January is finally over; a time full of resolutions where we decide to diet or exercise. For many, the first month of the year is known as dry January where people don’t drink any alcohol throughout the month.
Cutting out alcohol from your diet can have an abundance of benefits, you don’t get hangovers, your mental health can improve, you could even lose weight.
For Adam Scully, a DCU Politics student, he started dry January to have a fresh start to the year and to see if it would impact his mood at all.
Scully realised that drinking often leaves him in a bad mood when dealing with hangovers, with no alcohol in his diet he noticed a significant change in his mood.
“I thought it was a great way to lift my spirits and I definitely had more energy which helped me get through my college work,” he explained, “I even started to get more sleep, which was obviously great.”
When asked if he will go back to his usual drinking patterns now Scully said: “I am definitely going to limit how much I drink from now on since it is very clearly having a good impact on me.”
This type of lifestyle doesn’t just have to happen in January. In coming months, you can reduce how much alcohol you drink to keep reaping in those benefits.
While drinking can help you to relax or fall asleep quicker, Drink Aware explains that it disrupts your sleeping pattern. As the night goes on, you spend less time in deep sleep and more time in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep, which is less restful.
Drink Aware also explain that drinking alcohol dehydrates your body, which can cause your skin and eyes to appear dull. However, your skin can appear more radiant once you begin to reduce your alcohol intake.
If you’re finding it difficult to cut out alcohol, you can opt for some alcohol-free drinks which are equally as tasty! Koppaberg have a range of alcohol-free ciders that taste no different than the usual ones. Even Heineken have a free version now.
More and more brands are making alcohol-free versions of their drinks, which can help you limit your alcohol intake if you still crave the taste of certain beverages.
There are lots of non-alcoholic drinks out there that taste great to help you get through it if you’re struggling. Continuing dry January throughout the year will make the world of a difference to both your appearance and wellbeing, so it’s really a win-win situation.
Note: This article was reuploaded on 26/03/21 due to a fault with The College View website.
Emily Clarke