Don't want to do Dry January? Try this alcohol expert's three simple rules for healthier drinking instead
Don't want to do Dry January? Try this alcohol expert's three simple rules for healthier drinking instead
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Mindful drinking can be a year-round practice with these simple tips. Dry January is in full swing, but it’s not for everyone. A large portion of the population still wants to enjoy a drink, and the pleasures that come with it; flavour, feeling more relaxed and smoother socialising, to name a few. What’s not so popular is the hangover and grogginess that follows, along with other negative health impacts.
“I drink, so [the health risks] don’t worry me enough to stop,” says Professor Nutt. But he does recommend taking a more mindful approach to alcohol consumption, which can be summarised by the three simple tips below. “A general rule of thumb is to never have a drink that doesn't serve a purpose,” says Professor Nutt. “It can relax you, make you more sociable or let you have fun with others. But drinks that don’t do that, you should stop using.”.
The points above outline the possible plus-sides of drinking. However, some people use alcohol to dampen negative emotions and escape them for a short while, which can cause problems to build up and dependency to develop, Professor Nutt says. “A significant proportion of people reduced their alcohol consumption during Covid because they only felt the need for alcohol in social situations. But more people drank more,” he explains.
