We’re reminding people that time has not yet been called on the annual Dry January movement.
With 78% of people in Britain drinking more than they want to, Dry January offers an opportunity to reassess your relationship with alcohol.
Dwarakanath Deepak, Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Alcohol misuse and excessive drinking can cause significant health problems.
“From admissions to A&E to long–term conditions like liver cirrhosis, our region suffers from the effects of alcohol. Tragically, Stockton is above the national average for alcohol-related deaths.
“Dry January isn’t the complete solution of course, but it’s a very good start.
“Taking a month from drinking helps show people they can do without that after-work glass of wine and they can spend their weekends sober. It’s about reassessing how, when and crucially why they drink.
“If you can do a month without drinking you’ll enjoy benefits including better sleep, losing weight and even saving a little money. Doing that for a month, shows you can then easily make sure you have three to four nights a week without a drink from then on.
“If you drink regularly, sticking to your unit allowance and having regular dry days is one of the best things you can do for your health.”
Still plenty of time to take part in Dry January
Even though we are now one week into January, people can still make the commitment to go dry for the remainder of the month.
The free Dry January app is an easy way to sign-up and track your progress. People who sign-up are twice as likely to manage the whole month without drinking compared to those who try to do it alone.
You can download the app on the Alcohol Change website.
More people want to drink less alcohol than you would think
The research shows that people of all ages drink more than they want to at some points in their life. The reasons for drinking more than planned vary between age groups. Younger people are more likely to drink more than they want to because they feel it makes them more outgoing (over a third [36%] of people aged 18-24), while people of all ages find themselves drinking more than they want as a result of drinking in rounds (20% of people).
Over one in five (23%) British adults feel pressured to drink more alcohol than they want to by people they know: mostly by friends (15%) and colleagues (6%). While fewer older people experience this ‘peer pressure’ it never disappears completely, with over one in ten (12%) of those aged 55 and over saying they experience pressure to drink from their friends, colleagues and family.
One in ten drinkers in the UK (10%) plan to take on Dry January in 2020, seeking to throw off the pressure and reset their relationship with alcohol.
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said:
“This research shows that lots of us are drinking in ways that we don’t feel comfortable with, but it can be tricky to know how to make a change. Signing up for Dry January is a brilliant place to start. Being alcohol-free for 31 days shows us we don’t need alcohol to have fun, to relax, to socialise, and Dry January offers a ready-made response to anyone who tries to pressure us to drink. Strong evidence tells us that signing up for Dry January helps people – even heavy drinkers – to drink more healthily all year round.”
Dr Richard Piper
