Many people will set many different resolutions this new year, one of which will undoubtedly be to successfully complete Dry January. But is giving up alcohol for an entire month worth it? Yeah, it probably is.
A new study from Health Psychology found people who didn't drink for a month — or even attempted not to drink for a month — reported reductions in their overall alcohol consumption in the following months.
Out of the 857 people who participated in the study, 64 percent successfully completed the Dry January challenge.
Those who completed the challenge tended to drink less often, get drunk less often and have fewer drinks in one sitting six months later.
Plus, past studies have found giving up alcohol for a month can have quick and substantial health benefits: better liver function, lower blood pressure and even a reduced risk of liver disease and diabetes.
What's more, the researchers noted few of the study participants drank a lot when they started drinking again.
The one catch for this study, though, is the people who participated did volunteer, meaning they may not be representative of the general public.
And if you stop drinking for a month, you miss out on drinking ... for a month.
This video includes music from Birocratic / CC BY ND 3.0.
