Are you celebrating the new year with Dry January?

Dry January simply means you go the month without drinking any alcohol. Many people take part in this challenge to counter the decadence and indulgences of the holiday season. Others want to start their year “on the right foot” with healthier decisions.

“Taking a break from alcohol for an entire month provides you with an opportunity to assess your patterns of alcohol consumption and how they affect you physically and mentally,” Dr. George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism said. “It may also provide the space to cultivate alternatives for relaxing, socializing and coping with stress.”

Data from the American Psychological Association has shown that people who resume drinking after Dry January tend to drink less than they did before.

MD Anderson Center reports abstaining from alcohol for 30 days or so can allow the liver to regenerate or reproduce cells. It can also help rebalance bacteria in the gut biome. Other noted benefits of reducing or eliminating alcohol include better sleep and improved mental clarity.

Additionally, alcohol provides “empty calories,” meaning it does not provide real nutritional value. Unused calories are stored as fat, which can lead to weight gain. It is also worth noting alcohol is a depressant, which can impact mental health concerns.

MD Anderson Center offers some recommendations for reducing alcohol intake to help make your Dry January a success. Tips include making alcohol less accessible and removing it from the home, finding nonalcoholic beverage alternatives, planning ahead to avoid or adjust to situations that might tempt you to drink, eating a well-balanced diet to curb cravings, staying busy with hobbies, going for walks and getting enough sleep.

Koob also recommends engaging the assistance of friends and family by letting them know your goals and asking them to support you. He also suggests identifying why you drink alcohol — to have fun, to deal with stress and anxiety, to fall asleep, etc. — and finding alternatives to meet those goals.

Koob suggests checking in with yourself as the month progresses and paying attention to how you feel. If you are noticing more energy, better sleep or other benefits, it can help serve as momentum to keep going. Additionally, making a plan for your intentions after the month ends, can help prevent you from falling back into old patterns.

In a very fitting connection, Jan. 16 is recognized as Prohibition Remembrance Day. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the “manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” was ratified Jan. 16, 1919, by the requisite number of states. The movement was spearheaded by groups concerned about the adverse effects of drinking alcohol.

It took a year and a day for prohibition to officially go into effect. The U.S. became a dry nation Jan. 17, 1920.

As we all know, prohibition was not to last on a countrywide level, and the 21st Amendment repealed the ban in 1933. However, if the right choice for you is no alcohol, I wish you all the best in doing what the U.S. could not.

I also wish you a happy National Mocktail Week, celebrated Jan. 12-18 this year. Established in 2018, National Mocktail Week aims to “help people live their lives in a healthier manner while still enjoying a delicious drink — which doesn’t need alcohol to be tasty.”

Mocktails are so named because they resemble cocktails but don’t contain any alcohol. Other ingredients are substituted to result in delicious, fun beverages. Celebrate National Mocktail Week by playing with some different flavors to find some new and exciting alternatives.

Whether you choose to take part in Dry January or enjoy a few alcoholic beverages this month, I wish you all a healthy and happy 2025.

Samantha Anderson

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press