If you’re someone who has committed yourself to completing Dry January, give yourself a pat on the back – as the first week is over and done with.
Millions of people have vowed to knock boozing on the head for the first month of the year, and you never know, your hiatus might last even longer than that.
That’s the beauty of the annual challenge – it’s a chance to revaluate your relationship with alcohol while reaping the benefits of a sober lifestyle.
But as we all know, giving up our vices can be a lot harder than it seemed in our heads.
Even if you don’t overindulge in alcohol on a regular basis, abstaining from a glass of wine with your meal or bypassing a beer with the lads for 31 days is tough.
A lot of people reckon the early stages of Dry January are the most difficult, as you might experience some withdrawal symptoms as your body detoxes.
They’ll be none of this (Getty stock photo)
So, after the first seven days of Dry Jan, what changes might you see?
According to Alcohol Change UK – the charity behind the Dry January drive – in the first 24 hours, your body would have already been working to eliminate any alcohol from your system.
So, all the remaining liquor lingering in your insides has been flushed out already…but you probably wouldn’t have felt any better for it after day one.
In the following few days, Dry Jan participants might have felt a bit under the weather – but don’t worry if you’re still in the throes of this, as it won’t last for too long.
“Dopamine, a mood-enhancing chemical produced in the brain, is still depleted and your body is replacing glycogen and minerals,” Alcohol Change UK explained.
“If you’re feeling sluggish and low, and find yourself snapping at everyone, just remember that this will only last a few days at most and the good stuff is just around the corner.”
Still, we know it can be hard to keep a smile on your face when you know you can’t reward yourself with a stiff drink at the end of a long day.
As well as this, you might have also faced a battle in the bedroom – and not the good kind.
You will soon be reaping all the benefits of going sober now the hard part is out of the way (Getty Stock Photo)
A lot of people experience some trouble while trying to get to sleep after giving up booze, as you can no longer rely on the ‘soporific effect’ of the hard stuff to knock us out.
The charity recommends maintaining a good sleep hygiene routine, sticking to the same bedtime and going screen-free for an hour before bed to help you nod off if you’re struggling.
You could also try milky drinks, warm baths, soothing music or a spot of reading to help you fall asleep.
The good news is, after you’ve finally got over this lull, you should be feeling a lot better by the end of the first week of Dry January.
“All of your body’s systems are back to their usual working levels,” Alcohol Change UK continued. “You may find that you have more energy and better concentration.
“Even if you toss and turn a bit at first, when you do drop off you’ll get better-quality sleep and probably wake feeling more refreshed the next day.
“You may notice that you’re not getting up for the 3.00am wee, too, which is a nice bonus.”
Some people experience very vivid dreams at this point in the challenge, which the charity thinks could be down to you getting more rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
After drinking alcohol, REM sleep – which is the stage where we dream – is suppressed, so we typically still feel extremely tired the next day on top of a raging hangover.
But this soon sorts itself out after a few days off the booze.
So, keep your chin up – there is just another 24 days to go.
The best booze alternatives to try now
This article contains affiliate links and LADbible Group will make a commission on anything purchased.
Best for IPA fans: BERO Variety Pack, £27 (approx)
Tom Holland’s new sober drinks range is a pretty good place to start. The variety pack comes with three booze-free tinnies: Kingston Golden Pils, Edge Hill Hazy IPA, and Noon Wheat. It’s gone down a treat with customers too – just take a look at the five-star reviews if you need convincing.
Best imitation stout: Guinness Zero, £2.83 per can
Guinness fans say this is the closest you’ll get to the real deal – and production of Guinness Zero tripled last year, so you’ll be in good company here.
Best ice-cold lager: Peroni, £4.60 per case
Of course, there was only one place to look. Peroni 0.0% claims to have the flavour of the renowned lager without the booze. It’s only £4.60 for a case, so you’re saving pennies too.
