What are the health benefits of Dry January? Is it worth it?
My girlfriend wants to do Dry January for 2025, and I'm totally in support - but she wants me to do it with her, and I'm not sure about it. It sounds hard and I'm not sure if the benefits will really be worth it. What are your experiences with Dry January? Did it help you cut back on drinking? Did it make you feel better? Should I do it just to make my gf happy?
I did Dry January this year, and I'm planning to do it again in 2025. I lost 5 pounds, felt more alert and aware and energetic, got way better sleep, was way less bloated. I also was surprised to find I enjoyed socializing without drinking. I will say I was drinking pretty heavily before I did it so it was a bit of a struggle at first, but I ended the month feeling great and honestly even after the month ended I stopped drinking as much.
Dry January was a little rough the first week but by the end of the month I was seeing a lot of benefits! I felt much more present and energized and lost a bit of weight. It also made me feel good to know that I didn't need alcohol to enjoy socializing. And I saved a ton of money from not going out drinking every weekend! It was absolutely worth doing. I want to do it every January as a reset going into the new year.
I can relate to the physical benefits a lot of other people have already mentioned, like better sleep, weight loss, and more energy. But for me, the best part of dry january was the mental health benefits. When I stopped drinking, I was in a much bettter, happier mood. My anxiety and depression weren't as bad as they usually were when I was drinking regularly. I believe that my improved mental health also had a positive impact on my social life. I had more fulfilling interactions with the people around me.
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