The home stretch is here for people who’ve been partaking in Dry January. UW Health addiction medicine physician Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar says putting something in place of alcohol can help you get through the rest of the month.
“If you were in some type of league where it really centered around drinking, it could be finding some friends that engage in that same activity that aren’t as focused on alcohol. It could be picking up new hobbies that aren’t so alcohol focused, and it could also just be identifying some great, you know, mocktails”, Salisbury-Afshar says.
Salisbury-Afshar says those who take part in Dry January will notice some short term benefits. “They’ll often pretty quickly realize that the days they aren’t drinking, they often sleep better, especially if people are able to abstain for an entire month”, Salisbury-Afshar says. “They may see that their mood is better. Some folks will report that their energy levels are better”.
There’s also plenty of long-term benefits for people who take an extended break from drinking. “If someone is able to abstain long term, we see reductions in risk for various types of cancer, breast cancer and various like liver cancer, GI cancers being some of the big ones, we see lots of other health benefits like blood pressure and reduced cancer risk”, says Salisbury-Afshar.
You can head to UW Health’s website for more tips on completing Dry January and the benefits of taking part.