The holiday season brings friends and loved ones together. While office parties, family gatherings and fun nights out can be enjoyable, you may notice most holiday festivities involve alcohol. After weeks of excessive drinking and the start of a new year, you may need a reset. If you want to focus on your health in the new year, consider participating in the Dry January challenge and choose not to drink alcohol for one month. For some, this challenge serves as an opportunity to reconsider their relationship with alcohol. For others, it is a chance to give their body a break after the holiday season. Whatever your reasoning may be, several health benefits come from participating in Dry January.
What Is It?
While studies have found some health benefits of drinking alcohol in moderation, heavy and long-term drinking can cause physical and mental health issues, including:
- Heart and liver damage
- Increased risk of cancer
- Memory issues
- Mood disorders
- Weakened immune system
The Dry January challenge started in 2013 as a public health campaign in England. Now popular in the U.S., this campaign encourages people to start the new year by abstaining from alcohol for one month.
Abstaining from alcohol for a month can make a noticeable difference, even for regular and heavy drinkers.
8 Health Benefits
- Better sleep quality. Regular drinking, especially late at night, disrupts sleep cycles and leads to poor quality sleep. Going one month without drinking can improve sleep quality.
- Clearer complexion. Giving up alcohol helps increase hydration levels. More hydration positively impacts your skin, reducing skin issues such as acne, dandruff and eczema.
- Increased liver function. Drinking alcohol regularly or in excess can lead to reduced liver function or liver disease. Dry January can help your liver begin to repair itself and recover vital functions because the organ is tolerant and has self-repairing properties.
- Improved brain health. Alcohol can negatively affect the part of your brain that stores memory. Going a month without drinking can enhance your memory, mood and levels of concentration thanks to better sleep and less fatigue.
- Lower blood pressure. Excessive drinking can cause blood pressure to rise over time. After a few weeks of abstaining from drinking, your blood pressure will start to decrease, which helps reduce the risk of future heart health problems.
- Reduced acid reflux. Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which can lead to frequent stomach aches and acid reflux. Abstaining from alcohol can help reduce symptoms, including bloat, indigestion and nausea.
- Strengthened immune system. Heavy and long-term drinking weakens the immune system and reduces the body’s ability to fight infections. Imagine avoiding one less cold or bout with the flu in January.
- Weight loss. Alcohol frequently causes weight gain because it slows down metabolism rates and fills you up on empty calories from sugars and starches in most alcoholic beverages.
Consult Your Doctor
Those who consume excessive amounts of alcohol regularly (more than five to six drinks daily) need to be careful with this challenge. Alcohol-dependent people risk experiencing withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop drinking. These symptoms can range from mild symptoms like anxiety, nausea or shaking to severe symptoms like hallucinations, seizures or death. If you are a binge or heavy drinker, talk to your primary care doctor before attempting the Dry January challenge. Your doctor can help you slow down or stop drinking based on your current habits.
