As the New Year approaches, we are calling on the residents of Plymouth to take on the Dry January challenge in 2025.
Recognising the opportunity to reset their drinking habits, hundreds of thousands of people across the UK take a 31-day break from alcohol in January each year using the free tools and resources provided by Alcohol Change UK. The Dry January challenge offers immediate health and wellbeing benefits including better sleep, more energy and improved mood, while reducing our blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes risk and cancer-related proteins in the blood1. It also boosts bank balances, as 86% of past participants report saving money with an average saving of £118 for the month.
To help as many people as possible have a successful 31-days alcohol-free and unlock maximum benefit, Alcohol Change UK offers participants of the Dry January challenge a collection of tools and resources, including the free Try Dry app, daily coaching emails and a vibrant online peer-to-peer community.
Available to download year-round, the Try Dry app allows participants to work out their current drinking risk score and set personalised goals in the run up to the Dry January challenge, before logging dry days, calories and money saved, earning badges for going alcohol-free at activities where they might usually drink, and receiving daily tips and motivation.
Research found that those taking part in the Dry January challenge double their chances of a successful alcohol-free month vs those attempting to avoid alcohol on their own in January. What’s more, 70% of Dry January challenge participants are still experiencing significantly improved wellbeing six months later, along with reduced long-term alcohol-related health risks2.
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said:
“The New Year offers all of us an opportunity to reflect and set our goals for the 12 months ahead. Increasingly, for many people, this includes a desire to improve our relationship with alcohol. That’s because there is a growing recognition of alcohol’s impact on our health, wellbeing and quality of life – from headaches, sleepless nights and feeling ‘off’ the next day, to high blood pressure, anxiety, and cancer. These wide-ranging impacts affect so many of us.”
However, if you decide not to take part in Dry January but would like to check if your alcohol intake is more than the recommended guidelines you can head over to our website and take a quick, confidential test to assess your risk level. Your results will give you advice on changes you can make to lower your risks, and where to find support if you need it.
References
1 Mehta G, Macdonald S, Cronberg A, et al. Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study BMJ Open 2018;8:e020673. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020673
2 de Visser, R. and Nicholls, J. (2020) Temporary abstinence during Dry January: predictors of success; impact on well-being and self-efficacy, Psychology & Health, 35:11, 1293-1305