The month of January has come to an end and with it the challenge of the month without alcohol, the “Dry January”. Between those who went all the way and those who did not hold out, when it comes to taking stock, what lessons do they draw from it?
Very popular in the United Kingdom, this challenge invites the French to stop their alcohol consumption during this winter month. This year, the Dry January seemed to interest the French. According to a poll carried out by Ifop in December 2022, nearly a third of respondents were considering taking up the challenge. At the time of the balance sheet, the Addictology Federation counts more than 16,000 subscribers on the site dedicated to the challenge.
Have a social experience
In our podcast, first listen to our report in Paris with young people, then Catherine Delorme, vice-president of the Addiction Federation, a network of associations on addictology. According to her, the “Dry January” allows above all to live a social experience. Giving it up can be a way to observe how much alcohol is “socially embedded in our society”. The most convincing example according to her: “afterwork” and “happy hours”.
Baptiste, a 23-year-old student, took part in “Dry January”. This social pressure, he experienced it in the evening with his friends, but also in bars. “One waiter in particular made me think: ‘Here is another one who does the ‘Dry January'”, and I said to myself: “if even they put themselves to this social pressure, I understand that there can be havoc with alcohol”.
Health regained even after a month
The other learning this month for Baptiste is in terms of his health. “I’m less tired, around four o’clock I no longer have the usual helm. I can fall asleep better. I feel good, I even feel better than a month ago”. Benefits confirmed by Catherine Delorme. According to her, even over a month, the effects are visible. “That’s what’s interesting, there are already gratifying signs, which reinforces the dynamic of the participants to continue the challenge. »
In the UK, a investigation carried out in 2018 by the University of Sussex establishes the benefits of the challenge. She notes that 71% of participants sleep better, 67% believe they have more energy and 57% observe better concentration.
And after ?
According to Catherine Delorme, studies on “Dry January” in the United Kingdom show that the resumption of alcohol consumption is gradual. “People consume very differently at least for six months after ‘Dry January’.” The summer period remains conducive to a resumption of consumption according to her, proof once again that alcohol is an essentially social practice. Over time, she observes that the participants consume differently. They know how to spot “reflex glasses” and put them aside.
Like the tobacco-free month in November, the Addiction Federation would like to see “Dry January” become a government campaign. “The fight against tobacco was present from the first cancer plan, under Chirac. We had time to work on it. When a campaign is a public health policy, with the financial means that go with it, we don’t have the same results”. During its previous edition in 2022, the tobacco-free month brought together more than 160,000 participants.
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