Doing Dry January? It may be a sign that you have a hidden alcohol addiction
As thousands of us quit booze for a month, experts warn...
MORE Irish people than ever will be observing Dry January from tomorrow, cutting out all alcohol for the month. Most will see it as part of a New Year health kick, a way to lose a few pounds – or even just a way to save money.
But experts speaking to The Irish Mail on Sunday have warned that many of those attracted to Dry January may actually have a drinking problem and not realise it.
Lucy Rocca, a former heavy drinker who runs the alcohol addiction support group Soberistas, which has 75,000 members around the world, says: ‘Dry January attracts those with a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol. If you weren’t drinking too much, you wouldn’t need to set yourself a challenge to stop for a month.’
Ms Rocca, 48, who gave up drinking in 2012, the year before Dry January was launched by charity Alcohol Change, adds: ‘I used to do similar things – I’d tell myself if I could go six weeks or a month then I’m OK, I don’t have a problem.
‘Dry January is a formal version of that – it’s a test people use to prove to themselves they are OK, when really they’re not.
‘I could drink more than a bottle of wine on a night out, and sometimes three. I was using alcohol to numb emotions, to cope with stress and deal with life. And I think that’s the case with many people who take part in Dry January. It’s a story I hear over and over again from our members.’
Consultant clinical psychologist and addiction specialist Dr Richard Sherry agrees, saying addicts often unconsciously make compromises or token changes in behaviour that allow them to continue ‘using’ – a phenomenon known as ‘bargaining’.
He says: ‘We see it with gambling addicts who say everything is OK as long as they don’t bet on races and only use scratch cards. With drinking, it might be, “It’s not a problem if I drink only at the weekend,” or “... if I can go a whole month without alcohol.”
‘These don’t address the core issues that cause a person to drink too much. That’s why, for some, it ends up being a month-long hiatus then back to business as usual.’
The emergence of Wet February – a social media trend encouraging people to binge-drink when Dry January is over – is a case in point, adds Ms Rocca. She claims a major issue is that many people don’t see themselves as ‘the type of person’ who has an alcohol problem.
The majority of Soberistas’ members are middle-aged, middle-class and university-educated women, with families and busy lives. Yet they once drank far more than the recommended maximum of 14 units a week (the equivalent to six pints of beer or lager, or a bottle and a half of wine).
Ms Rocca labels them ‘grey-area alcoholics’ – outwardly functioning yet dependent on booze. And many often drink to excess.
‘But they don’t fit the stereotype of an alcoholic, so they don’t see there is a problem,’ she says. ‘Alcohol problems exist on a spectrum, and anyone drinking regularly will have some level of dependence.’
One Soberistas member, businesswoman Kim Hughes, 57, who regularly drank a bottle or more of wine in a night, says: ‘I did Dry January numerous times and also gave up alcohol for Lent. I told myself if I could go without drinking for a month then I didn’t have a problem. But I’d be counting down to the end and couldn’t wait to drink again.’
Charity Alcohol Change claim Dry January offers the chance to ‘reset’ people’s relationship with alcohol.
Surveys carried out by the University of Sussex found that Dry January participants claim to feel a sense of achievement at the end, have thought more deeply about their relationship with drink, had slept better and even had better skin.
Research has shown drinkers underestimate how much they drink by up to 76%. And one in five people still regularly drink more than the recommended limits.
Using the latest version of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), researchers estimated that in 2019 there were 1,543 deaths in Ireland attributable to alcohol from all causes, representing 4.77% of all deaths. 1,104 of these deaths were in males (6.6% of all male deaths) and 439 in females (2.81% of all female deaths).
However, Revenue data by the drinks industry representative body Drinks Ireland shows overall alcohol consumption is falling, down by 33% in the last 20 years.
Ms Rocca says Soberistas members cite a range of issues that lead them to drink often, adding: ‘Some talk about anxiety and sleep problems linked to the menopause, and others about being caught between caring for elderly parents and teenage children, or suffering empty nest syndrome when their kids leave for university.
‘When we stop drinking we feel better’
‘See this as the start of a lasting change’
‘Others are in unhappy relationships, or are lonely or struggle to balance work and life. These are the things that need to be tackled.
‘I focus my time on exercise, meditation and trying to live in the present rather than worrying about things I can’t control and beating myself up. Ultimately you have to change how you handle the pressures of life.’
Dr Sherry adds: ‘Most people will participate in Dry January because they know their drinking isn’t healthy. But it’s important to use it as a moment to ask yourself, “Am I using alcohol in an unhealthy way? Am I using it because I’m not coping with stress, health or work?”
‘When we stop drinking, we sleep better and feel better. Dry January should prompt personal reflection and deeper conversations, possibly with a healthcare professional.
‘See this as the start of a lasting change, rather than a month to get through or a temporary pause.’
Lucy Rocca does believe that Dry January can be used to test your alcohol dependence: ‘If you’re climbing the walls at the end, then you know you have an issue.’