Giving up booze for Dry January reaps benefits for months: study
Interested in sleeping better, feeling better, gaining energy, losing weight, having better skin and concentration skills and saving money by doing just one thing this new year?
That one thing, which is becoming increasingly popular in the U.K. since it was introduced five years ago, gave some of the participants all that and more, according to a new study from the University of Sussex.
The simple act was giving up booze for a month. Dry January. Still interested?
Researchers found participants reported they regained control over their drinking months later and were still drinking less in late summer.
The study followed 800 people who went dry for January 2018 and found the average number of days they were drinking in August dropped to 3.3 from 4.3 a week and the average number of drinks per day also dropped, as did the frequency of being drunk throughout the month to 2.1 times from 3.4 on average.
“These changes in alcohol consumption have also been seen in the participants who didn’t manage to stay alcohol free for the whole month, although they are a bit smaller,” said psychology researcher Richard de Visser.
The University of Sussex study showed that in August, about 70 and 80 per cent of the participants reported an improved relationship with drinking, being more in control and learning more about when and why they drink and discovering they didn’t need a drink to enjoy themselves.
Between about half to more than two-thirds also reported generally improved health, sleep, energy, weight control, concentration and skin.
More than 2,800 respondents who registered for Dry January completed the online survey in January 2018, about 1,700 did so in February along with 800 in August. The results are based on the respondents’ voluntary responses, not on scientific research.
A Vancouver psychologist who specializes in counselling those dealing with substance abuse said drinkers with a strong addiction to alcohol shouldn’t try to quit without medical supervision because of the possibility of seizures or other dangerous side-effects.
But a chance to break from regular alcohol consumption could be useful in helping drinkers get honest about their use, especially if they’re not sure if their drinking is moderate or not, said West Vancouver psychologist Barbara Harris.
“There’s a saying (in recovery circles) that people who don’t have a drinking problem don’t wonder, ‘Oh, do I have a drinking problem?’” she said. “If you’re thinking you should cut back, you may have some sort of a problem that you should be looking at.”
Meanwhile, Canadians who missed or failed at the chance to quit smoking Tuesday will get another shot during National Non-Smoking Week from Jan. 20 to 26, which includes Weedless Wednesday on Jan. 23 and has been held every year since 1977.
Smoking rates among Canadians have been dropping, but health officials are concerned about the increasing practice of vaping, which may or may not include the inhalation of nicotine.
Health Canada reported electronic cigarette use was up marginally in 2017 over 2015 for users over 15, the most current statistics provided by the B.C. Lung Association.