Dry January 2024: effects, what is this month without alcohol?

Just after the New Year, then from January 1, 2024the challenge of Dry January (“dry” in English meaning “dry” in French), “Janvier Sans Alcool” or even “Month without alcohol”proposes to take a break from drinking for a month, in order to change his relationship with alcohol. No drop of alcohol during the entire month of January: this is the challenge offered by the Dry Januaryresulting in “Sober January” . How to do it ? For what benefits ? Effects on the body? For weight loss? Detoxify your liver? Have a sleep better quality ? Advice and advice from our expert.

What is the Dry January or Alcohol-Free Month challenge?

After the excesses of the end-of-year holidays, it’s time for good resolutions! Across the Channel as in France, millions of people are determined to participate in the “Dry January”a challenge consisting of do not drink a drop of alcohol during the entire month of January and thus, to put his body to rest.

What does “Dry January” mean in French?

Literally, “Dry January” in English can be translated as “Janvier Sec”. In France, we prefer to call it “Sober January” or “January Challenge” or even “Alcohol-Free Month”.

Dry January consists of stop all alcohol consumption between January 1 and 31. On its website, the French association “January Sober” explains that more broadly the objective is “achieve reasoned consumption and keep at least 2 days without alcohol per week”. A Facebook group is accessible to all those who want to participate in “Sober January”.

For Jean-Michel Delile, president of the Addiction Federation and psychiatrist, this challenge constitutes “a very positive, unifying and not moralizing initiative [qui] do not demonize the productbut which allows you to distance yourself from it in the form of a game, with the support of social networks“. For the rest of the year, he advises “to invent your own challenge“like not drinking alcohol two or three days a week, or plan weeks without consuming a single drink. In short, “taking care of your liver by banning all alcohol consumption for a period of time is essential for preserving your health and regaining the right balance in your body” explains Professor Marcellin.

What are the benefits and effects of Dry January on the body?

• Detoxify your liver
• Avoid seasonal viruses (flu, etc.)
• Limit your weight gain
• Reduce your risk of cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension and cancer
• Improve your sleep

In a study conducted by the University of Sussex in 2019 out of nearly 3,000 participants in Dry January, 71% explained that they slept better, 58% lost weight, 57% had better concentration and 54% had more beautiful skin. “Many of us know the health risks of alcohol – cancers, liver disease, mental health problems – but we often ignore that drinking less also has more immediate benefits. Sleep better, feel more energetic, to save money, better skin, lose weight… The list goes on. Dry January is helping millions of people reap these benefits and make a more lasting change to drinking healthier“, commented Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, the UK charity which created the challenge.

What are the benefits of Dry January for the liver?

During the holiday season, we tend to eat more fat than usual, consume more alcohol and be a little more inactive. And these three factors increase the risk of overloading your liver with fat. This is called the steatosisa liver lesion which corresponds to a deposition of fats inside liver cells. “It is true that under the influence of a diet that is too rich, excessive alcohol consumption and a sedentary lifestyle, the liver can suffer and reach the stage of steatosis after just a few days of excess. But let’s be reassured, this steatosis is completely reversible provided you stop your alcohol consumption (or have an extremely low alcohol consumption) just after a period of excess“, explains Professor Marcellin, hepatologist at Beaujon hospital and president of the APHC (Association for the improvement of the care of patients with chronic liver diseases). Whether you are an occasional or regular consumer , “Dry January” is a great way to boost the toxin elimination process in his body and particularly in his liver, an organ which provides many essential functions of the body.

In just a few days we can have a healthier liver.

“In just a few days we can have a healthier liver and get in better shape, good sleep and better energy. Furthermore, a healthy and detoxified liver allows to strengthen your immune system just before spring and fight against certain viruses like the flu“, specifies the hepatologist. Finally, this also has psychological effects : in fact, this period of abstinence allows you to become aware of your true alcohol consumption (consumption which is often underestimated), and above all, proves that the less alcohol you drink, the less you want to drink alcohol , because the brain disaccustoms itself relatively quickly to alcohol!“

Does Dry January help you lose weight?

Alcohol is very high in calories and very sweet. One gram of alcohol represents 7 calories. For example, a glass of red wine or champagne contains 70 calories, a glass of Martini has 112 calories on the counter, around a hundred calories for 25 cl of beer. Not to mention the sodas and other juices that often accompany liqueurs and brandies! Logically, reducing or even stopping your alcohol consumption helps limit weight gain, due to the calories not ingested when you swap your cocktail for a glass of water. Moreover, consuming alcohol tends to slow down the elimination of fats. Worse, it even promotes its accumulation in the abdominal area. A mechanism well known to those we colloquially call “beer drinkers”…

Does Dry January have benefits for sleep?

At very low doses, alcohol tends to “make you sleep” and does not alter the quality of sleep. On the other hand, regular consumption of alcohol or in larger quantities can promote or exacerbate certain sleep disorders, including insomnia, sleep apnea and snoring. Sleep is fragmented, punctuated by waking up, which prevents you from recovering properly. This contributes in particular to the “hangover” the next day… Remember that the sleeping pill/alcohol mixture is very dangerous, can cause breathing problems, violent behavior, parasomnias or reinforce sleep apnea.

What is the origin of Dry January?

This challenge, imagined in 2013 by the British association Alcohol Change UKquickly went viral on social networks and was the subject of thousands of shares, including in France with the launch of Sober Month or Sober January by Laurence Cottet. In 2021, the number of participants is estimated at 6.5 million. The health benefits are proven: better sleep, increased energy, better concentration, weight loss and ultimately, better controlled alcohol consumption, even among those who have not completely completed the Challenge.

Dry January was launched in France on January 1, 2019 on the initiative of the French association “France Janvier Sobre” created under the presidency of Dr Christine Joly, Head of Department of the Alcohol and Addictology Care Unit (US2A) at the Valence hospital, in 2014. Laurence Cottet, ex-alcoholic who publicized his fight against illness assumes the presidency today. The association changed its name in 2019 to become “H3D / France Sober January“.

What application can help with Dry January?

Try Dry is the official Dry January app, created and managed by Alcohol Change UK, the British NGO behind Dry January. It is available on Android and iPhone. It contains tips, notifications full of motivation and allows you to follow in an individualized way the economic and health benefits of this alcohol break. You can download it from the Dry January website.

How many glasses of alcohol per week?

If there is no consumption threshold that would certainly limit health risks throughout life. an expert opinion from Public Health France and the National Cancer Institute proposed in 2017 to define a benchmark value which concerns both men and women. This benchmark value is 10 standard glasses of alcohol per week maximum, without exceeding 2 standard glasses per day, and not every day. However, “recent studies have shown that from 20 to 30 g of alcohol per day (20 g for women and 30 g for men), there were health risks“, specifies Professor Marcellin. We recall that a standard glass corresponds to 10 g of pure alcoholeither :

• 10 cl of wine,
• 2.5 cl of pastis at 45°,
• 25 cl of beer at 5°
• 10 cl of champagne at 12°

If in doubt about potential excessive alcohol consumption, do not hesitate to seek advice from your doctor so that he can prescribe a liver test (transaminases assay).

Thanks to Professor Marcellin, hepatologist at Beaujon hospital and president of the APHC (Association for the improvement of the care of patients with chronic liver diseases).