Why You Should Skip Dry January |
Every year, millions of people make the same mistake: they swear off alcohol for the first month of the New Year as part of Dry January. Then February shows up, and so do their old habits.
If your goal is better health, not a 31-day performance of virtue, the smarter play is to redesign how you drink for the next 12 months, rather than to white knuckle one of them.
Research consistently shows us that longevity isn’t about extremes—it’s about moderation, consistency, and connection. Many healthy people don’t cut alcohol completely; they drink lightly, socially, and purposefully. What protects their hearts and extends their lives isn’t the wine, but the friends across the dinner table. Real health intervention isn’t always complete abstinence; it’s often about community and balance.
There have been a wide range of studies about how alcohol impacts the body, but many agree that not drinking at all is probably best for a long and healthy life. It can disrupt sleep, cause early cognitive decline, and cancer. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.” To be sure, some studies have found modest cardiovascular benefits to light drinking. But what’s not up for debate: heavy use, binge drinking, and drinking alone are unequivocally harmful.
Yet,........