Originally from the United Kingdom, the “Dry January” movement (now “January challenge” in France) offers something very simple: it is a question of not drinking a drop of alcohol during the whole month of January. Attention: the beer with the friends, the cider which accompanies the galette, also count!
Despite the government’s refusal to support “Sober January” (particularly under pressure from representatives of the wine industry), many associations – such as the ANPAA (National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addictology), La Ligue Contre le Cancer, the SFA (Société Française d’Alcoologie) decided two years ago to support this event. In addition, in this month of January 2022,and for the first time, 5 major French cities (Grenoble, Lyon, Nantes, Brest and Toulouse) have committed in the campaign and joined the movement!
The objective is not to prohibit the drinking of alcohol, but to “take a break from our consumption”, which makes it possible to “take stock” and perhaps to “change our way of consuming”, explain the organizers of the “January challenge“.
41,000 deaths per year due to alcohol
As the national league against cancer reminds us, “while the alcohol is the 2th risk factor for preventable cancers (upper aerodigestive tract, esophagus, liver, breast and colon) andleads over 41000 deaths per year in France, the alcohol consumption is dangerously trivialized”. Close of 9 Fout of 10 French people say they drink (86%) and 31% of themexceed the thresholds recommended bySante Ppublic France. Finally, 17% admit to drinking more today than before the health crisis.
#JanuaryChallenge 2022 – D3
Consumption risks #alcohol for lifelong health ↗️ with quantity
▶️ RECOS to limit the risks:
– do not consume more than 10 STANDARD/week and not more than 2 STANDARD/day
– have 0 consumption days/week pic.twitter.com/jUzCBHdd6e– French Federation of Addictology (@FFAddictologie) January 3, 2022
Why should we get started? Here are 5 good reasons to convince you:
1- You save money
Because alcohol is expensive: according to the CNIV, French households devote around 17% of their budget to alcoholic liquids consumed at home – that does not take into account consumption in restaurants! Wines thus account for 30% of these expenses compared to 23% for spirits and 10% for beer. The average annual wine budget for home consumption amounted (in 2016) to 202.7 euros. Something to treat yourself to a nice weekend, or renew the children’s wardrobe…
2 – You improve your health
According to a study published by theUniversity of Sussex (United Kingdom) in January 2019, it would take just one month without alcohol to regain quality sleep (for 71% of participants) and beautiful skin (54%), as well as lose weight (58%). As a reminder, the number of deaths linked to alcohol consumption in France is around 50,000, i.e. nearly 10% of all-cause mortality…
3 – You block cancer
Every year in the world, alcohol is responsible for (minimum) 4% of new cases of cancer, according to the cancer foundation. In particular, there is a higher risk of cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum… from just one drink a day!
4 – You have a healthier relationship with alcohol
Without necessarily talking about addiction, 5 million French people have medical, psychological or social difficulties in relation to alcohol. That’s good: according to the University of Sussex study cited above, 71% of participants understood that they did not need alcohol to have fun, 82% better understood their relationship with drink and 80% felt they had more control over their drinking… all thanks to “Sober January”.
5 – You regain sight and smell
It’s proven : from 1 to 2 standard glasses of alcohol, taste and smell tend to lose in acuity – and it’s even worse for smokers! Dry January is therefore an opportunity to fully rediscover your 5 senses… and (why not) to get back to cooking?
VIDEO TOPSANTE TV: the testimony of Laurence Cottet, president of “Janvier sobre”
Read also :
- Ketamine considered as treatment for alcoholism
- Testimonial: I got out of alcohol thanks to Baclofen
- Drunk without drinking a drop of alcohol: yes, it’s possible!
- For 10% of French people, drinking alcohol at bedtime helps sleep