Best IPA variety pack: Lucky Saint, £22 (12 pack)
One of the best non-alcoholic beer brands on the market, Lucky Saint proudly uses centuries-old techniques to create modern beers that give maximum flavour (without the hangover). This pack comes with everything you need to survive Dry Jan: a new Superior Hazy IPA and Superior Unfiltered Lager.
Best real-tasting G&T: Tanqueray Alcohol Free Spirit, £15.90
If your go-to order is a good old G&T, then look no further than Tanqueray. Fans recommend mixing with a mediterranean tonic for best results.
Best booze-free cider: Galipette Brut Dry Cider, £30 per litre
If it’s cider you’re after, then Galipette has hundreds of five-star reviews. One shopper raved: “Wow. This is now my number one alcohol-free cider. I love the balance of sharpness and sweetness which, for me, is spot on.” Sold.
Most impressive rum: Caleño Dark and Spicy, £19
The best alternative to spiced rum? Caleño Dark and Spicy. Crafted from tropical pineapple, fiery ginger, and zesty limes, it’s a punchy flavour that feels like summer.
To get over a heavy festive period, to save some cash or for just whatever reason (it doesn’t even matter if you don’t have one) you might have decided to have a go at doing Dry January.
The month without booze is a challenge completed by plenty of Brits – even famous ones.
Tom Holland is one of those celebs who took on the month without booze and has been open about his journey with sobriety since, not to mention launching his own alcohol-free beer.
And in one conversation about ditching drink, he revealed he had a ‘scary’ realisation after attempting Dry January.
Holland did Dry January two years ago. (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
Appearing on the Rich Roll podcast, the Spider-Man star explained he’d had a ‘complicated’ relationship with alcohol as it was his ‘go-to to celebrate’ as well as his ‘go-to to commiserate’.
So in January 2022 he decided to go sober for the month with no real intention to do it long-term.
“And in doing Dry January, it really scared me because I had a really tough time,” the 28-year-old said.
“I couldn’t quite wrap my head around how much I was struggling without booze in that first month. And it really scared me.”
Holland then decided to ‘punish’ himself by deciding to do two months.
He now has his own alcohol-free beer. (TheStewartofNY/GC Images)
“The second month was no easier if anything like it got a little bit harder,” he explained. “So then again, I was starting to kind of panic thinking ‘damn, I have a bit of an alcohol thing’.”
The actor explained he’d had an ‘upsetting conversation with a doctor’ about his liver a year earlier and this acknowledgment of an issue contributed to a decision to do March too.
“And I got through March and started to feel a little bit better, but was still really struggling,” Holland said. “So I said to myself, if I can make it to June 1st, which is my birthday, and I can do six months without booze, I will have then proved to myself that I don’t have a problem. I’m just young and enjoying a drink. And then by the time I’d done six months sober, I really started feeling the benefits.”
Holland found he was sleeping was better, handling stressful situations and his relationships with his partner and family were better.
He then decided to try and get through a year. But by the time he’d ‘crossed that annual mark’, he ‘was done’.
The actor recalls thinking: “I’m never gonna drink again because this is the best version of myself.”
The best booze alternatives to try now
This article contains affiliate links and LADbible Group will make a commission on anything purchased.
Best for IPA fans: BERO Variety Pack, £27 (approx)
Tom Holland’s new sober drinks range is a pretty good place to start. The variety pack comes with three booze-free tinnies: Kingston Golden Pils, Edge Hill Hazy IPA, and Noon Wheat. It’s gone down a treat with customers too – just take a look at the five-star reviews if you need convincing.
Best imitation stout: Guinness Zero, £2.83 per can
Guinness fans say this is the closest you’ll get to the real deal – and production of Guinness Zero tripled last year, so you’ll be in good company here.
Best ice-cold lager: Peroni, £4.60 per case
Of course, there was only one place to look. Peroni 0.0% claims to have the flavour of the renowned lager without the booze. It’s only £4.60 for a case, so you’re saving pennies too.
