Is dry January worth it?

January 01, 2023

Is dry January worth it?

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Happy New Year everyone! 2023 has come so quick, it feels like just yesterday I was writing my first blog post for 2022.

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 life by not drinking alcohol all the time.

Benefits of reducing alcohol:

There are many benefits of reducing or cutting out alcohol.

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 block 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.

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 such as cirrhosis.

a animated picture of the liver within a skeleton

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.

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 might not be the best for your health.

So, if you’re trying to lose weight, or reduce your sugar intake, it’s worth thinking about your alcohol consumption if it’s something you have regularly.

Social:

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 and happier 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.

In case you needed further reasons to reduce your alcohol intake, 7.4% of hospital admissions were due to alcohol in 2018-2019. People tend to have more accidents and injuries when drunk due to making bad decisions and poor judgement. Drinking less can save you from an unwanted hospital visit.

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

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.

a person holding a wad of 100 dollar bills

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 work drinks, having a drink to celebrate, or taking your friend to the pub to cheer them up.

people cheersing with glasses of red wine

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 with your friends and family.

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:

a bottle of pentire non alcoholic botanicals - adrift flavour

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. Herby, zesty, and fresh tasting, both flavours of Pentire are vegan, gluten free and free of the 14 common allergens. You can try it here.

Even if you’re not taking part in dry January this year, 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 sugar 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! 👋

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/