The Health and Wellness Benefits of Dry January

Dry January as a concept is one where people don’t consume any alcohol during the whole month of January. It has been around as an organised annual ‘event’ for over a decade and is growing in popularity each year. For many people it is a way to start the new year in a positive and clear mindset after the excesses of Christmas, New Year, and the holiday season.

There are many different ways that students can plan ahead for the year, including budgeting and looking after your personal finance, having new health and fitness targets, prioritising study and building an active social life. With a sober, Dry January, benefits include better physical health, sleep, and mental health, among other things.

What is ‘Dry January’?

Dry January is a month-long challenge where people who usually drink alcohol cut it out completely for the whole month. It was launched to help combat the often destructive relationship that people in the UK have with alcohol.

Along with other annual events such as Venganuary where people stop eating meat and dairy products for the month of January, giving up booze for a few weeks can only be a good thing, whether you drink heavily usually or just moderately.

The Benefits of Dry January

Dry January benefits are plenty, a campaign that encourages people to stop drinking alcohol for a whole month. There are a few benefits to taking on Dry January, including:

Improved mental health

One of the biggest benefits to giving up alcohol is that it will improve your mental health. By staying sober you are more likely to feel calmer and to have less anxiety, your mind will be clear, and you’ll feel like you are in more control over your mind and actions.

Mental health and wellbeing for students is an important part of university life. There are many different ways to look after your mental health, and Dry January can play a big part of improving it and putting plans in place to maintain good mental health in the future.

Better finances

It’s natural that if you stop drinking alcohol for a month that you’ll have better finances.

Even with student discounts and student-specific club nights, it can cost a fair bit to drink on a night out. If you go out once a week or more, this can quickly add up.

Moving to soft drinks means you are likely to drink much less anyway and spend a lot less money.

Consistent sleep patterns

When you stop drinking alcohol you are more likely to experience consistent and much better-quality sleep.

Alcohol leaves you groggy, so even though you might have come in from a night out and slept through till the morning, it is more likely that you have a disrupted sleep cycle, suffer from talking in your sleep or sleepwalking (if you are prone to do those things anyway).

Worse sleep patterns lead to poorer health and irritability. You’ll soon notice the difference with better sleep patterns during Dry January.

Helps physical fitness and weight management

The health benefits of lowering your alcohol intake are evident too.  A month without alcohol can significantly lower your blood pressure can significantly lower your blood pressure, help to reduce your cholesterol levels and you’ll even notice clearer skin and a better complexion.

Giving up alcohol is a great way to lose and maintain a healthier weight if this is something you are looking to achieve, helping to create a calorie deficit.

Consider your relationship with alcohol

This doesn’t apply to every person, but for some, Dry January benefits them, as it allows them to reset their relationship with alcohol and to think about how they want to act in the future.

It might be that not drinking at all in January leads to a moderate approach to your alcohol consumption in future, or you might want an extended period of sobriety.

Student Tips for Dry January

For many students, alcohol plays a big part in how they socialise with others at university. This can make it challenging for some people to take part in Dry January, so we’ve put together some student tips:

Make alternative social plans

Your social life doesn’t need to revolve around alcohol. January is a great time to try out new ways of spending time with your friends.

This could be anything from weekly hangouts where you watch a new TV series together, trips to the cinema, going out for dinner or cooking for each other at home, or going out for a coffee where you would usually go out for a pint.

Find someone else doing Dry January

It’s always easier to do something like this if you have a friend who is also doing it. Dry January can be tough, so having a friendly partner to go out for coffee with and to talk about the month is a great way to stick with it.

This is especially helpful if some of your friendship group is still drinking and having big nights out.

Remember why you are doing it

To stick with something like Dry January, even for just a few weeks, takes determination. A big help to stay sober for the entire month will be to remember why you are doing it in the first place. This will be different for each person.

You might want to lose some weight and get fit, save money that you would usually spend on alcohol, or improve your mental health.

Get active

Even if your main reason for taking on Dry January isn’t to do with your health and fitness, getting active on a regular basis will help you to focus on something positive. It will also help you to build positive habits that you can take with you into the rest of the year and beyond.

Just a short walk outside the house every day is enough to help your physical and mental health, but there are so many other options depending on how serious you want to take it. Running, swimming, team sports and clubs, are all great ways to get active and have fun.

We’ve looked at Dry January benefits that you’ll feel in both your body and mind. It’s a month that helps you to start off the year fresh, clear, and with good intentions.

If you are interested in taking part in Dry January or making a change to lower your intake of alcohol or remove it completely from your lifestyle in the future, we are always here to chat and to offer advice and guidance as to the best place to start. There is also great support in many different places for those of you who are worried about alcohol misuse and addiction.

If you are looking for student accommodation for the next year, you are in the right place. Visit our Homes for Students website and browse through a range of properties that cater to every need.