Dry January is Underway

DULUTH, Minn. –  It’s estimated that 260 million Americans took part in Dry January in 2023. You’ve heard a lot about Dry January, but does it have any real benefits, and what can you do with your friends in place of having a drink together?

Going out to a bar to meet up with your friends for a drink is a very normal way to socialize.  But in January that routine can be sidetracked as some of your friends may be taking part in Dry January and abstaining from alcohol for the month.

Taking a month off from drinking can be good for your health in many different ways says Amber Ray, a nutritionist at St. Luke’s.

“If you quit drinking for 30 days even, you could see an improvement in your skin, you can see an improvement in your energy, you’ll feel much more energetic, improved digestive system, all sorts of things,” said Ray.

Ray says for most people who regularly drink, there can be long-term benefits to stopping or cutting back for a longer period. “Really just the benefit is to have a nice fresh start to the year. A lot of the benefits will be improved sleep, improved quality of sleep, just overall feeling better, more alert. And then you can have long-term benefits if you continue with dry January, including decreased risk of heart disease, liver disease, decreased risk of certain types of head and neck cancers and breast cancer and are just to name a few,” Ray said.

During a Dry January, it’s important that you not simply hibernate at home. It’s recommended that you find other activities.  As more and more drinking establishments are offering alternatives, a person who is not drinking does not have to worry about being left out.

“We get a lot of people in who might just be wanting to check out one of the food trucks or food vendors that are here and enjoy a nonalcoholic beverage,” said Pepin Young of Bent Paddle.  “I think that this helps us we’ve seen over the years, our NA  beverage grow from roughly, you know, 2020 to like 2023 as much as like 10% to 11% of our total overall business. And so, yeah, I like to say we’re meeting people where they’re at.”

For nearly a year Bent Paddle has operated its Cann-A-Lounge. It serves only CBD and THC beverages, no alcohol and recently introduced Hop Stream its own brand of Hop Water.

So for many people, the benefits of Dry January are worth the efforts it takes to change old habits.