5 Reasons to Do a Dry January

Have you been partying hard over the holidays, or over the course of the month? Are the adverse effects of alcohol showing on your skin, in your mood, on your waistline (or even your budget)? Maybe it’s affecting your attitude, sleep, or mental focus? If any of these are showing up for you, it sounds like you need a bit of a reset.

Maybe it’s time for Dry January, a month-long challenge for you to put down the wine, beer, and spirits and give your liver a well-deserved vacation. For many reasons, January is a great time to take the driver's seat in your relationship with alcohol. Dry January can serve as a chance to press pause, reassess your relationship with alcohol, and give yourself a good reason to abstain and reboot.

Here are five reasons to embrace this alcohol-free adventure—who knows, it might just be the reset you always needed.

1. Take the driver's seat in your relationship with alcohol

Have you ever wondered: am I controlling my alcohol or is alcohol controlling me? This is an important question that can help you decide if Dry January is right for you. This sober curious adventure isn't just about physical health—it’s a mental and emotional journey, too. It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and ask yourself: Why do I drink? Is it a habit, a product of social pressure, or a genuine enjoyment? Dry January gives you the chance to step back and evaluate your habits and how they align with your goals and wellbeing. Maybe you'll realize that you were relying on a glass of wine more often than you’d like, or perhaps you'll find that you didn't miss it as much as you thought. By taking this break, you’ll gain clarity and valuable insights into your relationship with alcohol, helping you make more intentional choices about your health and wellness moving forward. Perhaps you’ll discover new ways to celebrate and connect with friends and family without the crutch of alcohol. It's not about swearing off the booze forever but instead, understanding its place in your life and making sure it serves you, not the other way around.

2. Give your skin some love

We all know that alcohol consumption puts an extra burden on the liver, the main organ of detoxification, which can show up on your skin. Alcohol is like that mischievous gremlin that messes with your skin’s hydration, clarity, and elasticity while you sleep. Alcohol is notorious for dehydrating your body, often leaving you with dull, lackluster skin¹. You may also notice occasional zits after a long stint of drinking. Or less than bouncy skin over years of constant alcohol consumption. Even though we can’t turn back the hands of time, we can give your skin a fresh chance to recover during Dry January. Within a few weeks of no alcohol, you’ll likely glow like a freshly watered plant with more hydrated skin that’s happier than ever. On top of ditching alcohol, you can add skin-nourishing herbs like those found in You Dew You® and Rosé-Tinted Glasses™ to help calm skin woes and support the skin while it’s finding its footing without booze. Trust us, your skin will thank you! By taking a month off, you're giving your body the chance to repair and regenerate, leaving you with a healthier, more radiant glow with far fewer skin woes.

3. Get your beauty rest

Some people rely on alcohol to help them wind down and fall asleep in the evenings, but did you know that alcohol actually decreases the quality of your sleep²? Picture this: you wake up on a Saturday morning after a full night's rest, the sun gently streaming through your curtains. You stretch and realize, "Huh, I didn't need that extra cup of coffee to shake off the fog this morning. What gives?" Well, one of the magical benefits of Dry January is the restoration of your natural energy levels and sleep cycle. Alcohol, even in moderate amounts, can disrupt your sleep patterns, decrease restorative REM sleep, and leave you feeling sluggish³. A better approach to falling asleep without alcohol can include drinking tea before bed instead of a glass of wine, improving your sleep hygiene by putting away the phone 30 minutes before rest, and sipping on a soothing sleep support formula like Wine Down™. By opting for a booze-free month, you're giving your body the chance to rest well, leaving you more vibrant and ready to tackle the day without relying on caffeine as your crutch.

4. Crush your fitness goals

Even if your diet is healthy and you have a regular fitness routine, you might still struggle with staying motivated and reaching your fitness goals. That beer or cocktail that might have been a part of your evening wind-down ritual is sneaking empty calories into your system, and those liquid calories can add up⁴! By taking a break from alcohol for the month, you’re decreasing those calories without breaking a sweat. Not only that, alcohol can hinder your workout recovery because of a combination of dehydration and inflammation⁵. The body has a natural inflammatory response that attempts to combat the harmful effects of alcohol⁶, but give your system some extra strength with our turmeric, ginger, and black pepper-based formula, Claim to Flame™. Adding herbs plus skipping the alcohol for the month can give you a speedier recovery and increase gains.

5. Get off the emotional rollercoaster

Have you ever noticed that alcohol makes you feel wonderful in the moment, but hours later it can leave you feeling emotionally distraught? That’s because alcohol messes with your neurotransmitters, the brain's messaging system for mood regulation⁷. Without alcohol, you allow these natural messengers to communicate without interference, leading to a more consistent and balanced mood. Excessive alcohol can also affect your gut microbiome leaving it vulnerable to harmful bacteria that can plummet your mood⁸. Dry January is your chance to push the reset button on moodiness and invite more balance and bliss to your emotions and microbiome. Adding gut-nourishing herbs like those found in Never Been Bitter™ can help reset a distressed microbiome and lay the foundation for a more balanced one. Imagine, in just one month, the emotional highs may not be as extreme and the lows may not be as daunting. You're left with a more level-headed, emotionally grounded you—ready to take on whatever life throws your way with a smile, not a rollercoaster of feels.

New Year, No Booze

For many people, the New Year is a traditional time to set resolutions, but for others, those resolutions can be hard to stick to as time goes on. Give yourself the gift of sobriety by taking a set period of one month to try out Dry January and make your New Year's goals easier to reach.

Ready? Set. Let’s go booze-free.