Is Dry January possible? Top tips to ensure you succeed and how to moderate your alcohol intake in 2024
Instead of just trying Dry January, it would be more sensible to moderate your alcohol intake year round
Published 2nd Jan 2024
Instead of just trying Dry January, it would be more sensible to moderate your alcohol intake year round. Photograph by Getty
Mankind has been drinking alcohol socially for more than 10,000 years, and many of us enjoy its complex flavours and the pleasurable feelings that it can bring. The trouble is, most of us enjoy it a little too much, especially in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year.
Dry January is certainly a sensible strategy to counterbalance the excesses in December, not only to benefit multiple aspects of our health but to show to ourselves we have the willpower to decide when we want to drink rather than the drink telling us!
In view of the health and social risks of excess alcohol, however, it is better to moderate intake for the whole year, ideally to limit alcohol to one or two days a week. You can then look forward to enjoying a cool beer, a jazzy cocktail, an aromatic gin and tonic, or appreciate the complexity and elegance of a fine wine with family or friends rather than having to hit the bottle every night as a biological need.
In general, I've never been one to jump on short-term bandwagons, as the proof of their impact on long-term behaviour remains up for debate. However, starting the new year presents a prime opportunity to delve into our drinking habits, initiating a reset towards healthier alcohol levels. Think of Dry January not just as a fleeting trend but as a kickstart geared towards a more lasting and impactful transformation. It would be better to set our sights on a change that goes beyond the month, ushering in a lifestyle shift with lasting effects.
Let's reflect on why excess alcohol can be harmful and then offer some practical tips which have helped people achieve and dry January and beyond:
How does alcohol affect our health
Alcoholic drinks, in reasonable amounts, have not all been shown to be bad for our health. For example, a study from Kings College London showed that the polyphenol called resveratrol responsible for the colour of red wine actually helped the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut, reducing inflammation and linked to a slightly lower risk of bowel cancer. Studies have also suggested that light-to-moderate drinking reduces the incidence of prostate cancer.
Unfortunately, more is not better when it comes to booze. Over time, enthusiastic drinkers have an increased risk of cancer in multiple sites, including breast, oesophagus, stomach, liver, lung, and bowel. In one surveyof heavy drinkers, more than four drinks daily doubled their risk of prostate cancer, and the cancers they developed tended to be more advanced and have a poorer prognosis. The cancer risk seems to be worse for women. An analysis of over a million women across Europe showed even one drink a day over time increases the breast cancer risk by 10%.
In terms of the heart, scientific papers have reported that light alcohol consumption, particularly red wine, can be associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease. Regrettably, other research has firmly established that increasing your intake by knocking back the pints or hitting the bottle is linked to heart damage either directly by harming the muscle cells (cardiomyopathy), by increasing the blood pressure or damaging the electrical pathways (atrial fibrillation). This is often triggered by short intense bouts of alcohol such on holiday, usually referred to as Holiday Heart Syndrome.
What makes alcohol harmful?
Alcohol is converted into a harmful chemical called acetaldehyde, a carcinogen capable of damaging DNA repair leading to mutations and eventually cancer. In excess, it can damage healthy gut bacteria, leading to gut inflammation. This causes gaps in the gut wall, which allows nutrients to leak out and toxins to leak into the bloodstream. This sets up excessive inflammation, a by-product of which damages joints, muscles, and the brain - no wonder we feel so rough during a hangover. In the long term, excess inflammation causes cells to divide faster, also increasing the risk of spontaneous genetic mutations and cancer. Other chemicals such as sulphites and other preservatives can also contribute to fluid retention and congestion.
Chronic alcohol abuse increases weight, especially around the belly, reduces the muscle-to-fat ratio, which as well as increasing blood pressure, raises blood sugar eventually leading to diabetes. This is called "Metabolic Syndrome" which is associated with multiple chronic diseases from heart attacks, strokes, arthritis, depression, and dementia.
