Sure you could be fitter and healthier off the sauce, but at what cost? There are some really good reasons to stay in the pub this January.
So, January is upon us. The post-Christmas guilt has set in and most people are trying to take positive steps to improve their lives.
This can come in a few forms - most people try faddy schemes like Veganuary or Dry January as a way to improve their winter wellbeing and/or shed a few pounds.
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It seems like a good idea - you'll be healthier and fitter as well as feeling great inside too because you won't be spending your mornings scrambling around in the dark with a hangover.
Well, here are a few good reasons that you shouldn't do it! Eat vegan if you like, but January is no time to be giving up the drink.
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Firstly, is it really going to make you feel better? While it is a well-known fact that alcohol is a depressant, within reasonable doses it can boost your mood - so just don't overdo it.
Also, going to the pub with mates is great for your mental well-being, so why would you deny yourself that simple pleasure at the bleakest time of the year?
Studies have also shown that drinking (again, within a certain amount) can actually lower your risk of heart failure and heart attacks.
Despite all of these benefits, you might not be completely sold on the idea of stopping Dry January yet. Well, stop being so bloody selfish.
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Think of someone but yourself for once, and remember that your actions have consequences for the humble pub landlord.
Research done by CAMRA suggests that 27 pubs close every week in the UK. After the bumper month of December many watering holes experience a lean period throughout January because everyone is in the gym or at home instead of propping up their local bar.
Which leads us to another reason to go to the pub in January - before Christmas you couldn't get in at the bar because of part-timers ordering a coffee, three gin and tonics with three different gins, two pints of ale... Can I try both please?... Cheers mate... Oh, and a Guinness too.
Well they're gone. And they won't be back for nearly a whole year. Rejoice! The pubs are now firmly back in the control of those who know how to behave in them.
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If that weren't enough, it turns out that January sales aren't just for people who inexplicably clog up motorways on New Year's Day trying to buy a new sofa. Wetherspoons are having a huge sale in which most popular drinks will be cheaper than normal. Get in.
It's already dirt cheap in there, so imagine what you can get now. This is is also great news for everyone waiting patiently for that end of January payday.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and support your local community, make yourself feel better, enjoy a peaceful drink and forget about Dry January!
Featured Image Credit: PA