Are you going 'Dry' this January? | Examiner.com

7/9/16, 2:53 PM

LEISURE / FOOD & DRINK / DRINKS See also: drinks, wine, alcohol, health

Are you going 'Dry' this January? January 15, 2016 12:36 PM MST

To much Holiday Cheer? public domain: copyright expired

The holiday season is a distant memory and most everyone is plunging into the New Year with fervor. Many a resolution was made and some already broken. Was one of your pledges to cut down on your alcohol consumption? If so, you are a member of a very large club and there is even a website, a twitter handle and an app just for you.

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Are you going 'Dry' this January? | Examiner.com

7/9/16, 2:53 PM

Started in Britain by the Campaign for Alcohol Concern “Dry January” invites you to lay off the bottle, promising some terrific benefits: “Dry January participants often report losing weight,

sleeping better, more energy, clearer skin plus huge savings. That’s not a bad return for just cutting out the booze for 31 days.”

Sounds terrific, doesn’t it? We can all do something positive for ourselves for one month – it’s only 30 days, right? Well, perhaps not. While it’s a sound idea to cut back, some studies are questioning whether this abrupt halt is good for you system and if it will really make a difference in drinking habits in the long run. Ian Hamilton, who is a lecturer at the Department of Health Sciences at York University in the UK, recently stated in a paper for the British Medical Journal “Although not the intention, people may

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Are you going 'Dry' this January? | Examiner.com

7/9/16, 2:53 PM

view their 31 days of abstinence as permission to return to hazardous levels of consumption till next New Year’s day. “I’ve had a month off, so now I can drink as much as I did before, ignoring the need for regular breaks from alcohol.” He also voices concern that, for heavy drinkers (not just those who indulged a wee bit too much during the ‘Holly Jolly Season”) a do-it-yourself detox, no matter how well intended, might prove unwise and unsafe. Naturally, there is another side to this saga, supporting the ideas of the Dry January campaign. “The campaign is aimed at social not

dependent drinkers” sites Ian Gilmore, honorary professor at Liverpool University, also in the UK. “There are no “prohibition” or “temperance movement” agendas here, and the majority of people choose to return to drinking, although 8% of those followed up by Public Health England six months later had decided to capitalise on the benefits and stay dry.” Whatever your viewpoint, there is much to be said for that age old advise 'everything in moderation' - even for our beloved glass of wine. And look at the bright side, if you began the Dry January commitment on the 1st, you're already halfway there. Cheers to that!

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Are you going 'Dry' this January? | Examiner.com

7/9/16, 2:53 PM

Hilarie Larson

San Diego Wine Travel Examiner

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