So, what is “Dry January?” It's a public health initiative launched in 2013 by Alcohol Change UK. The challenge? Remove alcohol from your diet for 31 days. The idea is for people concerned they drink too much or too often to slow things down.
Alcohol contributes to anxiety, low mood and depression, and Dry January is a great opportunity to encourage patients to look at lifestyle issues that may be affecting their wellbeing; Cutting out alcohol can help people achieve weight loss goals; and. Over 10% of high blood pressure in men is alcohol related.
“Dry January” is a month when many people voluntarily stop drinking alcohol after the excesses of December and start the new year on a sober, clearer, more refreshed and healthy note.
Most people who give up alcohol notice that their skin is dewy, and healthier looking after just one week. By the end of Dry January, you're likely to see less swelling, clearer skin, and an overall healthy glow.
Taking a break from drinking is a great way to give your body a break from alcohol, and it has lots of benefits. Every year, Macmillan runs a Sober October campaign to encourage people to go alcohol-free in October to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Drinking during the Holiday Season
After the Fourth of July, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day (spiking on Thanksgiving itself, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve) accounts for the most extreme cases of alcohol consumption.
Many retailers report their highest alcohol sales in the fourth quarter of the year (from October until New Years Eve). With the large number of holiday gatherings—not to mention the added stress of the season—it would appear that the winter holidays are one of the most popular times for alcohol use.
Dry January might be a helpful way to re-establish control over your drinking, and could have some short-term benefits (a lot of people report sleeping better, for example), but it's unlikely to have major long-term health benefits in itself.
What do you mean by heavy drinking? For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
The cons of giving up alcohol post-Christmas for Dry January
Some symptoms you may experience are; restlessness, tremors, hallucinations, nausea, insomnia, sweating, anxiety and depression.
For many people, the first few weeks of sobriety are the hardest. You may have withdrawal symptoms that are physically and emotionally uncomfortable. Cravings are also common during this time, which can tempt you to relapse. Treatment can help you get through this challenging period.
Most people who commit to dry January don't stay totally dry
More of them — 27% — did so on Friday, January 7, than any other day. The first Friday was also the most common "first fail" day last year, and Fridays in general had nearly twice as many drinkers as any other day of the week, the organization found.
Although positive changes may appear earlier, 3 months of not drinking can not only improve your mood, energy, sleep, weight, skin health, immune health, and heart health. It can even reduce your risk of cancer.
Depending on how much you drank, your starting weight, your age, and how you've treated diet and exercise since you stopped drinking, it's not uncommon to lose anywhere between 6-15 pounds after a month without alcohol.
Drinking a bottle of wine a day may rapidly increase the likelihood of physical and chemical alcohol addiction developing. Drinking a bottle per day equates to approximately 9 units per day or 63 units per week, far in excess of UK NHS recommended guidelines (14 units per week)[1].
Impaired control over alcohol use
This might mean not being able to control how long a drinking session is, how much alcohol you consume when you do drink, how frequently you drink, being unable to stop drinking once you start, or drinking on inappropriate occasions or at inappropriate places.
The tradition, in which people abstain from alcohol for the entire month, is growing in popularity. In 2022, nearly one in five US adults said they would give Dry January a try, up from 13 percent the year before.
If you stop drinking completely, one of the first things you notice should be improved energy levels, better sleep and finding it easier to wake up in the morning. Regular drinking can affect the quality of your sleep making you feel tired and sluggish during the day.
Healing can begin as early as a few days to weeks after you stop drinking, but if the damage is severe, healing can take several months. In some cases, “if the damage to the liver has been long-term, it may not be reversible,” warns Dr. Stein.
Who binge drinks? Binge drinking is most common among younger adults aged 18–34. Binge drinking is more common among men than among women.