‘30,000’ of us have binned the booze to have a Dry January
MANCHESTER ALREADY LEADS THE WAY IN ABSTINENCE FROM ALCOHOL
MORE than 30,000 people in Manchester are thought to have quit drinking for Dry January this year.
Around one in ten drinkers in the UK are planning to start the new year with an entire month of sobriety, according to the charity Alcohol Change UK.
That’s a grand total of 4.2 million people kicking their booze habit.
In Manchester, an estimated 74 per cent of adults drink alcohol, according to the most recent figures from Public Health England.
This would mean around 30,000 drinkers could be planning to go cold turkey from New Year’s Day.
Alcohol Change UK, which runs the challenge, says those taking part can expect to feel healthier, save money, and improve their relationship with alcohol in the long term.
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said: “Put simply, Dry January can change lives.
“Many of us know about the health risks of alcohol – seven forms of cancer, liver disease, mental health problems – but we are often unaware that drinking less has more immediate benefits too.
“Sleeping better, feeling more energetic, saving money, better skin, losing weight. “The list goes on.” Manchester already leads the way in alcohol abstinence, with one of the highest rates in England. More than a quarter of people say they live booze-free lives, compared to 15pc across England. However, the area has one of the highest populations of heavy drinkers in the country. Around 32pc of people say they drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week – the NHS’ recommended safe limit – compared to 26pc across England. That’s Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK the equivalent of more than six pints of average strength beer or six standard glasses of wine.
NHS guidelines also advise against binge drinking, which it defines as drinking lots of alcohol in a short space of time or drinking to get drunk.
But in Manchester, 28pc of adults surveyed admitted to binge drinking on their heaviest day of drinking in the last week.
Dr Piper continued: “The brilliant thing about Dry January is that it’s not really about January. “Being alcohol-free for 31 days shows us that we don’t need alcohol to have fun, to relax, to socialise.
“That means that for the rest of the year we are better able to make decisions about our drinking, and to avoid slipping into drinking more than we really want to.”