Dry January 2017

Dry January is an annual fundraising campaign run by Alcohol Awareness. The challenge is to go for the 31 days of January without consuming any alcohol.After the excesses of Christmas and New Year, January is a good time to take stock of the amount of alcohol you have been drinking. By doing so you will be helping to raise awareness of the harm caused by alcohol to individuals, families and society as a whole, as well as generating much-needed funds to provide services for those affected.

So, are you ready for the Dry January challenge?

By going alcohol-free for the whole of January you will be amazed at how much it will benefit you too.

1. Lose weight – alcohol has very high sugar content and by cutting it out of your diet, you will be amazed at how much weight you could lose. Of those who participated last year, 49% reported that they lost weight during January as a result.
2. Save money – think of the money you spend each week on alcoholic drinks. Save it and do something new or treat yourself to something you’ve had your eye on for a while. 79% of last year’s participants said they had saved money, which could be very welcome after the overspending on Christmas.
3. Sleep better – by not drinking you will find that you sleep more soundly and get a better quality of sleep. This will affect how you feel during the daytime too and you will find you are more productive and have more energy.

Think you might struggle with Dry January?

Even for those of you who feel that you are not particularly heavy drinkers, breaking a habit can be difficult. You may have gotten into the routine of having a drink every evening with your dinner, or to help you unwind at the end of a stressful day, so even if you do not consider yourself an alcoholic, Dry January may be more challenging than it sounds.  So here are a few tips to help you achieve an alcohol-free month.

1. Do it with a friend or partner – trying to go dry on your own can be hard, but if your drinking buddies or partner is doing it too, it will be much easier
2. Tell everyone what you’re doing – get them all to sponsor you and then you won’t find people trying to encourage you to have “just one” as they might normally.
3. Take up a new hobby – do something new with the money you’re saving and replace your drinking time with something new to keep you busy.
4. Experiment - with lots of different non-alcoholic drinks. Just because you’re not drinking alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t go out with friends and socialise. Try lots of different drinks instead of just sticking to one. It can be quite refreshing and enjoyable.

Sign up now and realise the benefits of going alcohol-free and maybe you won’t just stop at a month.