An alcohol-free month: Why you should take part with OYNB – by Daisy Steel

Are you thinking of joining in on an alcohol-free month this year? Do it with OYNB!

As December draws to a close, many of us will be thinking of ways to reinvigorate ourselves in 2020, whether it’s by setting some New Year’s Resolutions, deciding to go on a diet, get fit or give up alcohol for a month.

In the same way that Weight Watchers helps when you’re on a diet, or a personal trainer gives you the right guidance when you want to get fit, OYNB gives you the advice, knowledge and support that means you will make it through the month of January with ease, and who knows, maybe beyond!

Reasons to join in on a dry month:

• Improve your health
• Improve your sleep
• Save money
• Lose weight
• Better skin
• Change your relationship with alcohol

An estimated four million of us are expected to take part in a dry month in 2020 and there are a number of reasons why it's a good idea:

1/ Improve your health

Research from University College London found that taking a month-long break from alcohol can prevent illness in later life. People who gave up for four weeks or more saw benefits for their liver function, blood pressure and cholesterol levels and were also at a lower risk of developing diabetes and liver disease.

2/ Improve your sleep

When you drink alcohol before bed you may fall asleep quicker. This is why some people use booze to help them to drop off. But because of the way your body digests alcohol, it means you're more likely to wake up or have disrupted sleep in the second half of the night. You may also miss the important rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We're meant to have six or seven cycles of REM sleep every night, but you may only have one or two cycles when you’ve been drinking.

3/ Save money

Another good reason to give up alcohol is the money you will save. If you're drinking the recommended 14 units of booze a week you could be spending 30 pounds or more a week on wine or beer. By taking an alcohol-free month you’ll find the savings add up and you’ll have some well-deserved extra cash in your pocket.

4/ Lose weight

As well as saving money, think of all the calories you will save. Alcoholic drinks are full of empty calories that have no nutritional value whatsoever. A few drinks after work may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, but a pint of beer can have as many calories as a large slice of pizza, and a large glass of wine is the equivalent to eating an ice cream. And it’s not just the calories in booze that makes drinking bad for weight loss. Calories are easy to over-consume when they are in liquid form because drinks don’t fill us up like food does. So, if you’re drinking your calories, you could easily still end up hungry and craving food. How often have you regretted having that greasy takeaway that seems so appealing on the way back from the pub? Drinking less makes it easier to stick to healthier meal choices, which will also have a positive impact on your waistline.

5/ Better skin

Most people who stop drinking see a big improvement in their skin. This is because alcohol destroys the skin in a really aggressive way. The main effect is dehydration as it actually takes the fluid out of the skin. It also makes it more difficult to rehydrate afterwards. This is why if you look at someone who’s been drinking for 20 or 30 years and someone the same age who hasn’t drunk at all, you will see a massive difference in the appearance of their skin. Alcoholic drinks are high in sugar – white wine and cocktails are especially bad for this. If you’re overindulging it will often show up as spots. But the good news is if you give up alcohol, your skin, like any other organ, has the ability to regenerate. You’ll find within quite a short time people will start to compliment you on your glowing complexion.

6/ Change your relationship with alcohol

If you manage to give up booze for the whole of January it will give you a real sense of achievement. Research has shown 70 percent of people who do Dry January are still drinking less riskily six months later. Giving your body a break from booze for January is pretty good for it, but Dry January helps people cut down longer term too, and that has many more benefits.

So why do your dry month in conjunction with OYNB?

A dry month is a challenge – and if challenges were easy, there would be no point in taking them on. So by doing your dry month in conjunction with OYNB, you might find that bit easier to complete your alcohol-free month and have some fun in the process. You will receive email support each day, full of help, inspiration and advice. You will also have the support of the OYNB Facebook community so it won’t feel like you’re struggling alone.

“So I decided, that’s it. I’m doing Dry January. I looked around a bit online and came across One Year No Beer. I bought the book and got stuck in. It was probably about a week later that I signed up to the 28-Day Challenge. I joined the very supportive Facebook group and soon realised that I was not alone and everyone else was so nice. The more things I did alcohol-free, the easier it got. You get a video and daily email with tips and tricks to help you, which are great. My life seems so much more fulfilled. It’s much easier and I’m a lot happier, all just for giving up the booze with the help of OYNB.”

Simon

Taking a month off from booze is a great chance to get us all thinking about our drinking, so we can make healthier and happier decisions when it comes to alcohol, all year around. Many of us feel under pressure to drink or to drink more than we want to. With OYNB you will have other people around you who are in the same boat – and you may find you feel so good after a month, you’ll want to sign up for longer because the benefits of living an alcohol free lifestyle are so life changing.