Every year, January can be a month of fresh opportunities as a new year begins and people make resolutions to better themselves. Whether that be to save money, learn a new skill, or lose weight, people set themselves goals to improve.
One of the challenges people set themselves is going 30 days without drinking alcohol over the month of January. This is becoming an increasingly popular challenge for those looking to shift a few pounds over the next 30 days or those who may have over-indulged during Christmas.
Why should you go dry this January?
One of the reasons why you should go dry is because it can save you money. With many people stressing about money during January, by going dry for the month, you will be able to save the pennies associated with going out.
Another reason why you should partake in Dry January is that you will look better. Not only will you lose some weight due to the calories that are in alcoholic drinks, but you will see other physical benefits. This includes shinier hair, rehydrated skin and you’ll be less bloated.
A final reason why you should take part in Dry January is that it has significant health benefits. By not drinking for the month of January, you can see your liver fats drop by 15%, blood glucose levels can drop by 16% and blood cholesterol can decrease by 5%.
Help Yourself… Help Others
Another reason why people take part in Dry January is to give back to others. Every year, thousands of pounds are donated to good courses as people challenge themselves to go sober for a month. They encourage their friends and family to sponsor them to complete the challenge, with the money raised being donated to good causes.
Dry January Tools
Dry January can be a challenge, with some people needing encouragement and support throughout the month. One of the tools that you can use is the Try Dry Podcast which provides inspiration, ideas, and advice on completing the challenge.
Furthermore, you can always look at This Naked Mind, which provides inspiring blog posts and encourages people to have a better relationship with alcohol. A final resource that can often be overlooked is your friends and family. These people know you best and might understand the triggers which encourage you to drink.
Other Tips on How to Complete Dry January
- Find substitutes – One of the things you should do is find a non-alcohol alternative for you go to drink. Replace cocktails with non-alcoholic mocktails and beer with 0% replacements to name a few!
- Avoid temptations – Keep alcohol out of your home to avoid any temptation following a challenging day at work or a moment to celebrate
- Create a support group – Let your friends and family know that you are partaking in the challenge or, even better, enlist them to join you for Dry January!
When Dry January is not Recommended
For some people, Dry January may not be an appropriate challenge to participate in. This includes those who have more significant challenges when it comes to drinking. As a result, alcohol detox is recommended and professional support is an appropriate solution.
At Alcohol Home Treatment, we offer professional support for £800 – an industry-leading price. Our programmes are fully centred around the client and we use The Sinclair Method to help the patient drink a more moderate and safer quantity of alcohol, and some patients who use The Sinclair Method later choose to stop drinking altogether without the cravings they may have had previously. If you would like to learn more about the private alcohol detox services we offer, please contact us today. Alternatively, if you would like a bit of a tougher challenge, then learn more about how you can complete Sober Spring
