“Dry January” is a public health initiative launched by Alcohol Change UK in 2013 that challenges people to give up alcohol for 31 days. It’s been a successful campaign as Dry January is now a household term across the globe, and in 2023, 15 percent of U.S. adults reported they successfully abstained from alcohol in January.
I’m going to do Dry January. It will be hard because (a) I enjoy drinking, and (b) socially, it will be hard to be with friends and not have a beer or cocktail. But I’m going to do it because of the potential benefits and because I love a good challenge.
What are the benefits of Dry January? According to the University of California-Davis Medical School, they include:
- Weight loss
- Better sleep
- Improved mood and energy levels
- Increased physical activity due to more energy
- Better diet due to better dietary restraint and fewer empty calorie intake
- Decreased growth factors related to cancer, insulin resistance, and blood pressure
- A reduction in liver fat and blood sugar
Alcohol Change UK notes these benefits:
- Most people save money
- Skin becomes brighter
- Cholesterol lowers
- Mind becomes calmer
- Mornings become fresher
Plus, taking a 31-day break from alcohol can help you assess your relationship with alcohol and reduce your level of drinking long-term. The Washington Post reports that “Studies show that people who participate in Dry January and other sobriety challenges frequently experience lasting benefits. Often, they drink less in the long run and make other sustained changes to their drinking habits that lead to striking improvements in their health and well-being.”
According to the World Health Organization, no amount of alcohol consumption is safe, so finding a way to reduce drinking is beneficial.
If you’ve done a Dry January and have any advice, please post them in the comments.
After heart valve surgery almost four years ago, I had no taste for alcohol for 4 to 5 weeks, and then “eased” back into my usual pattern of glasses of wine and an occasional hard liquor drink. Since then I’ve eschewed alcohol during Lent. I think you’ll find the first couple of days the hardest b/c I think drinking for a non-alcoholic is habitual. Once past the first few days, I had no problem yearning for a glass of wine. I also experienced the positive side effects. As I understand alcohol has a significant effect on REM sleep which is needed for restful sleep. I look forward to your IFOD on FEb 1st!
I’ve only had maybe as many drinks as you can count on one hand. I’m not being sanctimonious, I just never cared for the taste…unless it was a fruity, sweet one at a wedding reception and, even then, I would have just preferred punch. So, I can’t say that abstaining has helped me, other than having zero chance of driving drunk, or suffering from a hangover.
Rich and I have been doing this for years. I agree with all of the reasoning above. And after the holidays, we actually look forward it.
Wouldn’t these benefits suggest abstaining from alcohol twelve months per year instead of just one? Alcohol, for me, was an acquired taste. In retrospect, I think I prefer milk! 😅
Thanks; I accept the challenge too! I find alcohol terrible for my sleeping, even though it can make you feel sleepy. Mentally, it slows me down too for a day or two.
Thank you for this challenge. I accept! I have grown all too fond of my nightly drink, despite being 78 with mounting health problems.
Another “benefit” of quitting alcohol is quieter New Year’s Eve celebrations. I’ve experienced literally all of the conditions you describe in the four years since I drank alcohol.
Good Luck! On day 46+ here of part of challenge of 75 days no alcohol. It was a bit difficult at social gatherings around the holidays but I end up realizing after a bit that most people do not realize you aren’t drinking past the initial walking in stage. If you tolerate club soda with lime this can take a bit of the social weirdness off. I found after people were drinking and I wasn’t my desire to stay at the function decreased substantially. It is a lot less enjoyable to spend time with people that are several hours into drinking when you are not drinking. Good luck with dry January and Happy New Year!
My husband has been doing Dry January for more than 40 years beginning when he lived in Australia although there have been a few missed years. Most people thought he was crazy. I have often given up drinking in January but also for Lent (40 official days, but actually more like 43 days). I can vouch for all the benefits mentioned. And this year, while there seems to be many more reasons than usual to drink, I am very much looking forward to dry January. Poetically, Dry July and Sober October may be in the calendar too.