Why should young adults try Dry January?
By all accounts – anecdotal and scientific – it improves life in almost all areas.
But what do young adults need to know about Dry January?
Here’s a quick history.
In 2013, the non-profit group Alcohol Change UK created Dry January to help people consider reconsider their relationship with alcohol, with a focus on reducing the amount of alcohol they consume on a daily, weekly – and during January – monthly basis.
The founders of Dry January describe their original goals in a report published here:
“The aim of our campaign is to start a new conversation about alcohol, to encourage people to consider and discuss their alcohol consumption and ultimately, to inspire behavior change following a positive and fun-filled month of sobriety.”
That sounds like a great idea to us. We specifically think it’s a good idea for the young adults we work with who have mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and others. It’s tempting to use alcohol to temporarily manage the uncomfortable emotions associated with those disorders. However, that strategy generally backfires, and makes symptoms worse over time. In fact, that’s true for anyone who uses alcohol to manage tough emotions: in the long run, it causes more problems than it solves.
That’s also why we think young adults – or anyone – with or without a mental health disorder should consider Dry January. It’s always a good idea to evaluate, or re-evaluate, the use of any substance that has a well-known risk of misuse or disordered use.
How Dry January Can Improve Your Health
Dry January is a simple concept:
Cut back or stop drinking alcohol for the month of January.
Important disclaimer: if you’re a daily or heavy drinker, consult a physician before completely eliminating alcohol – a.k.a. going cold turkey – because alcohol is dangerous, and in some cases severe alcohol withdrawal can cause serious medical problems, up to and including death. Therefore, daily or heavy drinkers should consult a physician before completely stopping drinking.
With that said, let’s look at how Dry January can improve your life, starting with your physical health.
A 2019 study on the medical benefits of Dry January called “Short-Term Abstinence From Alcohol and Changes in Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Liver Function Tests and Cancer-Related Growth Factors: A Prospective Observational Study” showed that one month of abstinence from alcohol – e.g., participating in Dry January – leads to the following outcomes:
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower diabetes risk
- Decreased cholesterol
- Lower detected cancer-promoting cells
Demonstrable positive outcomes of excluding alcohol for a 30-day period also include:
- Better sleep
- Healthier skin/hair
- Increased energy
- Improved concentration
- Enhanced immune function.
Research on Dry January: Reduced Alcohol Consumption
A study conducted in 2018 in the U.K. found something interesting: people who reduced alcohol intake in January kept it up. In fact, over six months after the end of the month, researchers found:
- Drinking days per week fell from 4.3 to 3.3
- Alcohol consumed per day fell from 8.6 units to 7.1 units (there are two units in a pint of beer or glass of wine, and one in a shot of liquor)
- Times getting drunk fell from 3.4 to 2.1 per month
We include this data because we were surprised to learn that among the 800 people who participated in the study, average alcohol consumption stayed lower even after the end of Dry January. Another interesting result is that among these participants, not all of them abstained from alcohol completely. Many reported they cut back, liked what it did for them, and decided not to go back to drinking as much as before.
But the decreased drinking is only part of the story.
Here’s how Dr. Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, describes the hidden benefits of Dry January:
“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. Dry January helps millions to experience those benefits and to make a longer-lasting change to drink more healthily.”
If you’re curious about what might happen if you try Dry January, read on. The next section will tell you what you need to know.
A Month Without Alcohol: What to Expect
Alcohol Change UK published a helpful and informative guide on Dry January, with an outline of positive benefits participants reported experiencing during each week of the four-week period:
First Week:
- Energy increased
- Concentration improved
- Sleep improved
Second Week:
- Energy increases continued
- Concentration/thinking improved further, known as clearing the fog
- Stomach/digestive problems – if present – decreased
Third Week:
- Loss of weight
- Improved short-term memory
- Concentration improvement continued
- Attention/focus improved
Fourth Week:
Studies show that after four weeks, chemical precursors to cancer decrease. This decrease results in reduced risk of:
- Breast cancer
- Colorectal cancer
In addition, after four weeks, medical researchers identified reduce risk of:
- Heart disease
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
Researchers also identified:
- Improved liver function
- Reduced blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
- Improved immune response
Finally, in the fourth week of Dry January, participants reported ongoing improvement in:
- Look and feel of skin
- Look and feel of hair
- Stomach and digestive issues, including decreased constipation, diarrhea, and bloating
If you’re a young adult considering Dry January, please remember that what happens with your body depends on your relationship to alcohol. That means how often you drink, how much you drink, and how long you’ve been drinking. While everyone will react differently, ten years of data on Dry January confirms that reducing or eliminating alcohol for a month are associated with those benefits within that general timeline.
After learning all this information about Dry January, we have one question:
Who doesn’t want to sleep better, think more clearly, and remember things better? Who doesn’t want a stronger heart, immune system, and circulatory system? And who doesn’t want a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, and at least two types of cancer? And finally, who would say no to losing weight and gaining energy?
Okay, that was actually four questions, but you get the idea.
Dry January 2025: Learn More
If you think Dry January is a good idea and want to give it a try, these resources are full of helpful ideas to get started, stick with it, and make it a success:
- Harvard Health: Thinking of Trying Dry January?
- Alcohol Change UK: Taking on the DRY JANUARY CHALLENGE? Boss it With TRY DRY®
- National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism: Participating in Dry January? Here Are Tips For Success.
Something we tell people who consider reducing their alcohol intake – independent of events like Dry January – is that if they’ve ever thought they need to dial it back, it’s a good idea to try: the thought probably didn’t come from nowhere. There’s also a growing body of evidence that indicates that any level of alcohol consumption is associated with serious health risks. That includes levels of alcohol consumption that we’ve considered safe for generations.
If you decide to try this initiative, and you haven’t attempted to stop or reduce your alcohol intake before, we can guarantee one thing: you’ll learn more about your relationship with alcohol than you ever have before. And if you try it and stick with it the whole month, your physical health and overall mental clarity will likely improve.
For young adults with mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety, that sounds like a good way to improve overall wellness, solidify a foundation of healthy habits, and promote long-term healing, recovery, and growth.
