Health experts explain benefits of Dry January
Reset.
That’s the common buzzword for taking part in Dry January. It's a time when many give up alcohol for all of January’s 31 days, and sometimes longer.
Other buzzwords are “dryish” or “damp” January, "sober-curious" and "mindful drinking," all meaning that you are cutting back on alcohol consumption or becoming aware of your relationship with it.
But while you might be missing your cocktails during Dry January, chances are you noticed missing a few other things.
How are your clothes fitting these days? You're likely missing several pounds and maybe a few notches on your belt.How are you sleeping? You're probably having fewer restless nights.
And maybe your anxiety and mood are better.
Those are the common and immediate benefits of going alcohol-free, many experts tout.
Dry January is a worldwide initiative and millions take part. The initiative got its start more than a decade ago as the Alcohol Change UK, a British charity, to abstain from alcohol for the month of January.
Reaping health benefits is the leading reason for abstaining from alcohol. And several studies show, the Washington Post recently reported, that the benefits of Dry January can be long-lasting. People often continue past January or drink less in the long run and also adopt changes that promote better overall health.
While Dry January participation was up in 2022 from 2021, a recent survey from Morning Consult revealed a drop from 19% in 2022 to 15% in 2023. With inflation and higher prices, the survey also found saving money was added as another reason for those participating in Dry January.
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But the result of the reset of the body and mind going without alcohol is nearly immediate with sometimes surprising results.
Common benefits include weight loss, better sleep, better nutrition, vibrant skin, mental clarity, less fogginess and saving money.
Many health experts agree that “Dry January” is also a time to evaluate and examine your relationship with alcohol.
Better sleep, clear mind
Gerald Scott Winder, an associate clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at U-M Health Michigan Medicine, said the top three benefits of Dry January are:
You are more clear in the head.
Your mood is better and your worries are less.
Sleep is better.
"Those are the risks of too much alcohol," Winder said. "I don’t sleep well; I am foggy and I worry too much."
Dry January is also about people understanding how they relate to alcohol, Winder said.
"It's a deeper understanding of how I feel and what I do," he said. "If anything can muddy that up, it’s alcohol. It numbs us … changes how we think."
Once you cut down on that, he said, you are more lucid and more present and invested more in the conversation.Sometimes making one change, he said, is a "jump-start to other changes" and "making a behavioral change to one part can spread like wildfire," he said.
It's also knowing what the standard drink consumption is that can help you understand your relationship with alcohol. The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines limit intakes to one drink for women and two drinks for men or less on any day.
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines heavy drinking as more than three drinks for women on any day or more than seven drinks per week. For men, it's consuming more than four drinks on any day and 14 drinks in a week.
Winder said alcohol is also a risk factor for a variety of cancers, it's a source of calories as Americans are very obese, and large amounts of alcohol upset the liver and pancreas.
And after COVID-19 and the isolation many experienced, there was an increase in excessive alcohol.
Better nutrition
Diane Cress, a registered dietitian, Ph.D., said the idea behind better nutrition with Dry January is weight loss.
“It’s a reduction in calories and specifically, empty calories,” Cress, an associate professor, department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Wayne State University. “Typically, if you drink the standard of one drink a day for women and two drinks for men, it equates to a potential weight loss of just over a pound per month for women and 2 pounds for men."
Cress noted that it’s important that you’re not replacing calories with other empty calories.
“If you switch to juice, you probably have a similar amount of calories, but at least you get nutrition,” Cress said. “But if you switch to pop, you don't have the alcohol but you haven't gotten any benefits in terms of calories there.
"To reduce caloric intake from alcoholic beverages, it's important to pay attention to what you choose to drink in its place.”
But the other thing that happens when you drink is it disinhibits what you’re eating, Cress said, primarily in a social setting and not so much when you drink at home.
“If you're in a social setting and there's lots of food around that you might not normally eat, when you’re drinking you are more likely to overindulge. When you're not drinking, you will be more deliberate in your choices,” she said.
Cress said Dry January is a great time to rein in it especially if you overdid it during the holidays at social events and celebrations.
"If done with the right intentions and with the addition of more healthful and deliberate food choices, it really is potentially a great kick-start to the new year," Cress said. "It's just like cutting back on food intake — when you realize you've been doing too much. "
Forging a new relationship
Leslie Lundahl, an associate professor department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University, said just the fact that you are thinking about your relationship with alcohol is an improvement.
“You are reassessing your relationship with alcohol just thinking about it,” she said. “It’s hard to stop something you do routinely and you enjoy.”
And if you try Dry January, she said, most people drink the first week, usually a Friday.
It’s also common to slip two weeks into abstaining, Lindahl said. “You need to recommit and find support,” she said. “If you do have a drink, it’s not failure.”
Look to reassess and learn what the trigger is, she said. Lundahl also said there are benefits to drinking less.“If you reduce that (drinking), it’s better than not stopping,” she said.
Dr. Annas Aljassem said Dry January is definitely a buzzword.
But with a lot of patients, after COVID-19, Aljassem, head of the Functional Pain and Rehabilitation at Beaumont-Royal Oak Corewell Health East, has seen more patients in acute alcohol withdrawal.
"In theory, it sounds wonderful 'let's just give up alcohol,' " he said. "But if you've been drinking pretty heavy, 2-3 drinks a day and you've been doing that for some months and years, you could go into severe alcohol withdrawal that could kill you. “
He also points to how we are normalizing some of this alcohol and its use of it and how easy it is to access, including ordering alcohol from your phone.
Aljassem said the theory is what people are trying to do with Dry January is reset their pleasure pathways.And, he said, it takes approximately one month for the brain to change its pleasure pathway.
“Some people do need that kind of reset,” Aljassem said. “So, the theory behind it is great, but again it can be very risky if you are a heavy drinker.”
But he also questions the need to be extreme with a completely dry reset, which can be detrimental to some, but also unstainable in general.
“When someone is looking at making health changes, it’s not about extremes, it’s about balance,” he said. “A more realistic approach with human behavior is to find that balance with something that is sustainable and something one can continue for the rest of their life.”
He also suggests going alcohol-free more often than just in January.
For example, if you were drinking five days a week, go down to three.
“Is it the best solution to be dry in January and then go back to drinking in February and March?” he said.
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dry January helps mood, diet, liver and more, health experts say
