Dry January: yes or no? Or perhaps it would be better to say yes or no?. Recently it was French President Emmanuel Macron who opposed the possible support that his government should have given to the practice of Dry January, supported by French doctors. And the Not of Macron is legitimate in a certain sense. Rather than avoid alcohol throughout January, it would be better to start teaching, especially young people, how to drink truly responsibly.
Dry January and Damp January, what are they?
A position taken by the French president who has the data on his side, both in France and in Italy. For example, in our country according to the report drawn up byNational Alcohol Observatory of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in 2023 alone, 1 million 370 young people aged between 11 and 25 abused alcohol. In France the figure is around 11 million, taking into account adults and minors. A real abuse at the root of tumors and early deaths. LThe WHO estimates that every year 3 million people die due to excessive alcohol use.
This is how, faced with the request of some French experts and doctors for the government to support “Dry January”, President Macron said no, convinced that awareness and education campaigns about drinking are much more useful and effective.
Born as challenge on social media in 2014, the Dry January is nothing other than stopping alcohol for the entire month of January and following the Christmas revelry. An initiative that, as it has reported the New York Times involves between 15-19% of Americans: «So much for the Dry January as well as Damp January, i.e. reducing the introduction of alcohol, the aim is to purify the body to regenerate it” explains the doctor Barbara Panterna, geriatrician nutritionist.
How does the body react to Dry January?
But as the expert explains, Dry January is not suitable for everyone: «If a person makes a occasional use, it will not be difficult to completely eliminate alcohol intake for a month, and will not have negative implications, either on a physical or psychological level. However, if a person introduced too many during the holidays then it is different. RInducing them gradually for the entire month is an excellent strategy that provides benefits. But it is important maintain this habit of occasional alcohol intake even during the other months of the yearto have lasting benefits it should become a lifestyle” explains the expert.
Different, and more serious if we are talking about real alcohol abuse. In this case indeed Suddenly stopping consumption is never a good idea: «First of all, it is necessary to be followed by a professional as there could be unpleasant psychological and physical implications if managed independently.
The most important physical consequence is the alcohol withdrawal syndrome which can occur within 6 hours of stopping consumption and which can be characterized by symptoms such as tremors, insomnia, anxiety and nervousness, headache, asthenia, excessive sweating, gastrointestinal disorders, electrolyte imbalances, tachycardia, blood pressure increases. In some cases it can even lead to a very serious condition, the delirium tremens which must be considered a true medical emergency and can usually occur approximately 24-72 hours after the sudden interruption. In this case they occur hallucinations, severe dehydration, convulsions, fever, mental confusion which can be fatal if not promptly treated by qualified medical personnel in hospital.”
The benefits of Dry January and Damp January
For those who do not have abuse problems, the practice of Dry or Damp January has many benefits. The first is a improvement in your waistline and abdominal swelling, as well as weight loss. Furthermore you have a mood stabilization, also due to a more peaceful sleepto a greater concentration and an improvement in some values such as triglycerides and transaminases, explains the expert.
So how do you know when to stop so as not to abuse alcohol? «Approximately the Chronic excessive drinking begins with an average intake of about 2 standard drinks per day for women and about 4 for men. Learn to drinking occasionally is really the only strategy to preserve our health over time.”
For this reason perhaps it is better to educate people rather than prevent them from drinking: «Especially with regard to young and very young people, it is important to make them understand the damage that alcohol abuse can cause thanks to correct disclosure and common sense, without creating unnecessary alarmism. And everything must necessarily be done by true medical professionals. On social media it can happen that you follow the advice of people who have many followers but are not experts, thus making incorrect disclosure.”
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