Dry January Making Sobriety The Hot New Trend…For A Month At Least

There is a hot new trend going around called Dry January. I assume someone with a huge hangover came up with this idea.

I know I've had that moment before, and you probably have too. After a rowdy night of partying, you're laying in bed the next day, still wearing last night's clothes and clutching a half eaten cheeseburger wishing you never drank. Now, there is a growing trend called "Dry January," where people abstain from drinking for the entire month. According to the charity Alcohol Concern, four times more people signed up for Dry January in 2014 than the previous year, and they expect thousands more to participate this year. In the Fall, more than 100,000 participated in Sober For October, which is three times more than the year before.

But why would people want to quit drinking for the month? There are a few reasons, and different benefits for doing it. Apparently 70% of the participants actually finished their pledge, and it shows them they are able to refrain from drinking for a period of time. According to participants, about 70% were drinking less six months later, while 4% were still not drinking. Even those who didn't finish the entire month sober, they drank significantly less alcohol after.

One of my favorite parts of quitting drinking for a month? It can help you with that New Year diet you just started. One glass of wine has 123 calories, Budweiser has 143 calories in it and even Bud Light has 110 calories. If you have one alcoholic beverage when you get home after work Monday through Friday for one year, you are drinking the caloric equivalent to 221 doughnuts. So if you give up drinking for one month, you can help yourself lose even more of those holiday pounds.

You can learn more about Dry January from Newsweek.