Dry January: How a month without alcohol can impact your health
About 15% of American adults participated in Dry January in 2023, down from 19% in 2022, per market research firm Morning Consult. Also known as “Drynuary,” the initiative, which asks participants to abstain from drinking alcohol for all 31 days of the first month of the year, was started in the early 2010s by Alcohol Change UK to get people to see the mental, physical and even financial benefits of living without alcohol.
There’s good reason to cut back on alcohol: The World Health Organization announced in January 2023 that no amount of alcohol consumption is healthy, despite previous studies that claimed certain booze, like red wine, may have wellness benefits. However, Dry January, which is reportedly more popular with younger people than older adults, may not be enough time to reset your body after years of drinking regularly. Still, trying out sobriety in the short term can come with health advantages. Here’s what experts want you to know.
Dry January can reshape your relationship with alcohol
According to George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, participating in Dry January can be a great way to learn more about your drinking habits, which can help you make healthier choices moving forward.
“There are many potential benefits to taking a break from alcohol if done wisely,” Koob tells Yahoo Life. “At the very least, taking a break from alcohol gives a person a chance to evaluate their relationship with alcohol and cultivate alternatives for relaxing, socializing, coping and other reasons why people drink."
It can also shed light on how drinking alcohol affects your physical and mental health. “Some people might discover that their alcohol use was irritating their stomach, disrupting their sleep, contributing to weight gain, interfering with their morning exercise routine, affecting their relationships or that they relied more on alcohol for stress relief than they thought,” says Koob. “Waking up without the fatigue, malaise and other common symptoms of hangovers could potentially improve a person’s quality of life. And for some people, the financial savings could be substantial.”
There is a catch: It’s possible that quitting drinking may initially make you feel worse, not better. That’s because alcohol disrupts your brain’s natural balance of stress hormones, Sara Jo Nixon, a cognitive neuroscientist, told the New York Times. When you quit drinking, your brain struggles to rebalance these chemicals, leading to withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, irritability and even depression until your body readjusts.
Heavy drinkers see the biggest change
In terms of the purely physical results of Dry January, heavy drinkers may find they see the biggest improvements, Dr. Tyler Oesterle, medical director of Mayo Clinic Health System’s Fountain Centers, tells Yahoo Life. “Alcohol is toxic to a lot of organ systems in the body,” Oesterle says. “It can affect the liver, pancreas, heart and the nervous system, just to name a few. One month of abstinence, if any of these organ systems are compromised, could improve acute symptoms. For example, if individuals are heavy drinkers and have suffered some liver damage, then abnormalities in their liver enzymes can improve over the first 30 days.”
The benefits for heavy drinkers are great, but proceed with caution before quitting cold turkey. Binge drinking, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as consuming five or more drinks for men or four or more drinks for women within about two hours, can lead to physical dependence if done frequently, and cutting back may lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Speaking to a doctor before you decide to stop can provide proper guidance.
But if an individual is a light drinker, the one-month abstinence can be used to “establish a new abstinence-based habit,” Oesterle says. However, he notes that “it is not really enough time to make any significant difference physically for light drinkers.”
It helps you avoid the stigma of skipping booze
Elective sobriety coach Amanda Kuda agrees that while 30 days may not be enough time to make any meaningful physical changes, it can be a great start for someone who is sober-curious. For those who might worry about the stigma of giving up alcohol, Dry January offers a built-in excuse to be sober, especially after what is most likely the “most intense drinking period of the year,” she says.
Kuda explains that “Dry January is a socially acceptable way to take a step back from alcohol, in a world that’s obsessed with booze. If you live in a place where alcohol is something you’re expected to participate in, Dry January is a perfect opportunity for you to take a step back without anyone questioning your motives. It offers you the opportunity to take a step back and say, ‘Is this something I want to explore further?’ I see 30 days as a great catapult to a longer-term change, as well as a short-term break for your body.”
While she notes that people who believe they may have an alcohol dependency should consult with a medical professional before going cold turkey, even for 30 days, overall Kuda thinks Dry January can be “a great opportunity to be observant about our behavior around alcohol.” It might even encourage you to continue the sober experiment past January 31.
“Anyone can do anything for 30 days,” Kuda says, “but that real change in your relationship with alcohol is when you can extend it and see how it goes longer term.”
For those who are looking forward to or are curious about trying out alcohol-free living, even in the short term, it’s now easier than ever, she says.
“There are so many amazing nonalcoholic alternatives that you probably love to drink right now,” Kuda says. “There are nonalcoholic wines, spirits, beers that come pretty close to the real thing. If you’re looking for something special to enjoy, there are now so many options to make you feel included.”
