Challenge Complete: Goodbye Dry January

Today is Friday 31st January 2020 which amongst other things means it’s our last day of our #dryjanuary journey! Congratulations to everyone who has also completed this journey!

What better way to kick off the new year; by cutting out alcohol for an entire month - and there we go - BOOM - we have done it!

But what exactly are the benefits of a booze-free start to the New Year?

According to researchers, various surveys say it seems staying off the 'pop' until February leaves you in greater control of your drinking habits, gives you more energy, can help you lose weight, and even improves your skin.

This isn't a bad list of positives, and even if you don't manage to stay alcohol-free for the whole month (as we rather smugly have), you can still feel benefits, say the researchers!

"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 ... there are also considerable immediate benefits: nine in ten people save money, seven in ten sleep better and three in five lose weight." Psychologist Richard de Visser.

Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, which carried out related research showing that 1 in 10 people in the UK were planning a dry January says: "The brilliant thing about Dry January is that it's not really about January. Being alcohol-free for 31 days shows us that we don't need alcohol to have fun, to relax, to socialise. That means that for the rest of the year we are better able to make decisions about our drinking, and to avoid slipping into drinking more than we really want to."

My Results

Whilst I wasn't completely convinced about #dryjanuary, I was keen to understand whether drinking alcohol was sometimes more of a habit than a pleasure (for me personally and of course others too - friends, family and clients of course). Does it cloud my thinking perhaps sometimes? Do I use it (albeit unconsciously) to erase stress? Is it a problem-staller? Completing this challenge for me I suppose, was about answering these questions and being in control. Ultimately I wanted to see what (if any) emotional and physical health benefits I will experience!

So, for me after just over 4 weeks of tracking and measuring I can say YES…

• I have saved money
• I have lost a little weight (2 kg)
• My skin seems nice (but this could be for a multitude of reasons)
• I am more hydrated (now back up to 52% consistently)
• I feel a sense of achievement

However, NO...

• I do not have more energy
• I have not slept better
• My mood hasn’t been better (in fact quite the opposite according to others!!!)

Lastly, I have missed trips to our local pub - so has Angel (our dog)....

My Verdict

All in all - the goals of this challenge for me were:

1. To prove firstly prove that I can. That slight but creeping paranoia that you’re becoming more dependent on workday evening bubbles has definitely receded.
2. Lonked to curiosity about my relationship with alocohol and the physical effects. Will I sleep better, think more clearly, lose weight, be less tired, less puffy, achieve more? (Answers above.)
3. To better understand the immediate benefits that a booze break can have on my mental health and also appreciate any long-term health risks (mental and physical) associated with too much alcohol. 

So yes, Dry January can change lives. For me however I have less of a monumental conclusion to draw….

I acknowledge alcohol is a part of my socialising and a result going forward I will be mindful of this. I have taken charge of my drinking using Dry January and as a result I truly feel a sense of achievement. I also know that as I welcome 1st February, that first glass of bubbles tomorrow will be OH-SO GOOD. #Dryjanuary has taught me to savour my drinks! 

Going forward, am I’m actually going to drink less? I don’t know but.....

Certainly I will be more mindful, appreciative and selective. Also, as I am now super informed (this powerful Public Health fact will certainly stay with me: Excessive drinking has been linked to premature death, mental health issues, increased cancer risks, brain damage and of course failing livers.) so I will be focusing more on better quality; less quantity & alternating some alcohol-free drinks too!

I hope you have enjoyed my journey, I look forward to hearing about yours too! If you would like to revisit my previous article, which includes updates during my #dryjanuary journey, just CLICK HERE.

We very much look forward to welcoming a fabulous February.