For three years now, Jennifer Garrett and nearly 50 of her friends spread across metro Atlanta have resolved to swear off alcohol for the entire month of January.
It is a spiritual and mental exercise Garrett says helps them start the year anew.
“Fasting is a way to sacrifice something but it opens up more time and thought, dedicating my year to the Lord as a way to start with my mind focused,” she said. “Of course after the holidays, it’s a way to start clean, to get back on track.”
Garrett, a 30-year-old account strategist with See.Spark.Go in Athens, and her friends are among a great many Atlantans who start the year off following the Daniel Fast, inspired by the Biblical prophet Daniel.
According to two passages in the Bible, Daniel fasted twice. During the first fast, he ate only vegetables and water to set himself apart for God. For a second fast mentioned in a later chapter, Daniel stopped eating meat, wine and other rich foods.
But swearing off alcohol, it turns out, isn’t just for those on the Daniel fast.
Giving up booze 30 days at the start of the year — better known as Dry January — is an annual resolution made popular in the U.K., where a national charity called Alcohol Concern set out to change the culture around alcohol there and founded www.dryjanuary.org.uk.
This year being the exception, Connie Popwell and Margaret-Parham Holt, both of whom describe themselves as social drinkers, have been making the Dry January resolution for years.
Popwell, 27, said the alcohol fast is a great way to get clarity for the year ahead. But she just couldn’t see not raising a glass of champagne at her best friend’s wedding early this month.
Still, she said, “Every year that I do it, I get completely refocused.”
The owner of the Pure Barre fitness center in Athens, she said, “I just can’t say enough for how much energy and clarity can be gained from opting out of drinking.”
If the science is correct, however, there is something to be said about Dry January’s benefits.
Research by the University of Sussex, for instance, found it reduces harmful drinking all year round.
The research results, published to coincide with the launch of the 2015 Dry January campaign, revealed that 72 percent of study participants had maintained lower levels of harmful drinking and 4 percent were still not drinking after six months.
They were also more likely to say no to a drink in social situations, when feeling worried or upset, and in situations where they would normally have had a drink.
People also reported, among other things, feeling a sense of achievement (82 percent), saving money (79 percent) and sleeping better (62 percent).
Benefits or not, Dr. Robert Brewer, leader of the Centers for Disease Control’s alcohol programs, said adult drinkers should adhere to the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines on Alcohol when indulging: no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.
“Based on studies, most adults who drink don’t adhere to the dietary guidelines so we have a lot of work to do,” he said. “However, we’re most concerned about binge drinking – consuming four or more drinks in a short period of time for women, five or more drinks in a short period of time for men - because drinking at this level greatly increases the chances of getting hurt or developing serious health problems over time, like cancer and heart disease.”
Brewer said that he isn’t aware of any recommendation related to Dry January but if it leads people to greater adherence to the dietary guidelines on alcohol, that’s good.
For her part, Holt, 26, of Buckhead, wasn’t looking for any benefits when she joined the Dry January craze with her brother in 2006.
“The reason I started doing it is because there is alcoholism on both sides of our family,” she said.
But like Popwell, she’s taking time off to indulge at weddings and bachelorette parties this month.
“There’s a celebration almost every weekend,” she said.
Holt said she chose to abstain in February last year and she might do that again this year.
“I haven’t ruled out sober February yet,” she said.
About the Author
