There are many good reasons to decide to have a “dry January” and give up alcohol. Maybe you drank a little too much during the holidays or want to start a healthy routine and can’t afford the calories or loss of energy and motivation that drinking alcohol can bring.
“Or it could be someone who is truly starting to question their relationship with alcohol, and this is an opportunity to really explore that,” said Sarah Wakeman, senior medical director for substance use disorders at Mass General Brigham.
“For some people, saying ‘I’m not going to drink this whole month’ can be really difficult, so trying it can show how easy or difficult it is for you,” says Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist in New York.
1 – Set a goal for Dry January
It’s important to be clear about your goal to make it a habit, said Wakeman, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
“The research we have on goal setting says that goals are more likely to be achieved if they are truly relevant to you as an individual and not abstract like ‘I should stop drinking because drinking is bad,’” he explained.
Concrete goals, like adopting new sleeping habits or an exercise routine, will help make giving up drinking easier, she said. “I really want to stop drinking because I know that when I drink a lot, not waking up the next morning and not exercising is a very specific goal,” Wakeman said.
Additional motivation may come from the health gains you can make by reducing or eliminating alcohol, experts say. “Drinking less over time can have really measurable benefits for your health in terms of blood pressure, cancer risk, liver disease risk and other conditions,” Wakeman said.
“Over the course of a month, you may notice some short-term benefits such as better sleep, a better appearance due to improvements in your skin, feeling clearer and having more energy,” he added.
2 – How to adopt Dry January?
Many of us may be familiar with SMART goals in work or school settings. They are used to help people set achievable goals. The acronym means:
- Specific: set an achievable goal, such as cutting out alcohol consumption three days a week. You can add days until you reach your final goal.
- Measurable: How many drinks will you cut — and what are the drink sizes? A beer is 360 ml, a glass of wine is 150 ml, and a portion of spirits is 45 ml.
- Achievable: Make sure there aren’t many social engagements where alcohol is likely to be served during your month of abstinence.
- Relevant (from English, relevant): How will not drinking help me in my life and health?
- Time Based: set a reasonable deadline to complete your efforts. If you want, you can set another goal later.
“If you set a goal too high, you may fail, so it is better to set smaller goals to achieve it,” said Hafeez. “Nothing begins without an honest conversation with yourself.”
Letting a few friends or family know about your goal can help you achieve it, experts say. For some people, it might work to announce your plan on social media — and invite others to join and report on your progress.
“That’s where I think it caught up with him,” Wakeman said. “If you publicly declare that you are going to do something, you are more likely to stick to it than if you keep it to yourself.”
4 – What to drink in Dry January?
Drinking is often associated with social gatherings or fun times. This can train your brain to see alcohol as something positive. You can combat these urges by replacing your beverage of choice with something equally festive or tasty, experts say.
“For some people it might just be sparkling water, and for others it might actually be having a mocktail or some type of (non-alcoholic) drink that feels fun and festive,” Wakeman said.
“Replacing one behavior with another can work because you are tricking your brain,” Hafeez said. “This can absolutely help you avoid temptation.”
An entire industry is dedicated to making non-alcoholic drinks that taste (at least somewhat) similar to the originals. Some even claim to have additional ingredients that are .
“I’m skeptical of anything that claims to relax you or have amazing health benefits that comes in a glass, regardless of what it is,” Wakeman said. “But if it’s an alternative that allows you to feel like you’re not missing out on a social situation and helps you make the changes you want in your drinking, I don’t see any downside to it.”
5 – Track your progress, goals and feelings
Even if you don’t end up cutting out all alcohol, tracking your emotions and urges to figure out your triggers can be helpful, Wakeman said.
“Just monitoring your behavior, whether it’s alcohol, exercise or your diet, can be an intervention in itself,” she said.
“Even if someone isn’t ready to make changes yet, just keeping a journal of when you’re drinking, in what situations you’re drinking the most, and how you’re feeling in those moments can really help identify trigger situations where you might be more prone to drinking,” Wakeman added.
There’s one additional element that’s important to executing an alcohol-free January, experts say. It’s important to note if you — or a loved one — are experiencing negative symptoms when . This could be a sign that you need professional help to achieve your goal.
“The first thing to keep in mind is whether you actually have an alcohol use disorder,” Wakeman said. “If someone is drinking very heavily every day and is at risk for withdrawal symptoms, then it can be really dangerous to stop abruptly.”
A person with alcohol use disorder, who has become accustomed to having a certain level of alcohol in their body every day, may go into withdrawal and experience severe physical symptoms such as shaking, sweating, rapid heart rate, and seizures.
“That would be a real indication that you need to talk to a medical professional about getting medical treatment for withdrawal and not stopping on your own,” Wakeman said.
