Doctor shares why dry January will never work - 4 ways to reduce alcohol intake

12 January 2024 , 15:37

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Doctor shares why dry January will never work - 4 ways to reduce alcohol intake

A doctor has branded Dry January a "myth" and says people would respond better to reducing their alcohol consumption throughout the year instead.

Alasdair Scott, director of London health care service Selph, has revealed the reasons why the one-month challenge has its limitations. He said it provides few health benefits such as better sleep, but suggested more work would need to be done to complete a "detox".

He said you should consider trying to build and maintain better behaviours, instead of looking at short-term goals. He further added that Dry January should be viewed as the start of a new lifestyle by consuming less booze instead of none at all. Dr Scott has shared four tips to effectively reduce alcohol intake.

Drink with your food

The health expert advised pairing alcohol with a meal instead of pouring several glasses of wine whilst watching the TV. He explained this method will help booze be seen more as a "special" treat and added: "Educating yourself on the best wines to accompany certain foods for example, will mean you have a better understanding and appreciation for the taste of the drink, rather than just the 'feeling' alcohol gives you."

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The doctor reccomended pairing wine with meals instead of drinking and watching TV (Getty Images)

Don't drink alcohol every day

Dr Scott warned that drinking alcohol after a stressful day of work will harm your health in the long-run, reports Daily Mail. He suggested cutting down on how many evenings you opt to drink and said it could be better for you to select a day that you can have it as a treat. However, he stressed: "It's important you also monitor the amount of units you drink as you could easily end up binge drinking by consuming a large volume of alcohol in a more condensed time period," Dr Alasdair said.

Get moving

The doctor has shared that scheduling time for exercise could change how much you will want to drink. He believes it would be a good idea to book a class in advance with your friends. "Many people binge drink more on a weekend because they know they don't have to get up for work in the morning," he said. "However, booking in an exercise class for a Saturday or Sunday morning will mean you're less likely to drink the evening before as you'll know you need to wake up and feel refreshed."

The 20 minute rule

Sometimes it is easy to order drink after drink but the health expert says you are better off trying to introduce a break in between. He believes 20 minutes is enough time to make a "big difference." He said: "Having this time to pause in between drinks will allow you to process whether you are in fact craving more, or if you actually feel tired and as though you've had enough."

Monica Charsley