After festive celebrations throughout December, January is perhaps when we should be giving our livers a break and time to recover. Dry January is an annual event which challenges people to go the full 31 days of January without drinking any alcohol, in an attempt to demonstrate the benefits of not drinking. 

It’s run by a charity called Alcohol Change UK which promotes Dry January as a way to spread awareness as well as raise money for the charity itself. In 2021 6.6 million people took part and reported amazing benefits; including 86% of participants saving money, which, after Christmas certainly wouldn’t be the worst idea.

 

In a year, the average household spends close to £1000 on alcohol. Imagine all the things that you could buy with that amount of money. Another benefit, reported by 70% of participants, was being able to sleep longer, without disturbance, and 66% of those involved reported feeling a lot more energised throughout the month.

The UK has a drinking culture, meaning alcohol is engrained into many of our activities and social events. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it isn’t something that needs to be the case either. Alcohol Change UK are concerned that people don’t fully understand the risks that can come with over-consumption. On Average, a man in the UK drinks nearly 10 litres of pure alcohol a year; the equivalent of 18 units per week, well above the recommended 14 units

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Visit Alcohol Change UK for more information where you can even download an app to help you keep motivated and see how far you can go without having a drop of alcohol. Everyone has a New Year’s resolution. Why not make a Dry January one of yours as a great way to start your year?