Dry January is an increasingly common trend that people are taking part in. This involves ditching the alcoholic drinks for the first month of the new year as a way to ‘detox’ after a heavy couple of weeks over the Christmas and New Year period.
Throughout January, social media is flooded with #dryjanuary, mocktail recipes and how much people are struggling with the transition – but what are the health benefits of not consuming alcohol for 31 days?
What Are the Benefits of Taking Part in Dry January?
Lose Weight
First things first – you’ll lose some weight. Alcohol is full of empty calories that can push you well over your daily calorie goal. An average pint of larger can contain around 200 calories and a glass of wine has around 160 calories. Having a few drinks in a night can amount to 500+ calories that you wouldn’t usually consume!
After a few drinks, it’s human nature to crave a kebab, some chips, or another form of fatty food. By giving up alcohol you will also reduce the temptation to indulge in these foods as you’re stumbling home at 12 am.
Keeping your body at a healthy weight offers a decreased risk of diabetes, heart disease, joint pain and lower blood pressure. By taking part in dry January, you’ll be reducing your caloric intake through liquid alone, without even changing your diet.
Deeper Sleep
Alcohol is known to interrupt our quality of sleep. Although a few drinks may help you to fall asleep, by slipping straight into this deep sleep, you miss out of the vital stages of lighter sleeping. This can result in less restorative sleep later in the night.
Having a quality night’s sleep every night offers multiple health benefits including better memory, a stronger heart and help with weight loss.
Healthier Skin
Drinking alcohol is one of the worst things that you can do for your skin. As a diuretic it forces the water out of your body, leaving you dehydrated. However, it also makes it harder for you to rehydrate afterwards causing your skin to be dry and flaky with fine lines and wrinkles being enhanced due to the lack of water in your body.
The high sugar content in many alcoholic drinks can also lead to acne breakouts. The effects alcohol has on your skin is often noticeable in the 24 hours after a night of drinking. However, 3 days after (so long as you haven’t consumed any more alcohol), your liver will have had time to excrete the toxins and you should start to see an improvement in the health of your skin.
To speed up your skin’s recovery it is recommended that you drink at least 2 litres of water per day and ensure that you eat plenty of vitamin-rich foods (such and fruit, vegetables and lean proteins).
Save Money
Realistically, who has money to spend on alcohol in January anyway? Whether you have a couple of glasses of wine on the sofa or a few pints down the pub, January is usually a time when everyone is all spent out.
According to a 2014 study by Macmillan Cancer Support, featured in The Independent, the average Briton spends £50,000 on alcohol in their lifetime with men over 18 spending approximately £934 and women over 18 spending £678 per year.
So, why not reap the health and financial benefits and stay away from pub or alcohol isle for the first month of the year?
Sense of Achievement
Completing something that you thought to be difficult, or even impossible can lead to a great sense of achievement and boosted confidence. The euphoria surrounding this feeling can do wonders for your mental health and set you in a great positive mindset for the year ahead.
New Year, New You
bmihealthcare.co.uk found that 64% of people who take part in dry January drank less alcohol in the 6 months following, allowing them to experience the health benefits of reduced alcohol intake for a longer period of time.
At 3D Aesthetics Leamington Spa we offer an array of face and body treatments that can help you feel ready to face 2019. From anti-ageing, acne treating, hydrating facials from the 3D-Skintech machine, to fat freezing and radio frequency skin tightening from the 3D-Ultimate machine, we can create a bespoke treatment plan that is suited to your requirements.
To celebrate the new year, we are offering half-price fat freezing throughout January! Our 3D fat freeze treatments reduce fat cells in the area by 20-40%, perfect for targeting pockets of stubborn fat, and results are seen 4-6 weeks later.
To find out further information or to arrange your free consultation, please contact us on 01926 315 764.