Dry DRY January: A classic challenge with a twist

Dry January is when people chose not to drink alcohol for the month of January. During dry, dry January participants will abstain from drinking alcohol and sweetened drinks (including drinks with natural sugars).

Why dry, dry January?

Dry January is relatively new, only recently becoming popular within the past decade or so in the United States. Some people embrace the tradition as a way to take a break after an intense season of holiday drinking, some are curious just to see if they can do it, while others are looking to reap possible health benefits. There are many reasons why people chose to participate in dry January.

I fall into the category of people who will be participating to possibly reap health benefits. I’m not really an alcohol drinker so I added the twist of no sweet drinks to maximize any potential health benefits and to provide an option to those who may not feel very different by not drinking alcohol for a month.

What can you drink?

During this challenge, alcohol or any drink with natural or added sugar, is not allowed for the entire month. This means you can only drink water, tea and coffee.

Water 

The most obvious sugar free drink is water. Tap water, spring water, purified water, alkaline water, sparkling water or mineral water are all options. Naturally flavored waters with no sugar like La Croix are ok to drink. You’ll want to avoid waters with sugars and sweeteners, like vitamin water and tonic water. 

Tea 

Tea is another sugar free drink option. Bagged tea or loose tea can be consumed without added sugars, honey, artificial sweeteners, agave or milk (milk contains sugar). Many caffeinated and herbal teas are ok to drink. You’ll want to avoid bottled and canned teas like Arizonas. You will also still want to check the supplement facts of your bagged and loose teas to make sure there aren’t any added sugars or sweeteners.

Coffee

If you need your cup of coffee to get going in the morning, don’t worry, you can still have it as long as it is black. Black coffee is also sugar free and you can drink it during your dry month. Although black coffee isn’t very appealing to most, its an option without any added sweeteners or creams. 

Now, if no alcohol and no sweetened drinks is too much at once for you, feel free to just try no alcohol or create something that works for you. Challenge yourself but be kind to yourself. Only you can fully evaluate your situation. Also, please consult your physician if you have any pre-existing conditions to make sure this is safe for you to do.

Potential Benefits

There are many potential benefits to not drinking alcohol and drinking more water. I’ll check back in once we have completed the challenge to share any benefits experienced, but below are some benefits to be on the look out for.

Saving Money

Reduced Bloating and Inflammation

Better Sleep

Increased Energy 

Better Cognitive Functioning 

Improved Mood 

Clearer Skin 

Healthier Relationships

Better Relationship with Alcohol 

Increased Motivation 

Tips to get through the month

If you’re thinking about participating, here are a few tips to help get through the month.

Bring water with you wherever you can.

Thirst is not always convenient so carry a water bottle with you everywhere go. This ensures that you will always have a drinking option available. Also keep a pack of water in your car.

Drink soda water with lime or lemon when you’re at a bar or party.

If you find yourself out at a bar or a party where many people are drinking, casually order a soda water with lemon or lime. Most people will assume you are drinking alcohol and there will be less peer pressure or conversation about why you’re not drinking. 

Carry tea bags with you.

This will help with having options, especially if you’re doing things like hanging out with friends or visiting family. 

Explore new waters.

There are so many ways to drink water. You can try different types of water and different flavors of water. This would also be a good time to try new infused water recipes. 

Explore new tea’s.

Tea is in a league of its own when it comes to options and they taste good cold or hot. Get adventurous with your tea selections.

Now remember these are just guidelines and tips, there are no hard rules so don’t be too hard on yourself. 

Are you down?

So what do you think? Can you commit to not drinking alcohol for an entire month? Can you commit to not drinking beverages with sugar for an entire month? Can you commit to not drinking both? Let’s find out! 

We will be starting on January 2nd (so no one feels like they’re cheating if their turn up goes late) and we will be finishing up on February 1st. Of course you can try this whenever you want to, but if you want some extra support, many people will not be drinking alcohol during the month of January. 

If you or anyone you know struggles with alcohol abuse, please get help. You can always call the SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) National Helpline at 1-800-622-HELP, they are available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Also check out their website for more information about alcohol abuse:

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/atod

Got any questions? Let us know! Also comment down below, are you doing Dry January? Or Dry, Dry January? What are some of your goals for the month of January?