Did you imbibe in the holiday drinks and clink champagne flutes as you rang in the new year? For many who over indulged on holiday food and drinks, January presented more than a chance to kick off some new resolutions; it also marked a chance to take a monthlong break from drinking. This practice, launched in the UK in 2013, is known as “Dry January.” But truth be told, many of us didn’t wait for the most wonderful time of the year to drink more than usual. According to psychologists, during the pandemic, uncertainty and loss led people to increase their drinking to manage stress. In a Rand Corporation study, respondents reported a 14 percent increase in how frequently they drank. Women had a 41 percent increase in heavy drinking days. The CDC defines excessive drinking as four or more drinks in a row for women and five or more for men. Whether you are giving it up on your own or participating in a Dry January Challenge, taking a break from alcohol delivers surprising health benefits. RELATED: 3 Steps To Get Through Alcohol Dependency
Since most people don’t realize the impact of alcohol on the body, they underestimate the benefits of giving up drinking for a month. 1. Weight loss A 2019 survey of Dry January participants found that more than half (54 percent) lost weight. This makes sense when you consider that alcoholic drinks are empty calories. When you add mixers, the calorie count goes even higher. But the real reason alcohol contributes to weight gain is that your body burns it as a fuel source before anything else. If you have a few drinks and a meal, your body will burn the alcohol for fuel and convert the food into fat. In the absence of alcohol, your body burns the calories you eat for fuel.
Drinking a small amount of alcohol can help a person get to sleep. But drinking excessively makes it difficult to fall asleep or remain asleep. Seventy percent of Dry January participants reported sleeping better when they weren’t drinking.
Almost everyone (86 percent) mentioned saving money during Dry January. If you’re ordering cocktails or wine at your favorite restaurant, it quickly adds up. Throw in appetizers or dinner and there’s a big impact on your budget. RELATED: Too Much Alcohol Can Effect Your Looks
Alcohol is a diuretic, it makes you urinate more than if you just drank water. So it can become harder for your body to remain hydrated, leading to dry, dull-looking skin. Because it can cause an increase in hormones, like cortisol and estrogen, alcohol can contribute to breakouts.
Excessive drinking can harm the good bacteria in our gut that aids our immune function. It can also affect the body’s ability to respond to inflammation, which signals the need to react to viruses or other causes of disease.
After a month of not drinking, “people simply report that they just feel better,” explains Dr. Rotonya Carr, head of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Their blood pressure and cholesterol panels improve and they are not as fatigued, she notes.
British researchers found that six to eight months after Dry January, there was a 50 percent reduction in the number of participants who drank at harmful levels. Moderate alcohol intake should be one or fewer drinks per day for women and two or fewer for men. Taking a break from drinking helps people reset their relationship with alcohol. They find other ways to unwind and cope with stress and realize they don’t need to drink every day. The researchers recommend, a great way to keep track of improvements on the inside and out during the month is to keep a diary. Look back on it when the month is up so you can see just how far you’ve come.
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