Nearly finished Dry January? How to ease back into healthy drinking

Dry January is an alcohol-free challenge and health campaign that encourages people to abstain from alcohol over January to reap the benefits of cutting drinking. Photo / Getty Images

Countdown. It’s four more days until I can have a drink again. Not that I’m tallying up the hours, or minutes even. But this year was my first attempt at Dry January, and the end is in sight. I’ve always scoffed when friends announce immediately after the New Year’s Eve shenanigans that they are going teetotal for a month. Where’s the fun in that?

But as I am now in my early 60s, I am noticing that the hangovers are more vicious, the memory is less lucid, and my hips could do with some relief from the munchies I tend to get when booze is part of the picture. It’s one of the mysteries of life: why are mini cheddars so tasty, along with a glass of red?

As 2024 got under way, I found my interest piqued by the challenge of Dry January. Okay, I admit, it hasn’t been a doddle. A couple of significant birthdays during the month teased me with their celebratory reasons to quaff a glass of bubbly, but I stuck to the soft stuff and later wallowed in the sense of pride I felt about seeing the challenge through. If I were to sum up the past four weeks, I’d say they were clearer, brighter, more energetic – I even managed to enrol in a new and tougher Reformer Pilates class.

Members of sobriety support groups tend to agree on the health benefits to cutting back on drinking, including improvement in sleep, energy levels, mood, weight, and lowering the risk of some cancers. As an “older” woman I should also experience better-looking skin, body movement, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, a decreased risk of diabetes, improved liver function and more mental focus.

“Having a break from alcohol is a positive step,” says Karen Tyrell, CEO of the charity Drinkaware. “And once you’ve made the decision to reduce your drinking, you’ve already taken the first step to a healthier lifestyle.

People are encouraged to try Dry January as part of an effort to reset one's relationship with alcohol. Photo / Getty Images

“For those who aim to drink less, you might want to set some goals and ask for support from your friends or family; you might even end up encouraging them to team up with you,” she adds. “Try to recognise your triggers, those situations where you might normally drink, and make a conscious attempt to do something else instead.”

The final advice from Tyrell is to stick with it. “More than 40 per cent of our daily behaviours are determined by habits,” she says. “With a bit of initial effort and focus, you’ll find that your new healthier habits become more ingrained and second nature.”

On the Drinkaware website it also encourages people to take a break in drinking “to prevent your body from becoming accustomed to alcohol and help lower or ‘reset’ your tolerance”. Because I haven’t indulged for almost a month, when I do take that first hit, it’s likely to clobber me. I remember once cutting out nearly all sugar from my diet for six months. Then I got pregnant and craved chocolate. That first bite of a Dairy Milk bar tasted like someone had poured half a bag of Tate & Lyle into my mouth. I was bouncing off the walls for the entire day.

So when I sip that first drink again, my body will definitely feel it. Alcohol isn’t digested; instead, it moves quickly into the bloodstream and travels around the body, first hitting the brain and interfering with its communication pathways, before progressing to the kidneys, lungs and liver. Hence, my booze break means the effects will feel greater and the impact will happen more quickly.

So, it’s important to ease yourself back gently. The body needs to become accustomed again to any alcohol intake and, of course, bingeing is never a good idea, and can even put our health at serious risk. The Drinkaware website states: “A binge is defined as more than eight units of alcohol in a single session for males, or more than six units in a single session for females. That’s equivalent to about four pints of normal-strength beer for a man or three pints for a woman. Another way of thinking about it is ‘drinking to get drunk’.”

Health benefits to cutting drinking include improvement in sleep, energy levels, mood, weight, and lowering the risk of some cancers. Photo / 123rf

“The Dry January programme is about year-round change,” says Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK. “If you’ve done your own DIY version of going dry in January, now is the perfect time to join the programme and get all these benefits. Download the Try Dry app and say ‘yes’ to the daily email tips. Be experimental and find what works for you. Many people will decide to continue going dry for February.

“Many will aim to return to drinking but want to be drinking less,” he continues. “Evidence shows that 13 per cent of people decide to stay dry permanently and 86 per cent plan to drink the same or less than before. Only 1 per cent decides to drink more than before.”

Post-Dry January, the advice from the experts is to have strategies in place so you can hold on to the benefits of not drinking, or drinking less. Mainly, it’s important to be mindful of your behaviour. Here are some of the things that you might want to consider.

• Think about the amount of alcohol you usually consume (the NHS recommends no more than 14 units per week) and whether you are now happy with that. Because of the reduction over the past month, you might now adhere to the theory “less is more”.
• Consider what was the biggest gain of your experience (mine was a clearer, sharper brain) and how you can hold onto it.
• Appreciate your achievement and put a plan into place for continued success in the coming weeks or months.
• Be aware of your triggers (I’m prone to having a glass of wine while I’m cooking dinner) and try to do something different.
• Alternate an alcoholic option with a soft drink or one of the alcohol-free varieties.
• Don’t be afraid to say no to a drink or refuse to succumb to peer pressure.
• Finally, self-restraint doesn’t need to be confined to January. Any time of the year qualifies for taking a booze break.

I am going to be straight with you: I will drink again. (Probably at times, a fair bit.) But being sober for a few weeks did make me feel good. And, without sounding too conceited, I’ve been told I look better. Shallow? At my age, I’m grabbing all the compliments I can get, thank you!

And on that note, February is the month of my birthday and there is a cold bottle of champagne waiting in the fridge. Stand back, everyone. This is one cork that is going to be happily popped.

Five pitfalls to avoid

Going for it

The temptation to over-indulge might be strong, but after a period of abstinence, gently ease back into drinking again

Falling back into previous unhealthy habits

If Friday night always meant a hefty drinking session after work with colleagues, don’t be afraid to say no. Or decide beforehand that you’ll go along but leave after one drink, or at a certain time

Not being honest with those close to you

If you want to continue drinking less, be transparent about your goals. That way, others can encourage and support you

Having alcohol at home

If it’s not in the fridge or cupboard, you can’t drink it. Save your allowance for more social occasions

Forgetting your good work

Having a break from booze is a health-plus. You can always repeat this at other times of the year