Giving up alcohol for the month (Dry January) can improve your sleep, help you lose weight and – naturally – save quite a lot of money too, according to new research.
A study by the University of Sussex has revealed that a booze-free January helps participants regain control over their drinking, as well as having more energy, better skin and losing weight.
Looking for longer-term results? The even better news is that people who took part in the study also report drinking less months afterwards.
The study looked at more than 800 participants trying Dry January in 2018, and revealed that even by August their average drinking days per week fell from 4.3 to 3.3, with the units consumed in a drinking session reduced on average from 8.6 to 7.1.
The simple act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less in the long term: by August people are reporting one extra dry day per week,’ says Dr Richard de Visser, who led the study. ‘There are also considerable immediate benefits: nine in ten people save money, seven in ten sleep better and three in five lose weight.
‘Interestingly, these changes in alcohol consumption have also been seen in the participants who didn’t manage to stay alcohol-free for the whole month — although they are a bit smaller. This shows that there are real benefits to just trying to complete Dry January.’
Dry January also improved the mindsets of those taking part, with 93% having a sense of achievement, 82% thinking more deeply about their relationship with drink and 80% felt more in control of their drinking. And if that wasn’t all enough – 88% had saved money too!
A new poll taken by Alcohol Change UK revealed that one in 10 of us are trying Dry January this year.
