Some "Expert" Says That If You Do Sober January You May Have A Drinking Problem
Source - Dry January may encourage people to drink more in the festive season and prevent problem drinkers facing up to their addiction, a liver consultant has warned.
Dr Mark Wright, a consultant in liver medicine at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said the month-long detox may act as a ‘decoy’ for permanently cutting down.
Dr Wright said more emphasis should be placed on consistent moderate consumption throughout the year – and likened Dry January to “trying to solve all your financial problems by living like a hermit for a month”.
“The danger is that abstaining for a month can make it seem like people have a grip on their levels of drinking but, in fact, it can be the perfect decoy to justify drinking far too much in the festive season with increased intake for the rest of the year,” he said.
Hold the phone, Doc. You mean to tell me that if I want to STOP drinking for a month, it means I have a drinking problem? That seems more like Catholic guilt than actual medical advice. Don’t get me wrong, if you do sober January, alcohol is probably much more relevant in your life than it needs to be, but some people actually just want to start the year sober.
“What people need to do is be aware of their consumption all year round, aiming to stick at about 14 units per week with three to four dry days. Giving up alcohol for a dry January as some sort of detox is like maxing out your credit cards all year and thinking you can solve your financial problems by living like a hermit for a month.
It just isn’t going to make things better if you then go back to your usual habits in February.”
By saying “make things better” you’re assuming that people want/need to “make things better.” And I don’t know what they consider to be a”unit” but 14 units per week seems like a lot. Especially over the course of a few days.
Dr Wright also said the month was useful in giving people an opportunity to examine their relationship with alcohol. “If anyone is planning a dry January and they only manage a few days, they should consider that they may have more of a problem with booze than they think,” he added.
“Many people who die from alcohol-related causes would not have considered themselves to have had a drink problem, just that they drank too much on a regular basis.”
Again, you JUST said that people need to keep it to fourteen drinks a WEEK and now you’re saying that if you do sober January, you’re a drunk. You know what they say, haters gonna hate.
The real reason people do sober January is to either A) save money or B) not feel like a piece of shit every Monday morning on their way to work. I didn’t do sober January last year, but I stopped drinking for two months before Rough N Rowdy and saved like a million dollars. I didn’t know what to do with it because I hate spending money on non-perishable items, but it felt great. I also was able to take advantage of the day on weekends. Which was kind of cool until I got bored and wanted to have a drink. The only downside is that your social life sucks. Luckily, I don’t have one, but if I did it would’ve been tough to go out when everyone else was drinking. I went out to eat a few times and had to split the bill while everyone was drinking which was also tough. Makes you realize just how expensive drinks are in the city.
So if you want to do sober January, do it. There’s no shame in starting the year off on the right foot…despite what Dr. Write says. And if you don’t want to do sober January, don’t. ShoeNice has never done it and he’s doing just fine.