What is Dry January? An expert explains benefits and shares useful tips to limit your drinking in the new year

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With a new year comes the inevitable — and common — refrain: "New Year, New You." For many Canadians, this means taking a break from drinking. Dry January, a tradition that includes abstaining from alcohol between New Year's Day and Feb. 1, is often seen as a way to reset and kick off the year with a healthy start.

That's been the incentive for Ashna Mankotia. The Toronto resident — who has been taking part in the tradition for the past six years — doesn't remember when she first heard about Dry January, but as someone who loves a 30-day challenge, Mankotia knew she'd love it.

"I definitely indulge over the holidays," Mankotia told Yahoo Canada. "I love the idea of starting the new year with a clear head and taking a full month off drinking."

She isn't alone. According to a March 2023 Ipsos poll, two in ten Canadians (18 per cent) who drink have participated in a dry month. This number jumps to 32 per cent within Gen Z and millennial demos. With new alcohol guidelines introduced federally at the beginning of 2023, it's likely more Canadians will take the plunge into an alcohol-free month.

According to experts like Dr. Tim Stockwell, taking a break from consuming alcohol can be a healthy decision, especially considering the impact drinking alcohol can have on our bodies overall.

While the impact varies by individual and level of consumption, "people are really unaware of the range of unhealthy, bad health outcomes from drinking," Stockwell, a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Abuse Issues and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria, told Yahoo Canada. "There are about 200 separate diagnoses of nasty things which happen that alcohol completely causes or contributes to."

But does taking a break from drinking actually impact your health in a positive way? Experts suggest so. Below, learn everything you need to know about Dry January and whether or not you should consider it.

What is 'Dry January?'

While it's a concept that has been attributed to different countries and months, the concept of Dry January originated in the U.K. in 2013, based around the idea that you give up alcohol for a period of time. Sometimes, it's related to charity, but in North America, it has typically been associated with New Year's resolutions, along with being happy and healthy in the upcoming year.

What are the benefits of not drinking?

The exact benefits of not drinking vary depending on who you are and how much you regularly consume, but there can be a lot of pros to abstaining from alcohol.

In addition to decreasing the risk of a range of issues, from cancer to heart disease, stroke and pancreatitis, cutting out alcohol can also impact areas outside your physical health. That can mean helping correct lifestyle issues like work, sport and relationship performances, and it can also help you save money.

"A really big one is sleep," Stockwell added, who explained while many people may find having a drink before bed helps them fall asleep, it also typically leads to restless sleeps and waking up early. "One of the benefits of doing [Dry January] for a few weeks is that you might sleep like a teenager, for hours and hours."

Does not drinking for one month really impact your body?

In short: Absolutely. It may seem hard to believe that a few short weeks can have a massive impact on your body — but research shows it can.

A 2018 study from researchers at the University of Sussex found people who took a break from alcohol for a month reported higher energy levels and a healthier body weight.

While the effects of taking a break from drinking will vary depending on who you are and how much you drink, Stockwell said even people who tend to drink frequently — and feel the health effects of that — may notice improvement.

"If you're quite a heavy drinker, you might, for example, have a fatty liver or early liver cirrhosis," Stockwell added. "[With abstaining from alcohol], your liver function can improve in just a few short weeks of abstinence."

If I don't want to go cold-turkey, does tapering my drinking help?

For some people, the idea of taking a full month away from their favourite alcoholic beverage feels like torture — and completely unattainable. Enter: Damp January, a similar tradition where someone tapers or limits alcohol consumption but doesn't cut it out completely. While Stockwell shared this works for some, he said "everyone's different," adding "people develop their own strategies, and there's benefits to tapering as well as stopping completely."

While it may help those who have an alcohol use disorder from experiencing extreme alcohol withdrawal (Stockwell advised consulting your general practitioner in this case), for those who drink more casually and are looking to change a habit, it's often easier to go cold-turkey.

"Willpower can be eroded in the best of intentions," Stockwell said. While some people can maintain moderation, he added "for many people, it's simpler and easier to follow through and signal to everybody [around you]."

Not to mention the fact that, for many people, it's much more difficult to say no to another glass of wine or two once you have one already in hand and are focusing on enjoying the present moment. When you're cold-turkey, Stockwell said people "leave you alone, they don't offer you drinks, it's all understood and clear."

What happens if I start drinking at normal consumption again after completing Dry January?

According to Stockwell, if you go back to the "same level" of drinking after completing Dry January, it will erase your hard work.

However, research may suggest people don't return to the same level of drinking. According to the same 2018 U.K. study, a month off of alcohol led to less drinking in the long term for participants, finding the number decreased from an average of 4.3 days a week to 3.3 after Dry January.

There's a reason for this: While you may go into Dry January thinking it'll be tough to make it through, Stockwell noted "you learn a skill and you learn what [Dry January] is like."

This might include attending social gatherings, where you'd typically have a glass of wine or two, and finding out that you don't need, or even miss, having a drink. "Maybe it's not that important," Stockwell suggested. "I can relax and enjoy myself without the alcohol."

How can I consume less alcohol year-round?

For those who are trying to take Dry January to their drinking in general, Stockwell recommended a tried and true method: Alternating every alcoholic beverage with a non-alcoholic one, like a glass of water.

"[In group settings], have lots of soft drinks around and big jugs of water," Stockwell advised. "Make it really easy for yourself to drink things that aren't alcohol."

Another way to limit consumption is to find other things that make you feel good outside of alcohol. This could be working out, reading a book or meeting up with a friend for a walk. "If you're somebody who drinks to relax, find other ways of relaxing and de-stressing," Stockwell suggested.

For Toronto resident Mankotia, experimenting with mocktails has been a way to continue the feeling of Dry January throughout the rest of the year.

"Sometimes we don't even want the alcohol, we want the ritual of having a glass of something delicious at the end of the day," Manktoia shared. "We want to have something that anchors us gathering socially with another person — a mocktail can do that."

Six years in, Mankotia's Dry January tradition has extended into other times of the year. This past year, she added in a Dry July, too. "I actually found it surprisingly easy. I didn't miss alcohol at all," she said. She can also see herself extending the tradition beyond 30 days.

"This year, I'm thinking about doing the 75 Hard challenge, which includes 75 days without drinking," Mankotia explained. "I enjoy a drink, but I also enjoy the satisfaction of completing a challenge. So [it] seems like a win-win."

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