10 great reasons you should do Dry January this year
Dry January #DryJanuary
When the New Year rolls around, many people see it as a perfect time to reset and refresh. Particularly after the rich and festive meals during the holidays, many people set a New Year’s Resolution to start eating healthier and exercising regularly, for example. The holidays are also a time when many of us enjoy (more than) our fair share of alcoholic beverages. Between holiday parties, happy hours, spiked eggnog, festive cocktails, and countless bottles of Christmas wine, you may feel like your liver needs a bit of a break. Dry January was designed for precisely this purpose — to encourage people to abstain from alcohol for the entire month, with the goal of restoring both your physical health and your healthy relationship with alcohol.
If you’ve never participated in Dry January before, you may think it downright daunting or completely unnecessary. But you may be surprised at just how beneficial and easy it can be with a little discipline, flexibility, and planning. So, if you’re looking for a fresh way to boost your health in 2023, keep reading for our suggestions on surviving Dry January.
What is Dry January? 
Started in 2013 by a British organization called Alcohol Change UK, Dry January, aims to help adults improve their health and reset their relationship with drinking by challenging them to abstain from alcohol throughout the month of January. What began as a simple initiative now has a robust app and a host of supportive resources online, helping participants stick with their goals and stay sober for the 31-day challenge. There are also many non-alcoholic beverage companies with zero-proof options, giving Dry January participants alternatives for social, ritualistic, and flavor substitutes for their favorite alcoholic beverages.
Benefits of Dry January 
Abstaining from alcohol during Dry January can result in several key benefits, including the following:
It can help you sleep better
Alcohol can interrupt normal sleep patterns and prevent deep sleep. You can also wake up groggy or hungover.
It can help you lose weight
Alcohol contains seven calories per gram, which is near twice as much as carbohydrates and protein. Most alcoholic drinks are also packed with sugar, and as drinking is often accompanied by snacking or feasting, cutting out alcohol can do wonders for trimming down the waistline.
It can save you money
Let’s face it: A trip to the bar or a nice bottle of wine can be quite expensive, so your wallet may enjoy nice padding by participating in Dry January.
It can improve markers of health
Research shows that reducing your alcohol intake can reduce blood glucose levels, lower your cholesterol, and reduce your blood pressure.
It can help improve and stabilize your mood
Though the short-term effects of a drink or two may include a bubbly, gregarious, upbeat mood, alcohol is actually a depressant and can negatively impact your mental health, particularly when heavy drinking is chronic or if you deal with dependency issues.
It can keep you safer
Alcohol negatively impacts your coordination, reflexes, judgment, and decision-making skills, and is associated with an increase in accidents. You can prevent these risks by abstaining during Dry January.
It can prevent making poor decisions
Have you ever enthusiastically agreed to something after a fun night at the bar only to woefully regret it the next day? We’ve all been there, but Dry January prevents alcohol-driven impulsivity and poor decision-making.
It can boost your immune system
Studies show that bingeing on alcohol can cause an immune response and may contribute to a reduced ability to fight off infections and illnesses. Dry January is a good time to boost your immune system because colds and the flu tend to run rampant in the winter months.
It can increase your energy
Alcohol can negatively impact energy levels by compromising sleep and generally depressing your nervous system.
It can improve your relationship with alcohol
Dry January can help you examine your relationship with alcohol and understand whether you are relying on it as a coping mechanism for stress, as a crutch in social situations, or otherwise feel some sort of dependency on it. By challenging yourself to complete Dry January, you can discover other potentially healthier substitutes for alcohol and you may find that you return to drinking in subsequent months with a more balanced approach as well as an appreciation for non-alcoholic alternatives to enjoy instead of as many drinks as you previously would’ve imbibed in.
Tips for a successful Dry January 
These tips will help you navigate Dry January and hopefully successfully abstain during the month.
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