Dry January!

So Christmas seems like years ago, and we’re all well into the New Year now. Did you make any resolutions? Some love to, some don’t. At Red Square Medical HQ, we love a goal or two and think the turn of the years can be a good prompt to make some positive changes.

But, it’s well known that New Year resolutions don’t last. Forbes magazine tells us that 21% don’t make their resolution stick for even a month. While 34% state that it lasted for between one and three months.  

Is that a failure though? Or could it be all it takes to make some small changes that have a lasting impact? We thought it would be good to take a closer look at one of the most popular resolutions… Dry January!

Now, let’s get one thing straight, the Red Square Medical team are not averse to a tipple or two! But as medics, we’re very aware of the short and long term benefits of giving our livers a little breather every so often.

Of course, everyone responds differently to stopping drinking for a month, so the timeline below is just a guide. But it might help you to decide whether it’s a good idea to give the booze a break for a while, or work towards reducing your intake - we know it’s easy for it to creep up over time!

---

Week 1

• Sleeping pattern improves - you get an extra 5-6 REM periods per night

• Improved learning and problem solving

• Better decision makingNo more hangovers - the tiredness, nausea, headaches are gone!

• Better eating patterns

• Better physical performance

• More energy

• Less headaches

• Money and calories saved!

Week 2

• Stomach lining normalises

• Acid production stabilises

• Reduced risk of acid reflux and oesophageal problems

• More money and calories saved

Week 3

• Blood pressure reduces

• Reduced risk of heart problems and strokes

• Improved vision

• Better kidney health

• Even more money and calories saved

Week 4

• Better looking skin

• More water is absorbed

• Hydrated skin - premature ageing prevented

• Increase cell turnover

• Liver function improves - removes contaminents, converts food nutrients, stores minerals and vitamins, regulates blood clotting, produces proteins, enzymes and bile, helps to fight infection, removes bacteria from blood, maintains hormone balance

• More energy

Longer term

• Better mental health

• Reduced chance of liver disease

• Reduced chance of developing high blood pressure

• Reduced chance of having a stroke

• Reduced chance of sexual dysfunction

• Reduced chance of gut problems

• Reduces risk of diabetes

• Lowers cholesterol

• Reduces levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood

Wow! When we saw this list we were pretty amazed. I mean, how many of us reach for a glass of wine to help us unwind and sleep better after a stressful day? Who knew it does the exact opposite and totally messes up our sleep patterns?

It’s also important to remember that routine and habit are often drivers of our drinking habits. Who loves a glass of wine when they’re cooking, or a G&T while enjoying a bubble bath? Who doesn’t love a cold beer after work on a hot summer evening? Who couldn’t consider going out for a meal without sharing a bottle of wine. Who believes the idea of a celebration without a glass of fizz is unthinkable?

It’s easily done. The National Institutes of Health research also showed that over 25% of people reported drinking more during lockdown. The research indicated that drinking more during lockdown was independently associated with being younger, having post 16yo education qualifications, household income over £30,000, being significantly stressed about catching or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, being significantly stressed about finances or having a diagnosed anxiety disorder. 

It’s interesting stuff, but we should also note that many of these factors are not isolated to lockdown times and can happen at any time.

Are you convinced yet?

If not, here’s a few additional facts and figures to help you to decide if Dry January, or Dry Any Other Time of the Year, might appeal to you…

• 14% of adults in the UK never drink any alcohol.

• When you drink, you lose 4 times as much liquid as you drink - this leads to a dehydrated state that can be hard to resolve.

• Six glasses of wine equates to around 960 calories - that’s almost half your daily intake.

• If you’re a beer drinker, it’s even more! 6 pints equates to 1,080 calories.

• Alcohol slows your metabolism - which makes it harder for you to lose weight.

• Drinking alcohol hinders the part of your brain that deals with memory, so giving up helps to improve memory, as well as mood and concentration levels.

• Mood and concentration levels improve, which could reduce the desire to drink in the first place.

•  Longer term, stopping or reducing your alcohol intake can help improve.

So, cutting back on overall alcohol intake, or giving up for a period of time reduces your risk of over 60 health conditions. Alcohol is the biggest risk factor for death, ill health and disability for those aged 15-49 in the UK - so taking a little booze holiday may be well worth the effort!

We’d love to hear your experiences of Dry January too, so please let us know why you decided to try, how you feel and most of all, what creative concoctions you came up with to fill your glasses instead of alcohol!