The intoxicating effect of alcohol can disinhibit normal precautions. Although useful for the dance floor and to laugh at a friend's usually otherwise uninspiring jokes, it can lead to injuries, lost mobile phones, superfluous spending, violent behaviour, and unprotected sex leading to guilt issues, venereal disease, and unwanted pregnancy. Many people trying to give up smoking are familiar with the urge to light up again, even after one drink.
Being drunk is linked to unhealthy eating habits such as munching crisps or devouring a greasy kebab, further contributing to weight gain. After the buzz of the initial alcohol wears off, drinking reduces mood, increases anxiety, deflates the motivation to exercise, creates difficulty sleeping, affects our work performance, quality of life, and relationships.
Fatty liver, a sign of damage, can recover if you stop drinking and avoid other toxins, but eventually, cirrhosis sets in, which is usually permanent and progressive even if you become tea-total. For this reason, I personally do not recommend taking paracetamol to help with a hangover, as this will add to the strain on the liver at a time which needs most protection.
My personal tips for a handover are to detox your body with plenty of fluids such as water, herbal teas, go for a brisk walk or run, and put up with the headache - after all, you've done the crime so do the time. A ginger shot can help with the nausea. It's a good idea to take a few days of a probiotic capsule and a phytochemical-rich food supplement, both of which will help restore your gut health and help alleviate your low mood, joint aches, brain fog and fatigue.
Top tips to help you succeed in a Dry January and beyond
1. Find a substitute non-alcoholic drink that you like and is not crammed with sugar, maybe herbal tea or an alcohol-free beer.
2. For social situations, an alcohol-free gin and tonic or mocktail (non-alcoholic cocktail) will make you look less like a sweating reformed alcoholic and still taste nice.
3. Avoid temptations - keep alcohol out of your house.
4. When you're invited to someone's home, bring your non-alcoholic drinks with you.
5. Create a support group - Try to enlist someone to do the challenge with you.
6. Be accountable - let friends and family know about your intentions and encourage them to keep you accountable.
7. For the techno-lovers, a dry drinking phone application can help set personal goals and offers motivational information like calories and money saved from not drinking.
8. Don't give up. If you slip up, don't feel guilty. Just begin again the the next day.
Tips for the longer term
A sensible target would be to aim for a target of 5 alcohol-free days a week. On the days you enjoy a drink, go for quality not quantity - savour one bottle of expensive wine over 3 cheap bottles of plonk. Cheaper wines, especially those that smell strongly of chemicals and sulphites will affect you more and certainly exacerbate the hangover.
As you drink less, especially if you have managed to have had days of abstinence, you will find that you need less alcohol to have the desired effect so consider Scandinavian-type beers with 2-3% alcohol content and avoid export lagers or IPAs with over 5% alcohol content. In a social situation try to ace consumption by sipping drinks slowly. If drinking a cocktail, top up with sparkling water or more ice to make it last longer. Alternate alcoholic drinks such as mocktails, with non-alcoholic beers or wines, soft drinks, or even water.
As a rule, try to avoid consuming alcohol at home unless socialising. Without getting obsessive, keep an alcohol diary, set yourself an alcohol limit, and aim to stick to it. Avoid temptation, or habit forming behaviour by meeting friends in alternative venues to the pub; a cafe, a gym, or just going for a walk.
Look for activities to take your mind off booze, maybe a new hobby, going to the theatre or art class. Even better for your health, join an exercise group such as a dance class, a cycling, walking, or running group. Consider holidays without alcohol, such as health or sports-oriented retreats. Remember, you don’t always have to drink to have fun and don't be afraid to ask for extra support.
Danger signs and support resources
Following abstinence, it is common to experience mild symptoms, including anxiety, shaky hands, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and insomnia for a few days. If these symptoms persist, you struggle during the month, or give up after a week or so, you may need extra help cutting back. It is perfectly reasonable to make an appointment with your GP to talk about getting the extra help you need. . In the UK Alcoholics Anonymous is an impressive resource and internationally the Rethinking Drinking site created by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) provides a wealth of useful information which can help support and motivate you.
