5 things to know about Dry January and why it's the best and worst thing ever

Dry January is something people do at this time of year. It primarily exists as a reaction to the heavy drinking of Christmas and New Year and the fact that lots of people like to try and start the new year with a healthier perspective in mind. Whilst some people join a gym or start crazily prohibitive diet plans to lose weight, some people just stop drinking; for a bit. This year I was one of them.

Statistically speaking most New Year's resolutions fail between February and March. No matter whether it's in the UK or the USA we mostly just run out of willpower in about 3 months. With that in mind 30 days is an achievable goal almost anyone can manage. I felt up to the challenge of this.

However, 30 days without alcohol doesn't seem like much but it is a surprisingly long stint when living it. I don't consider myself an alcoholic by any means. I don't tend to drink by myself at home or holiday and it's normally confined to social occasions at weekends (with a couple of exceptions). Whilst I don't normally miss alcohol if I don't drink it in my day-to-day life you do notice a difference living 30 days without it.

These are the observations I've found from not drinking for 31 days (at time of writing 28 but I think I've got this!).

1. It's actually quite refreshing not drinking for a bit

Socialising without alcohol at first almost felt like a test to myself. Having leaned very heavily on it over the years to overcome social anxiety it was actually quite a relief that I was able to interact fairly normally without it. I feel like I won't have to use alcohol as much of a social crutch going forward, which is probably the biggest positive of the whole exercise.

2. The choice of non-alcoholic alternatives at bars is atrocious 

Most places have one choice of alcohol-free beer and that's it. It's either that or you're on soft drinks or fizzy water for the most part. I don't know if this is down to a lack of choice from them or a severe lack of imagination from me but choosing drinks under those circumstances always felt challenging during my 30 day stint. Also, the fact there's no non-alcoholic variant of wine is terrible.

3. Nights out aren't so costly

Just to clarify, Dry January isn't necessarily cheaper in financial terms. With bars having a weirdly vindictive streak to make any non-drinking punitive any alcohol-free options are as expensive or even more expensive than their usual counterparts. This includes alcohol free beer! It's almost like alcohol is a drug they want you to get addicted to, isn't it?



However, where you notice the positive effects is in terms of time you gain from not recovering from hangovers. Waking up at the weekend feeling fresh is definitely a bonus of the experience. Also not wasting cash on impulsive fast food probably saved me a lot too.

4. People's attitudes to not drinking is somehow worse than it is towards excessive drinking

I was interested to see (whether humorous or not) how much offence people seem to take when someone in their midst stops drinking. Reactions ranged from horrified curiosity to actual disdain and suspicion at the idea. I'm pleased to say no one seriously attempted to pressure me into drinking during the time, however it was curious to see someone react so negatively to something that wasn't obliging them to do anything, as if it provided an existential threat.

Where this seems particularly strange is this is in stark contrast to a quite passive reaction to problematic drinking. It happens more than we'd really like to admit and often goes completely unchallenged.

5. Alcohol free drinks are quite good (when you can find them)

First things first, some (but not all) non-alcoholic beers are fine and are just as good to drink on a night out, even if it is a bit like pretending to be grown up to fit in. However, the real revelations have been the more inventive drinks.

We've all probably seen, or maybe, tried the odd mocktail before and when they're good they can be very good, albeit a little costly. However, for me, the best find was Micheladas. This is a Mexican beer cocktail which is a bit like a Bloody Mary but with more of a spicy kick. I found this was the best way to enhance alcohol-free beer.

While I've not been gasping for a beer or wine since stopping my drinking, I am quite looking forward to going back to my normal habits on February 1st. Overall I think Dry January is a worthwhile thing to try at least once. It gives your body a rest from the constant filtering of the chemical from your bloodstream and allows you to reevaluate your relationship with drinking, even just a little.