The holidays are usually a time for socializing, celebrations, and cocktails. However, some people decide to bring in the new year by not indulging in alcohol at all by participating in Dry January. Dry January is a month where one refrains from drinking any alcohol as a personal challenge. According to Dr. Melissa Brown, UPMC Clinical Psychologist, society has played a role in the challenge of becoming more popular.

“I think it's just as we it became popular, just as we, you know, as a society have started to become more conscious of our health and, and focused on how certain substances might not be as safe for us or as healthy for us as maybe we once thought about, “said Dr. Brown.

Dr. Adam Barnathan, UPMC Addiction Medicine Specialist, says the benefits of participating are quite notable.

“So, we do have medical data on the long-term effects of dry January. So, the benefits range from better sleep to weight loss to ongoing reduction even past one month extending out to six months. So, people who do participate tend to reduce their drinking long term, “said Dr. Barnathan.

Dr. Brown suggests creating a goal when participating in dry January.

“Once they set that intention, then they can certainly look at their lifestyle and then how can they follow through with that? So being very conscious of your goals and very specific with them is just one great way and great place to start, “said Dr. Brown.

For those who drink alcohol excessively, it is important to reach out to a medical provider in case severe withdrawal take effect.

“If you have what we call a diagnosable alcohol use disorder where you're at risk for detox or severe withdrawal effects, and that should be done under medical supervision. This is targeted more towards people who fall into the problematic or heavy drinking, which is a lot more people than you would believe. So, it's upwards of seven drinks per week for females and upwards of 14 drinks for males. And that's really who the target audience is, “said Dr. Barnathan.

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Episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-spark/dry-january-and-its-benefits

Podcast: https://www.witf.org/programs/the-spark

The Spark: Dry January and its benefits