What Are the Benefits of Dry January? A Doctor Weighs In

Cheers to a dry January!

The time of year when consumers decide to abstain from alcohol is in full swing since the beginning of the month, and some even decide to give up drinking when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day.

There are various reasons why people participate in Dry January, and among the biggest are the health benefits. Better sleep and weight management “are some of the most consistent benefits,” Dr. Rocco Iannucci, MD, director of the Fernside Residential Treatment Program at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, tells PEOPLE.

However, because “there’s no one thing we can do that benefits everyone equally,” Dr. Iannucci notes that Dry January will affect people differently. This is due to certain factors such as age, gender and the amount of alcohol usually consumed.

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Although the health benefits of trying to abstain from alcohol vary, Dr. Iannucci — who is also an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School — notes that it will have a positive effect on many people, “even if they don’t feel like they’ve made it all the way through. ”

dr. Iannucci also highlights the psychological health benefits that can result from 31 days of sobriety. If you’re afraid that “quitting alcohol will isolate you,” he says, “you might learn things you like or don’t like about how you tend to socialize with other people if you don’t drink.”

“Sometimes it’s an eye-opener and makes people decide to make some other changes, even if it’s not to stop drinking altogether,” he continues. “It gives us perspective on our drinking.”

Read on for the positive and negative effects of participating in Dry January, according to Dr. Iannucci.

Dry January is good for your liver

Dry January, a one-month alcohol-free challenge, begins on January 1.

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First and foremost, Dr. Iannucci points out that abstaining from alcohol during January is “good for your liver.” He adds that abstinence for “relatively short periods of time” can have a positive effect.

“People with significant alcohol-related liver inflammation will often see their markers of inflammation return to normal within a month, and these are people who have significant levels of alcohol intake,” he explains.

“Alcohol is a poison to the liver,” continues Dr. Iannucci. “The good news is that the liver has a lot of capacity to heal up to a certain point, and so giving it a chance to heal can be very helpful.”

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Dry January can improve sleep

“Sleep is a big deal,” Dr. Iannucci says of the benefits of participating in Dry January. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that even small amounts of alcohol can disrupt sleep.”

“Most people will notice the effects of alcohol right away,” says Dr. Iannucci, citing the ability to sleep earlier as an example. But while that’s true for many people, he says alcohol consumption can also cause “morning awakenings and broken sleep.”

“It can happen with half a drink,” he explains. “It doesn’t take much for alcohol to start disrupting our sleep rhythms, so our sleep isn’t as restorative as it might otherwise be.”

Dry January can help with weight loss

Refusal of alcohol.

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Weight loss is the main goal for those participating in Dry January, a goal that Dr. Iannucci says is possible within a 31-day window.

“I think we can underestimate the degree to which alcohol adds calories – which are ’empty’ calories, meaning they really have no nutritional value,” explains the oft-used “quick” drink. “Especially in the form of sugary drinks, you don’t really notice how much you’re taking in.”

While the amount of weight lost during Dry January varies by person—especially if the calories from alcohol are “compensated” by eating other things—Dr. Iannucci says that “many people find that they lose weight during Dry January.”

Drinks aside, new activities during Dry January can help you lose weight, especially if your weekends or weeknights usually revolved around alcohol. dr. Iannucci suggests alternative activities, such as “more active or outdoor activities, depending on the weather.”

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Dry January can improve your sex life

Although Dr. Iannucci says he hasn’t seen research on the impact of dry January on a better sex life, he says it “would make sense depending on the level of alcohol.” That’s because alcohol consumption “has an effect on the liver,” which could “have an effect on hormones including sex hormones.”

dr. Iannucci says that alcohol use in general can sometimes have a “negative effect on relationships,” so when we’re “healthier, sleep better, feel healthier, feel better and maybe feel more confident about ourselves,” he says it can “be helpful” and for dating and love life.

And while “quitting alcohol” can cause “younger people or people who are dating” to fear “isolation” during Dry January, Dr Iannucci says joining forces in the month of abstinence can make things easier.

He suggests convincing friends to participate or finding support online. “People will do it through social media and/or through apps to help support Dry January and it can give you that feeling of being connected a little bit more.”

A dry January can lower your tolerance

Say “no” to alcohol.

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Participating in Dry January can also lower your tolerance. So you won’t need as much to drink to feel its effects.

dr. Iannucci says, “If you drink fairly regularly to the point where it affects your tolerance and then you decide to go back to drinking, you should be careful because your tolerance may not be what it used to be.” He adds: “Alcohol can affect you a bit more when you go back to drinking.”

For people who are more “constant drinkers” or people “who have an alcohol use disorder,” Dr. Iannucci says it’s important “not to stop drinking suddenly without consulting a doctor.”

“If people drink very regularly during the day, if they have a high tolerance, if they shake, if you notice that they shake in the morning when they don’t drink, it is important to consult a doctor before stopping drinking alcohol,” he continues. “It can actually be medically dangerous.”

If you “feel worse” when you first stop drinking, Dr. Iannucci says it would be “important to consult a doctor because you may be experiencing alcohol withdrawal,” which he says “can be managed fairly easily under the supervision of a medical professional.”

Dry January can cause you to cut back on alcohol altogether

Avoiding alcohol.

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While dry January spans the entire month, some participants may rethink their drinking habits even after the 31 days are up. “People don’t realize they’re back in the same situation” before they started abstinence, Dr. Iannucci says.

Whether people fully commit to Dry January or opt for Wet January (cutting back on alcohol during the month), Dr. Iannucci says that “both” attempts “offer benefits because you’re changing your behavior. Maybe it’s going all the way back to where it used to be, but often it isn’t.”

dr. Iannucci highlights the “downside” of dry January. “People can sometimes see themselves as failures,” a mindset he doesn’t find useful because trying is in itself useful. “I think it’s kind of a win-win,” he says.

“Whether you can abstain for an entire month or drink sometimes during that month, you’re still likely to see some benefits in terms of mental and physical health,” explains Dr. Iannucci. “So it’s worth doing.”

“What we don’t want to do is beat ourselves up for trying to do something good,” he continues. “It will probably at least be of use.”

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Source: HIS Education