The benefits of a dry (or damp) January

During dry January, people abstain from drinking alcohol for the whole month as a way to give themselves a physical and mental reset and assess their drinking habits. Other people participate in damp January where they cut back on their alcohol consumption by a certain amount instead of quitting entirely.

"Dry January is not about getting people to stop drinking altogether – it's about giving people control over their drinking," said Richard de Visser, a psychologist at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in England.

Research has shown that even a modest reduction in alcohol consumption can have health benefits, leading to improvements in blood pressure, liver health, and mental health. Reducing your alcohol consumption can also lower your risk of cancer and heart disease and improve your sleep and energy levels.

"Any reduction in drinking is associated with improvements in health," said Katie Witkiewitz, director of the Center on Alcohol, Substance Use and Addiction at the University of New Mexico and a former president of the Society of Addiction Psychology. "As your drinking increases you have increased health risks, and as your drinking decreases you have decreased health risks."

How to successfully cut back on drinking in January

Here are four tips to help you succeed during your dry (or damp) January challenges:

1. Tell people about your plan to cut back

According to Casey McGuire Davidson, a sobriety coach and host of the "The Hello Someday Podcast," telling your friends and family that you plan to change your drinking habits for the month can help hold you accountable.

"Dry January gives people a period of time when they can stop drinking with community and support without a lot of questions," Davidson said. She also recommends reading books that can help you assess your relationship with alcohol or listening to podcasts on sobriety.

2. Identify your triggers for drinking

According to Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California, habits are often cued by certain situations or environments. Recognizing these specific situations can help you change your behavior.

"Understanding where it is that you typically drink, who you're with, what you drink, and disrupting those cues — disrupting the context in some way — is really critical to changing habits," Wood said.

David Wolinsky, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with Johns Hopkins Medicine, recommends writing down observations about your drinking habits throughout the month. Consider the situation that made you want to drink, your thoughts on drinking, and what you did instead.

Alcohol reduction apps like Sunnyside or Reframe can also help you make a plan for dry or damp January. These apps can send daily reminders and track how much alcohol you drink.

3. Add friction

Wood recommends building extra time or effort into a typically seamless activity to decrease your likelihood of engaging in a specific behavior. For example, if you usually pour yourself a glass a wine when you come home from work, moving your wine glasses to the back of the cupboard makes the action slightly more difficult than before and can help you abstain.

Similarly, Davidson recommends removing all alcohol, or at least your favorite drinks, from your home so you're not tempted to drink. Another potential option is to find alcohol alternatives, like nonalcoholic wines, beers, and spirits.

Vedant Pradeep, the co-founder and CEO of Reframe, also noted that cravings will usually diminish after around 20 minutes, so finding ways to occupy yourself when you want to drink can help. "Play a game, go for a walk, talk to your friends or read a book," he said. "Anything that you can do to distract yourself for that period of 20 minutes will go a long way."

4. Practice self-care

Rather than drinking to relax, you can try different activities like reading, cooking, meditation, journaling, or spending time with friends or family. Davidson also recommends rewarding yourself at the end of the day or the end of the week to make the month feel less tiresome.

"This is a period of experimentation and curiosity," Davidson said. "Instead of going to a bar, can you get a pedicure or massage on Friday night? Or get takeout sushi and plan a movie night with friends or your partner?"

Overall, Khadi Oluwatoyin, founder of the Sober Black Girls Club, said to "give yourself grace" over the next few weeks. Be sure to make time to rest and to not take on too many New Year's resolutions at once, such as doing Dry January while also trying a new diet. (Pearson, New York Times, 1/2; O'Connor, Washington Post, 12/26)

Compared to people who never drink alcohol, people who drink low or moderate amounts didn't see any reduction in risk of death from any cause, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open, findings that contradict previous studies that suggested moderate drinking could come with some health benefits.