Cheers to Dry January

This blog post serves as my official victory dance for surviving my ~second~ Dry January. It’s been a long 31 years… I mean days… but I’m so proud of myself for following through on my goal to not drink for the entire month of January.

Dry January formally originated in Britain in 2013 as a public health campaign to reduce harmful drinking episodes. The trend has become a global phenomenon with over 4.2 million Brits alone expected to complete the challenge this year. The benefits of a drink-free January are proven to last for the entire year. According to the Mirror, research has shown that around seven in 10 people continue to drink less alcohol six months on from Dry January, and according to Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Concern, “The benefits are astounding: 49% of people lose weight, while 62% sleep better and a whopping 79% save money.”

I’m not going to lie, this year was tough! But I was able to get myself through the month by remembering the benefits of sticking to water and also remembering the sense of accomplishment I had last year after completing Dry January.
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Here are my favorite benefits of Dry January. If you also participated, what differences did you notice? Let me know in the comments!

i actually Saved Money

​This one is HUGE and was very unexpected for me. During January, I was focused mostly on the health benefits of not drinking and didn’t notice that in the meantime, I completely adjusted my spending habits. My monthly spending went down $1070.75 (!!!) in January 2019 from my average monthly spending in 2018. I attribute this to a. spending less money at restaurants when I went out to dinner and b. choosing to stay in and cook dinner on a Friday or Saturday night instead of going to a bar. Because of all the money I saved, I was able to finally splurge on a much-needed vacation without seeing a big dent in my bank account. 

my skin is clear

​January was a wildly busy month for me. I wore heavy makeup 3-4 times a week and was always on the go. With these conditions, I usually find myself breaking out around my nose, cheeks and jawline, but this month I was almost entirely break-out free. My skin remained smooth and clear and I even felt confident going makeup-free (a rarity!) on several occasions. ​

i toned up

​I work out 5-6 days a week on a regular basis but don’t always see the muscle tone I desire. By the end of January, I noticed a sort of muscle definition I have desired for months. Although I didn’t change my fitness routine, I believe I can attribute this increased muscle definition mainly to Dry January and the lack of empty calorie consumption I usually have from my occasional glass of wine. When I've worked out this month, I've also noticed I have more energy and am more likely to work out vigorously on the weekend, as I’m not tired from the night before.

My Immune System is strong

I touched upon this one in my blog post on staying healthy during flu season, but I truly believe I have had a stronger immune system since cutting out alcohol. Alcohol is proven to reduce your body’s natural ability to fight off bacteria and virus’, so it’s no wonder I am feeling healthier during Dry January.
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Cheers to February!