A lack of liquor can do a body good, especially after a spike in drinking during the coronavirus crisis and especially if you’re a woman.
“Dry January is a useful tool in telling to what extent we have become dependent on alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sharon Wilsnack, an expert on drinking behavior in women and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the University of North Dakota, told TODAY.
The crisis has caused “stress for nearly everyone and many folks have increased their alcohol consumption,” added Dr. James C. Garbutt, an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina.
“Trying a period of sobriety such as Dry January can be very positive.”
What is Dry January?
“Dry January” is a month when many people voluntarily stop drinking alcohol after the excesses of December and start the new year on a sober, clearer, more refreshed and healthy note.
Some participants even like to get an early start. TODAY reader Rick Gosser said he began the challenge before the holidays.
“Enough booze was enough. I’m not missing it at all!” he wrote on Facebook.
If you’re asking why you should face the world without a sip of wine, beer or spirits for a month — especially during the coldest, darkest, dreariest time of the year — there are some compelling health reasons to do it.
Why should you participate in Dry January?
“It’s a kind of self-diagnosis of how important alcohol really is to you,” Wilsnack said.
“Can you go a week or can you go a month without any alcohol? And if you can’t, why not? What is it that’s driving your need for alcohol?”
Dry January lets people “sample sobriety” without being overwhelmed by the concept of skipping alcohol forever, Garbutt noted.
“Sometimes, within four weeks people will say, ‘I’m sleeping better, and I feel less irritable and less anxious. I like this; maybe I’ll just keep this going for a while longer.’”
Alcohol is not ‘benign’
Dry January began in 2012 as an initiative by Alcohol Change UK, a British charity, to “ditch the hangover, reduce the waistline and save some serious money by giving up alcohol for 31 days.”
Millions of people now take part in the challenge, with more Americans taking notice each year. The hashtag #soberissexy is popular on Instagram.
The growing awareness comes as recent studies have found no evidence that light drinking might help keep people healthy.
In fact, more than five drinks a week on average can take years off a person’s life, researchers have found.
“Alcohol is not completely benign, but people want to forget that,” Garbutt noted.
Women may be especially vulnerable, yet they are drinking more than before.
“Alcohol use is increasing among women in the United States at a time when it’s decreasing among men,” Aaron White, a biological psychologist and senior scientific adviser to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told TODAY.
Drinking too much alcohol is a serious health issue for women
Women are at greater risk for some of the negative effects of booze.
Biological sex differences mean women’s bodies absorb more alcohol than men’s and take longer to break it down.
Alcohol increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast among women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns. Women who drink are also more vulnerable to brain and heart damage than men. Their risk of cirrhosis and other alcohol-related liver diseases is higher than for men.
Drinking is such a big factor that the CDC has listed limiting alcohol intake as one of its four “totally doable New Year’s resolutions” that will reduce the risk breast cancer.
Benefits of giving up booze for a month
Even a brief break can make a difference.
Regular drinkers who abstained from alcohol for just one month were found to have a “rapid decrease” in certain chemical messengers in the blood that are associated with cancer progression, a study found. The participants also saw improvements in their insulin resistance, weight and blood pressure.
Almost three-quarters — 71% — of people who took part in Dry January said they slept better and 67% had more energy, according to a University of Sussex study. More than half, 58%, lost weight and 54% reported better skin.
People have a sense of achievement and they feel better and mentally sharper, said George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Heavy drinkers who take a break might also notice they have less heartburn and reflux, feel less irritable and anxious, and have fewer headaches, Garbutt noted.
He and Wilsnack cautioned a 30-day abstinence from alcohol won’t erase the damage years of heavy drinking can do.
“But if women are more vulnerable, which I think they are, then when they cut back, they should see proportionally a greater gain in those health consequences. … But I would recommend it for both women and men. It’s a good idea,” Wilsnack said.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing: Tips for success
TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie has called it “dryish January” — a little more dry than December. The goal is to consciously drink less even if you don’t give up alcohol altogether.
Find a substitute to drink: Fill your wine glass with water that’s infused with fruit or flavored sparkling water.
Cultivate a new way to cope in social settings: Delay and distract, or walk out of the room and do some breathing exercises — maybe you won’t need the drink anymore. Remember, it may be easier than ever to socialize without booze: The “sober-curious” trend has prompted alcohol-free bars and events to pop up across the country. Companies are also offering more non-alcoholic beverages.
Create a strong support network: Let friends and loved ones encourage you, keep you accountable and perhaps do the challenge with you.
Write about it: Wilsnack advised journaling during Dry January to help you see patterns: When did you have the strongest urges to drink? When did you miss it the most?
If you vow to make it through the month booze-free and still end up having a drink at a party or with dinner, don’t feel like you’re a failure and don’t get too down on yourself, Garbutt said. But if you’ve noticed you’re drinking more frequently and the amount is increasing over time, think about exploring that, he added. Perhaps try another “dry” month.
“If you can’t even make it through a week without saying, ‘I’m going crazy; where is my wine when I get home from work?’ then that seems to me a red flag that you may be developing a dependence on alcohol,” Wilsnack said. That’s when it may be time to talk with your doctor.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
- Lose the booze, keep the spirit: Why Blake Lively and more are making nonalcoholic drinks
- Recovering alcoholic shares cautionary tale as drinking surges during pandemic
- Women who stop drinking alcohol improve mental health, study finds
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