‘Dry January’ Encourages Abstaining From Alcohol For One Month

A recent movement known as ‘Dry January’ has people abstaining from alcohol for the beginning portion of 2019.

Keshia Abbott is a Nurse Practitioner with the Cookeville Regional Medical Group’s Pulmonary Office. She says the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to abstaining from alcohol for a month.

“We do know that alcohol, even though it makes you sleepy after consumption, can interrupt with your sleep cycles at night,” Abbott says, “particularly the REM sleep cycle which is very beneficial for your brain to restore itself and hold on to all those memories and things you learned throughout the day. So abstaining from alcohol will actually help them feel better as they’ll be able to get into that REM sleep and wake up feeling more rested throughout the day.”

Abbott says abstaining from alcohol can also decrease the risk for several weight-related health issues as well.

“We also know that alcohol has what we call empty calories, so you are getting all those calories without any real nutritional value, which leads to increased weight gain,” Abbott says. “With that weight gain comes with higher blood pressure and increased shortness of breath. Alcohol will also kind of decrease your immune system so it can make you a little bit more susceptible to picking up infections out in the community.”

However, Abbott advises those more likely to drink to take caution when abstaining from alcohol right away.

“If people are heavily drinking and they’re wanting to do this ‘dry January’, they don’t [need to] go cold turkey,” Abbott says. “They need to consult with one of their healthcare providers because depending on the amount of alcohol they consume, withdrawal can be just as life-threatening.”

The movement originally began in the United Kingdom in 2014 and became widespread following a recent University of Sussex study entering 2019. The movement quickly spread to the United States following the Sussex study.

Abbott recommends those who plan on drinking again in February to do so in moderation to avoid severe complications.