Is dry January worth it?

As the Christmas party season draws to a close, you may be feeling like you’ve had enough alcohol to last you a lifetime. So, it could be the perfect time to embark in a ‘New Year, new me’ challenge and try going dry this January.

What is dry January? 

Dry January is a challenge where you go alcohol free for the month of January. The aim of dry January is not to be anti-alcohol, but to allow you to get more out of your life by not drinking alcohol all the time.

What are the benefits of reducing alcohol?

Reduces cancer risk: 

Alcohol is a carcinogen. This means it’s something that is known to cause cancer. Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of mouth, liver, breast, throat, and colon cancer. Alcohol is broken down in the body into acetaldehyde which damages DNA and can stop DNA repair. Damaged DNA is a factor in cancer formation.

When you stop drinking alcohol, you stop the risk of this occurring. Of course, there are other risk factors for cancer, but alcohol is one that you can be in control of. 

Reduces the risk of liver disease: 

The liver is the main organ that deals with alcohol. It breaks it down and helps clear it from the body. But this means that the liver also receives the most damage from the harmful by-products of alcohol breakdown.

The liver cells are able to regenerate themselves if there’s been damage, but long term alcohol use can reduce this ability. This then means that there can be permanent damage to your liver where it's not able to repair itself.

The only way to help your liver is to stop drinking alcohol. So, by cutting down on your alcohol use you can reduce these risks.

Reduces energy intake: 

Alcohol is very energy dense. This means it has a lot of calories for its volume. As a quick recap, protein and carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram. And depending on your drink of choice or mixer, you could also be having a lot of sugar, which adds to the calorie total.

For example, a 500ml bottle of fruit flavoured cider will have around 200 calories and 20g of sugar.

Also, when people are drunk or hungover, they might eat more fatty or sugary food. So, there’s the energy from the alcohol and the energy from the food choices you make afterwards. It can end up being a lot of calories from something that already isn't the best for your health.

So, if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s worth thinking about your alcohol consumption if it’s something you have regularly. And if you want more tips on weight loss, you can find them in my e-book: How To Lose Weight for Good.

Less risk of hurting yourself: 

Another benefit from cutting down on alcohol is that you’ll be able to think more clearly and not make rash decisions. Alcohol makes your judgement and reaction time worse, while making you feel more confident at the same time. This can lead to some bad choices, and you may end up in situations you didn’t plan to be in.

People tend to have more accidents and injuries when drunk due to making bad decisions and poor judgement. 

Cutting back on alcohol means you can be more in control of your behaviour and be aware of what’s going on.

You save money: 

Alcohol can be quite expensive, especially if you go out for a drink often. An easy way to save money would be to reduce how much you’re drinking or go for cheaper soft drink alternatives.

These are just some of the benefits of cutting back on alcohol if you’re a regular drinker. If you think your drinking is getting out of control, it’s worth speaking to someone about it. I’ll link some resources in the reference section below.

Drawbacks of Dry January: 

While there are many reasons to cut down on alcohol and lower your intake, I can understand it can be very difficult. The culture in the UK is very alcohol heavy. Think of after work drinks, having a drink to celebrate, or taking your friend to the pub to cheer them up.

Drinking alcohol is very much the norm and it can be seen as strange if you don’t take part. Often when you tell people you’re not drinking they can encourage you to drink, or you could be pressured into saying why you don’t want to drink.

It can also be hard to think of things to do with your friends that don’t involve drinking. And feeling left out of social occasions is never nice. So, if you’re thinking of taking part in Dry January, but still want to socialise, it can be worth thinking about what else you can do instead.

While there aren’t any negative consequences on your health for cutting down on alcohol, the social drawbacks can make it more difficult.

Alternative drinks to try: 

While there are other activities to do that don’t involve alcohol, there may be situations where you’re in a bar, club, or pub and want to feel part of things without actually drinking.

Some nice alternatives to try can include:

• Mocktails like a virgin pina colada
• Alcohol free mulled wine
• Fruit punch
• Nosecco – alcohol free prosecco
• Alcohol free beers and ciders
• Sparkling water and cordial
• Non-alcoholic G&T – using Pentire Botanicals 

If you're at home and want to have a drink but without the alcohol, alcohol free spirits are a great option.

Pentire drinks are a gin style spirit made with botanicals, perfect for mixing with tonic. Their drinks are herby, zesty, and fresh tasting. You can try them here.

Even if you’re not taking part in dry January, there are still many benefits to reducing your alcohol intake. Having some alternative drink options can help you to not feel left out when others are drinking.

Key points:

• Cutting down on alcohol has many benefits including: less health risks, saving money, and a lower calorie intake.
• It can be challenging to cut down on alcohol when drinking is the norm. There are lots of websites that offer support.
• Alternative drinks to try could be mocktails or alcohol free spirits.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Bye for now! 👋

This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that when you click on a link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This blog post is not a paid advertisement, and I received no compensation for writing it.

References:

Getting help with your alcohol intake: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/           

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/

https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/get-help-now

https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

Dry January: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/managing-your-drinking/dry-january

Alcohol and cancer: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34579050/

https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/general-info/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens.html

Alcohol and liver: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25356028/

Alcohol and energy intake: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26627094/           

Alcohol admissions: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/nhs-digital-alcohol/128671/

https://pentiredrinks.com/pages/faqs