Best IPA variety pack: Lucky Saint, £22 (12 pack)
One of the best non-alcoholic beer brands on the market, Lucky Saint proudly uses centuries-old techniques to create modern beers that give maximum flavour (without the hangover). This pack comes with everything you need to survive Dry Jan: a new Superior Hazy IPA and Superior Unfiltered Lager.
Best real-tasting G&T: Tanqueray Alcohol Free Spirit, £15.90
If your go-to order is a good old G&T, then look no further than Tanqueray. Fans recommend mixing with a mediterranean tonic for best results.
Best booze-free cider: Galipette Brut Dry Cider, £30 per litre
If it’s cider you’re after, then Galipette has hundreds of five-star reviews. One shopper raved: “Wow. This is now my number one alcohol-free cider. I love the balance of sharpness and sweetness which, for me, is spot on.” Sold.
Most impressive rum: Caleño Dark and Spicy, £19
The best alternative to spiced rum? Caleño Dark and Spicy. Crafted from tropical pineapple, fiery ginger, and zesty limes, it’s a punchy flavour that feels like summer.
Dry January is a campaign developed by Alcohol Change UK, you can find support and resources for taking part here.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
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An expert has revealed a pretty unusual hack to help fight off alcohol cravings during Dry January.
After spending the last month of the year indulging a little too much over the Christmas holidays Brits up-and-down the country embark on a month of sobriety in order to give themselves a much needed reset for the new year – and also save some money, too.
Kickstarted by charity Alcohol Change in 2013, Dry January has since become a global movement with recent surveys forecasting that as many as 8.5 million Brits could ditch the booze in the first month of the year.
However, completing Dry January is much easier said than done, with many Brits falling foul to temptation throughout the month.
So if you’ve got plans to start this year, an expert has issued some advice on how to beat your post-festive cravings.
Your Christmas look like this? If so, it’s not too late to jump on the Dry January trend (Getty Stock Images)
How to beat the Dry January cravings
According to research shared by Marie Claire, most people fall off the Dry January wagon after about two weeks, with 16 January being a particularly difficult day. Meanwhile, others will cave in the first week, which means that if you’re reading this you may already be thinking about caving.
So, what can you do to starve off cravings for your favourite tipple?
We’re all aware of the usual advice such as exercise, mindfulness, working out how much money you’re saving and spending time with friends away from the pub – but what about reaching for social media every time you feel a craving?
READ MORE:
HOW LONG IT TAKES YOUR LIVER TO RETURN TO NORMAL AS DRY JANUARY APPROACHES
TOM HOLLAND HAD ‘SCARY REALISATION’ AFTER FIRST ATTEMPTING DRY JANUARY
If you were to ask one expert, this is exactly what you should do.
Georgia Foster, an Australian therapist who runs The Drink Less Mind programme, the best way to get over a craving is to ‘trick’ your brain ‘into thinking other thoughts’.
Using the example of TikTok videos and Instagram reels, Foster explained this can help refocus your mind away from drinking.
The Dry January campaign has taken off since its inception back in 2013 (Getty Stock Images)
“In that nanosecond it will shift you away from that instant go-to thought to have a drink,” she told MailOnline.
So there you go, finally a piece of advice telling you to pick up your phone instead of putting it down.
But what about people who are hoping to spend less time doomscrolling this year? Foster believes that most people who are craving a drink are actually missing the dopamine release caused by consuming alcohol and should look for other ways to get the same outcome.
“When we drink our brains release dopamine, so we are actually getting hooked on the dopamine rather than the alcohol,” she added.
Activities which can trigger a dopamine release include exercise, meditation as well as activities considered fun or pleasurable.
The best booze alternatives to try now
This article contains affiliate links and LADbible Group will make a commission on anything purchased.
