Every year, many people take on the Dry January Challenge, which is not to drink a drop of alcohol for the entire month of January. But if this challenge is too drastic for you, you can test a less restrictive version, called “Damp January”.
- 86.5% of 18-75 year olds have drunk alcohol during the year.
- Alcohol is one of the top 3 causes of preventable death.
Glowing skin, better sleep, weight loss, optimal concentration… “Dry January” has many benefits. This challenge, launched in 2013 and run by the charity Alcohol Change UK, involves taking a break from drinking alcohol. Clearly, from January 1 to February 1, you should not sip alcoholic beverages. The objective: to start the year by not drinking alcohol and to think about limiting its consumption in the long term. For some, “Dry January” is too brutal and restrictive. The latter manage to restrict themselves for 31 days, but once they reach February 1, they resume their bad habits, according to a study published in the journal National Library of Medicine.
“Damp January”, the less extreme version of Dry January
This year, alcohol consumers can be tempted by “Damp January”. This is a less restrictive version of Dry January. As part of this less brutal challenge, we gradually reduce our alcohol consumption, by drinking, for example, one to three drinks per week. This challenge allows you not to rush the body and above all to keep good habits throughout the year. Clearly, in the context of Damp January, we do not remove alcohol from our diet, we reduce our consumption.
For those “who want to make positive adjustments in their lives”
According to Vedant Pradeep, CEO and co-founder of Reframe, an app created to help reduce and eliminate alcohol, this challenge is for “all those who want to make positive adjustments in their life”. It is also intended for people who want “enjoy all the health and emotional benefits that come with cutting down on your alcohol consumption, without completely eliminating alcohol from your life,” she told the magazine Better Homes & Gardens.