohol boosts workouts, the instructor vowed. But few counted on the peer pressure."⁣
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"It was really hard," says participant Lala Alvarez. "I told people I was laying off the alcohol, and there was this pressure -- 'Have a drink with us! This drink tastes fantastic!' I'm like, stop it."⁣
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Stein hits on themes we all recognize: the startling amount of peer pressure ("One friend was so perturbed by her lack of alcohol that she had to hold a glass of wine in her hand to make him feel comfortable.") as well as the benefits (". . . found it gave him more confidence, improved his memory and boosted his energy").⁣
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Stein's article was published on Dec. 12, 2005. It is later re-published in the Toronto Star, the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, the Cincinnati Post and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.⁣
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In 2008, the phrase returns as charity groups, moving on the popularity of 'Movember' ask people to give up booze for 'Ocsober.'⁣