Best for IPA fans: BERO Variety Pack, £27 (approx)
Tom Holland’s new sober drinks range is a pretty good place to start. The variety pack comes with three booze-free tinnies: Kingston Golden Pils, Edge Hill Hazy IPA, and Noon Wheat. It’s gone down a treat with customers too – just take a look at the five-star reviews if you need convincing.
Best imitation stout: Guinness Zero, £2.83 per can
Guinness fans say this is the closest you’ll get to the real deal – and production of Guinness Zero tripled last year, so you’ll be in good company here.
Best ice-cold lager: Peroni, £4.60 per case
Of course, there was only one place to look. Peroni 0.0% claims to have the flavour of the renowned lager without the booze. It’s only £4.60 for a case, so you’re saving pennies too.
Best IPA variety pack: Lucky Saint, £22 (12 pack)
One of the best non-alcoholic beer brands on the market, Lucky Saint proudly uses centuries-old techniques to create modern beers that give maximum flavour (without the hangover). This pack comes with everything you need to survive Dry Jan: a new Superior Hazy IPA and Superior Unfiltered Lager.
Best real-tasting G&T: Tanqueray Alcohol Free Spirit, £15.90
If your go-to order is a good old G&T, then look no further than Tanqueray. Fans recommend mixing with a mediterranean tonic for best results.
Best booze-free cider: Galipette Brut Dry Cider, £30 per litre
If it’s cider you’re after, then Galipette has hundreds of five-star reviews. One shopper raved: “Wow. This is now my number one alcohol-free cider. I love the balance of sharpness and sweetness which, for me, is spot on.” Sold.
Most impressive rum: Caleño Dark and Spicy, £19
The best alternative to spiced rum? Caleño Dark and Spicy. Crafted from tropical pineapple, fiery ginger, and zesty limes, it’s a punchy flavour that feels like summer.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
If you’re someone who is considering whether to jump on the Dry Jan bandwagon, this bloke might help you decide whether it’s worth the hype.
Millions of people take part in the annual challenge to go alcohol-free for the first month of the year to have a bit of a detox after a booze-fuelled festive season.
Let’s have it right, a lot of us have drank enough throughout December to last us an entire year – so the idea of going 31 days without liquor is quite enticing.
Experts insist you will notice a number of health benefits if you take part in Dry January, however, some people remain unconvinced by the point of it.
A few Brits think it’s counterproductive to cut out alcohol for just one month while continuing to get hammered for the other 11. And they have a point – but the purpose of the campaign which was first launched by Alcohol Change UK is to encourage people to simply reconsider their relationship with booze.
It prompts us to take stock of how much alcohol we are drinking and whether we might be teetering into dangerous territory with our drinking habits.
But you don’t just have to take my word for it, as this man revealed what results he had after putting himself on a booze ban for 30 days.
Many Brits will be opting to give up the booze for January (Getty Stock Image)
YouTuber Jordan LoNigro decided to document his challenge and share his results online in the hopes of inspiring others to take a leaf out of his book too.
In a video originally shared in May 2019, he explained that he was motivated to ditch drunken nights out after a booze-heavy few weeks, which resulted in some pretty grim hangovers.
The photographer and videographer, based in South Carolina, then revealed what changes he had noticed after not consuming any alcohol for more than four weeks, as well as the biggest realisation he had.
He excitedly announced that he had lost 10 pounds ‘just by simply cutting out alcohol for a month and eating a little bit healthier‘.
“So that’s pretty awesome,” Jordan said. “I feel like I have a bit more energy, I feel a lot less sluggish than I usually do. I’ve been more creative.
Jordan LoNigro noticed some surprising changes after giving up booze for 30 days (YouTube/@jordanlonigro)
“I haven’t been waking up with hangovers on the weekends, so I’ve been using my time to my advantage and just being more all-around productive, so that’s been great as well. And lastly, I saved money.”
The content creator explained that even if you are just grabbing one beer with a meal, these small purchases add up over the course of a month.
