15 Reasons You Should Embrace Dry January

Are you in two minds about whether you should embark on Dry January? You know that drinking less is a good idea – physically, mentally, financially – but you also know it’s not going to be easy. Perhaps these reasons will give you the boost you need. 

1. You’ll be More Balanced

When you’re drinking, especially when you’re drinking too much, your mind isn’t functioning at its best. Your reflexes, judgment and decision-making abilities become dulled and blurred. Combine this with unpredictable emotions – one moment you’re on top of the world, the next you’re in a deep slump – and it’s no wonder you may feel lost, unstable and overwhelmed. 

While your emotions at the start of Dry January may be a bit all over the place as your body and mind adjusts, if you stick at it you’ll regain mental clarity and emotional stability. Once alcohol is no longer a central part of your life, you’ll weigh options more rationally and handle situations with a calmer, more balanced approach. Your mental sharpness will return, allowing you to be a more focused, composed and grounded version of yourself.

63% of Oar Health members say they gained mental focus once they started drinking less, or quit.

2. You’ll Have More Money

There’s no denying that alcohol costs a lot of money. Oar Health members spend an average of $275 per month on alcohol, so imagine how much more flush you’re going to be now you’ve decided to drink less or quit. Whether you choose to save the money to put towards something big – a trip, a new phone – or treat yourself along the way, your bank balance is going to be happier, and so will you. 

82% of Oar Health members say they saved money once they started drinking less, or quit.

3. You’ll be More Focused at Work

Whether you’re drinking during work hours or have a hangover from the night before, alcohol negatively impacts your work. It’ll affect your concentration, judgment, problem-solving skills, coordination, reaction times, performance and your overall standard of work. Depending on your job, it’s not just the bottom line that could be affected by your drinking – your safety, and that of those around you, could also be impaired, particularly if you work with heavy machinery or you drive a vehicle. 

Your drinking habits don’t just affect you, they affect your colleagues, clients and customers as well. Giving up alcohol means you’ll be more attentive, and there’s less likely to be resentment among your co-workers as they won’t have to correct your mistakes or cover for you while you’re dealing with a hangover. 

69% of Oar Health members say they performed better at work once they started drinking less, or quit.

4. You’ll Sleep Better

One of the first things you may notice about yourself when you stop drinking is your revived energy levels. One of the reasons for this is that you’ll be getting more, better-quality sleep. Alcohol disrupts your sleep cycle and you spend less time in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep. We are supposed to have between four and six cycles of REM slumber per night; when we’ve been drinking we typically only achieve one or two cycles. Better sleep brings many benefits. You’ll be more productive, you’ll be able to control your emotions better, your concentration will improve, your enthusiasm for things will heighten and, above all, you’ll be happier (sleep deprivation has been linked to depression). 

72% of Oar Health members say they slept better once they started drinking less, or quit.

5. You’ll Lose Weight

You’ll likely notice weight loss within two weeks. But it’s not just the empty calories in alcoholic beverages that you’ll be saving your body from. Research has shown that drinking alcohol before or during meals increases the amount of calories consumed as you’re likely to eat more and choose less healthy options. As you should be sleeping better, too, you’ll be more in control of what you eat and, therefore, your weight. Sleep helps to balance the hormones that control feelings of hunger and being sated. After you’ve been drinking, your ghrelin levels (the hormone that makes you feel hungry) go up and leptin (the hormone that makes you feel full) go down. Add to this the fact that you’ll be better rested so will have more energy, you’ll be more motivated to exercise.

49% of Oar Health members say they lost weight once they started drinking less, or quit.

6. Exercise Will Be More Rewarding

Alcohol and exercise don’t mix. Drinking either right before a workout (not advisable) or the night before can seriously diminish your performance and strain your body. You’ll feel tired quicker because alcohol hinders your body's ability to clear out the lactic acid produced during exercise, leading to reduced strength and power. Add a hangover – with dehydration, headaches, nausea and the shakes – and it’s unlikely you’ll be hitting any personal bests.

However, once you cut out alcohol, your workouts will see a significant boost. Your energy levels will rise, coordination will be better, reaction times will be quicker, and your focus will sharpen. Plus, research suggests that exercise can help repair the brain damage caused by drinking and even promote the growth of new neurons.

38% of Oar Health members say they began working out more once they started drinking less, or quit.

7. Food Will Taste Better

Your sense of smell and taste become dulled when you’ve been drinking because the cells in your nose and mouth aren’t functioning at full capacity. You may think that the white wine you’re sipping alongside your fish is complementing the flavor of it, but actually your taste buds have been numbed. Studies have shown that consuming four or more alcoholic drinks a day has been associated with a higher likelihood of taste impairment, compared to people who don’t drink anything. So, now that you’re not drinking, your food will be far more tasty, distinctive and satisfying. 

