By now, you’ve hopefully sobered up from New Year’s Eve, and your liver has begun recovering from an entire week of holiday drinking. Alcohol and celebrations are natural friends, whether to deal with stress, party with family/friends, or a combination of both. All good times must come to an end, whether the bartender is shuffling you out the door or you need to get yourself back on track for the new year. Drinking to “holiday levels” is part of things that probably should end, which is why so many people commit to “Dry January” once the New Year’s ball drops.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends no more than two standard drinks for men, one standard drink for women, each day.
Dry January is a 30-day commitment to sobriety or a reduction in the amount of alcohol that we’ve been consuming. Too much alcohol can cause health complications, especially over time. In the short term, too much alcohol can lead to dangerous DUI decisions, and consequences like a car breathalyzer (ignition interlock device), jail or worse.
At the end of 30 days, your Dry January challenge will have:
- Detoxed your blood and liver.
- Leveled out your blood sugar.
- Given you better nights of sleep.
- Hydrated your skin (you’ll look younger!).
- Awarded you a gold star for returning to a healthy habit with alcohol, come Feb 1.
Kicking a bad habit isn’t easy, and even if you just reduce your alcohol intake by a few drinks per week, you’re making positive progress. Of course, you can always skip Dry January and instead pledge that you’ll never drive under the influence. We can get behind that kind of healthy relationship with alcohol, too!
Either way, and even if you haven’t started yet, it isn’t too late to dry out this month! You don’t have much to lose, except some extra weight and the worry of a DUI!
Watch Out for that Fourth Wisconsin OWI!