However, Jordan admitted it wasn’t all smooth sailing, even if the 30 day challenge did leave him feeling better mentally and physically.
“Now let’s talk about some cons – or to put it better, some realisations I’ve had doing this challenge,” he continued. “My relationship with alcohol…it was a bit more challenging than I thought it was gonna be.
“The area I live in, there’s just so many things that involve drinking, so many activities that involve drinking. When I cut that out, it was like, wow.”
He explained that he lost weight, had more energy and saved money (YouTube/@jordanlonigro)
The YouTuber explained it dawned on him that he would have probably drank on numerous occasions ‘without even thinking about it’, rather than for a special event – prompting him to realise the extent of his relationship with drinking.
“Moving forward, I’m just going to be a little bit more aware of when I drink and how much I am drinking,” Jordan went on, before discussing the ‘most challenging’ aspect he faced while giving up booze further.
He told how his social life had taken a hit as he realised that a lot of activities involve drinking, but when your teetotal, ‘you don’t want to go put yourself in those environments‘.
“So you just stay at home and chill,” he said. “And you don’t really hang out with people too much.”
He explained the cold weather also played a part in this, as he couldn’t preoccupy himself by heading outdoors.
As well as prompting him to overhaul his relationship with alcohol, Jordan says the challenge gave him new-found admiration for those who don’t drink.
“I just did this challenge for 30 days, but there’s a lot of people out there even people that are very close to me that live a sober lifestyle,” he added.
“That would be very hard to do.You would really have to reformat your whole life, really be aware of your surroundings and that would be very challenging – so to anyone out there that lives that kind of lifestyle, respect to you.”
A doctor has shared the one question you can ask yourself, if you’re concerned whether your relationship with alcohol is becoming unhealthy.
While many of us enjoy a tipple or two over the festive period, it’s easy to overdo it and get carried away.
Speaking to LADbible, Dr Donald Grant, GP and Senior Clinical Advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, explained there’s one main question you can ask if you’re concerned about your own relationship with booze, or somebody else’s.
There’s one question you can ask if you’re worried about your relationship with alcohol (Getty Stock Photo)
He explained: “As we approach Christmas, it can be a challenging period for anyone struggling with their relationship with alcohol.
“Typically, it takes a while before people notice their own dependence, but spotting it early can limit long-term health risks and help people take control of their lives.
“One of the main questions people should ask themselves is ‘Do I generally end up drinking more than I originally planned?’ as this can be a massive indicator of unhealthy dependence.
“Struggling to have only one drink can suggest a mental dependence on drinking and is a major symptom experienced by many alcoholics.”
Dr Grant explained there are two other questions you can also ask to help evaluate whether your relationship with alcohol is becoming concerning.
The pressure to drink can increase at Christmas (Getty Stock Images)
“Additionally, ‘Do I need to drink to feel happy or less stressed?’ is extremely important and can help identify whether an individual is using alcohol as a means to escape,” he explained.
“Alcohol should be used in moderation and as a way to socialise, opting to drink alone or often to avoid low moods can lead to excessive consumption and an even worse relationship with drinking.
“Finally, ‘Do I experience withdrawal symptoms when I don’t drink?’ is another crucial question people should ask themselves to uncover their alcohol dependence.”
Withdrawal symptoms can include sweating, anxiety and nausea, as well as loss of appetite and irritability.
It’s easy to get carried away over the festive period (Getty Stock Photo)
While the pressure to drink can also increase over the festive period, Dr Grant explained having ‘open conversations’ with friends and family can help maintain a healthy attitude towards alcohol.
“In the long-term, misuse of alcohol can ruin lives – impacting relationships and job performance while posing numerous health risks such as liver damage,” he added.
“While there can be increased pressure to drink over the Christmas period, I strongly advise strict moderation and open conversations with friends and family to avoid peer pressure and maintain healthy attitudes towards drinking.”
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
