There’s been a lot of online chatter about “Dry January”—the idea of giving up alcohol just for the month to reap health benefits. A new study from the University of Sussex confirms that it’s not only beneficial in the short term, but also the long term.
Dry January 2018
The researchers looked at data from three online survey from people who took part in Dry January in 2018. They found that those who gave up alcohol for the month report that they had:
• higher energy levels
• healthier body weight
• a decreased feeling of “needing” to drink alcohol, even several months after Dry January
• a greater ability to reduce the number of “drinking days” later in the year
(The average number of drinks per week decreased from 4.3 days to 3.3 days.)
• fewer number of times they got drunk later in the year
(The average number of times per month they got drunk fell from 3.4 to 2.1.)
• that they consumed less alcohol per day
(The average number of drinks per day decreased from 8.6 unites to 7.1 units)
“The simple act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less in the long term,” explains researcher Dr. Richard de Visser. “By August, people are reporting one extra dry day per week. There are also considerable immediate benefits: nine in 10 people save money, seven in 10 sleep better and three in five lose weight.”
Shorter periods with no alcohol also beneficial
The researchers also found that people who didn’t manage to stay dry for the entire month of January also had boosts to their health, though they were smaller than those who completed Dry January.
They also saved a little money, gained a bit more confidence and realized they didn’t need alcohol to have fun.
Dry January is an initiative of Alcohol Change United Kingdom, though people all around the world have taken the challenge.