8. You’ll be Better Hydrated 

When you drink alcohol, you lose around four times as much fluid as what you actually drank. So, drinking six glasses of wine is the equivalent to losing about 24 glasses of water. When you’re dehydrated, your organs take water from the brain as they’re gasping for it, which results in a headache. Salt levels and potassium also decline, which can have an impact on nerve and muscle function, leading to fatigue and nausea. When you give up alcohol, your body will be more hydrated and less of a parched disaster zone. 

9. Your Skin Will be Clearer

The liver plays a crucial role in maintaining clear skin. When it’s overloaded with toxins from alcohol, it tries to expel them through your skin, often leading to breakouts and even acne. Drinks like cocktails and beer are full of candida, a yeast-like fungus that can trigger spots. Alcohol also weakens your immune system, allowing bacteria to wreak havoc on your skin.

But once you eliminate alcohol from your life, the improvements to your skin will be clearly visible. You’ll notice fewer breakouts, and issues like dandruff and eczema will diminish as your skin becomes better hydrated. You’ll also benefit from a more youthful appearance; without the build-up of toxins, your skin’s cell turnover increases, resulting in better elasticity, fewer wrinkles, and a slowdown in premature aging.

42% of Oar Health members say they noticed clearer skin once they started drinking less, or quit.

10. Relationships Will Improve

People who drink heavily can have unpredictable mood swings. Which is exhausting – not just for the drinker, but also for their family, friends, partner, colleagues… maybe even their pet! Arguments, disagreements, sulking, shouting and crying are common side-effects of how alcohol affects relationships. During Dry January, all that drama might melt away, and you may find yourself in a kinder, more peaceful, more compassionate headspace. And those around you may no longer feel they have to walk on eggshells.

48% of Oar Health members say they had improved relationships with their friends once they started drinking less, or quit.

11. Your Liver Function Will Improve

When the liver tries to break down the alcohol we put into our body, the chemical reaction that occurs can damage its cells. This damage can cause inflammation and scarring as the liver tries to repair itself. If you cut out alcohol, your liver will start to shed its excess fat and liver function will start to improve. If your liver function isn’t too badly affected, it can recover within four to eight weeks (so you may want to tack on Dry February, too). The liver plays a part in more than 500 vital functions in the body, so giving up booze means these processes will be vastly improved. 

12. You’re Less Likely to Injure Yourself

If we’ve had too much to drink, we’re less steady on our feet, our nociceptors (danger perceptors) are a little off, and we’re more likely to put ourselves in harm’s way – by, say, stumbling into a busy road. Another common symptom of drinking too much is a feeling of numbness throughout the body. This dulled sense of touch means that a person won’t feel the ‘normal’ amount of pain and may not realize they’ve hurt themselves while they’ve been drinking. Unless you’re a complete klutz, Dry January will hopefully bring less bruises, cuts and scrapes.  

13. Your Brain Will Start to Repair

Alcohol resets the brain’s ‘wiring’, and if you become addicted, your brain will tell you that alcohol is the solution to whatever you need – be it to give you confidence in social settings, calm down due to stress (or whatever). The more you use alcohol in such situations, the more your brain concludes that ‘alcohol is what I need’. As such, this message becomes encoded in the habit-forming part of your brain. Eventually, drinking isn’t just a habit but a compulsion and coping mechanism – which can morph into an addiction. But when you stop drinking, your brain will literally start to reconstruct, and the neural pathways that were leading to a ‘let’s drink’ decision will be rerouted to a ‘no booze for me’ conclusion. When excessive alcohol is consumed, the volume of the brain is reduced, but this damage can be reversed within six months to a year of not drinking. After this time, the brain volume returns to its normal baseline level. Dry January is the perfect time to start this process. 

64% of Oar Health members say they had more energy once they started drinking less, or quit.

14. Your Eyes Will Sparkle

Abstaining from alcohol will positively impact the health of your eyes. Here’s how:  

• The Effects of Dehydration will be Reversed

When your body is dehydrated, so are your eyes as there may not be enough tears to lubricate them. This can result in dry eye, causing blurred vision, irritation and risk of infection. Not drinking will rehydrate your body and your eyes.  

• Your Eyes Will be Whiter

If you suffer from liver damage, the white part of your eye (sclera) can become yellow due to a build-up of old red blood cells which aren’t removed by the liver. When you give up booze, your liver will be healthier, which is reflected through your peepers. 

• Eye Disease is Less Likely

Your circulation will be improved, meaning better blood flow and oxygen supply to the eyes. As such, diseases and damage such as glaucoma and macular degeneration will be prevented.  

15. Your Sex Life Will Get a Boost

Whether it’s the inability to get an erection or reduced lubrication, excessive amounts of alcohol rarely do us any favors in the bedroom. One of the reasons being that alcohol reduces sexual sensitivity and, ultimately, satisfaction. But it’s not just disappointment from a clumsy fumble you have to contend with when drinking. Alcohol reduces inhibitions and impairs judgment. When drunk, you may sleep with someone that your sober self would give a wide berth, or take risks you wouldn’t normally take – like having unprotected sex. 

68% of Oar Health members say they had an improved relationship with their partner once they started drinking less, or quit.

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