The effects of a ‘dry January’.
It may be a new year but I’d wager that you’ve probably already heard the same thing that’s said at the start of every year by one of your mates. You know what’s coming next, how they swear that they’re not going to touch a single drop of alcohol during the course of January. Do you believe them?
Truth be told, quite a lot of people abide by this strict no drinking rule because they’ve had their fill of booze during the Christmas period and a new study in the journal Health Psychology has provided even more reasons as to why a few weeks away from drink can be good for you.
The researchers asked 857 British men and women to stay sober for 31 days and while the benefits and positive effects might seem obvious, the results still make for very interesting reading.
To begin with, only 64 percent of the participants actually managed to go an entire month without drinking some hooch. Father Jack would be proud of them.
Regarding those participants with stronger will power, the research showed that after the study, those who abstained from drinking actually tended to drink less often, get drunk less often and have fewer drinks in one sitting six months later.
Essentially this means that by adhering to a strict no drinking policy, they found it easier to stay away from drinking more often in the future.
It goes without saying that the expected benefits – better liver function, lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of liver disease and diabetes – were also put categorised as some of the other benefits of staying away from alcohol for a few weeks.
There you have it, further proof that a dry January can be good for more than just your wallet but if you are going to have a few drinks then do so responsibly.
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