A doctor who hasn't touched alcohol for three years has issued some advice for people doing Dry January.
Whether it's to give your liver a break after the festive period, or if it's for the supposed health benefits, millions of Brits are estimated to have started the trend this month.
Dr Alex George (@dralexgeorge) is one of the many voices for sobriety online after he quit booze in 2022 following the death of his younger brother.
“Grief’s overwhelming. I’m 20 stone overweight. Everything’s a mess. I need to stop this thing. I ultimately had to make that difficult choice… I don’t want to do this anymore, and it’s time to change,” he said of his reason to stop in a recent video.
Advert
Having celebrated being three years sober, the Love Island doctor shared several things to try out for a successful Dry Jan.
Know your why
Dr George said it's useful to know 'why' you're doing Dry Jan and to jot it down 'on your notes app on your phone now'.
“Is it because of health? Do you want to save money? Is it a new challenge? Are you sick of the hangovers? If you know the why, why you’re doing this, you’re much more likely to enjoy yourself,” he told viewers.
Don't just 'not drink'
“Don’t go into this Dry Jan just thinking, I’m just going to not drink,” the UK doctor insisted.
“I think that the people that go, I’m just going to not drink throughout January can have a really good experience. But not as good as if you go, why am I doing this? Let’s embrace it.”
Swap social habits, not social life
He said that it’s really important to 'make sure you don’t just sit inside'.
“Make sure that you are having at least one meaningful social interaction each weekend,” Dr George added.
“It’s finding ways to swap out the drinking interaction to something interesting.”
Alcohol-free drinks you like
The TV personality suggested to find alcohol-free alternatives that you actually like.
He said it's fine to 'enjoy a treat without alcohol in it'.
Replace alcohol as a stress or emotional regulator
“If you have been using alcohol as a stress release, as an emotional regulator, I guess you need something else to do the job of that,” he said.
“There needs to be other ways that you’re going to release emotion and make yourself feel good.
“That might be mindfulness, it might be playing music, it might be exercise, talking with friends.”
Good dopamine instead of alcohol dopamine
Dopamine, commonly referred to as the happy chemical, is often activated in your brain when you drink alcohol.
“You need to replace that dopamine with something else,” Dr George advised.
“Hard earned dopamine like being in the shower, cold shower, climbing a mountain, exercising, being with friends.
“Those hard earned dopamine mechanisms give you a lovely long sail sign.”
Understand cravings
Alcohol withdrawal is 'a risk' you need to be aware of, as Dr George suggests to speak to your doctor to understand why this is expected.
Upsides
“One of the positive things which is beautiful is that they notice that you don’t have hangovers,” he said of people who are able to get through the month.
“The mornings are much brighter and your energy starts rising. You might notice you love mornings more. And I think that’s something to really embrace and to enjoy.”
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Alcohol, Dry January, Health
Anish Vij