Why I’m not doing ‘Dry January’ – and you don’t have to either

I have never taken an extended break from alcohol for any reason other than being pregnant. The thought of not having a drink through the longest, coldest, darkest month fills me with a deep sense of misery – the sort that can only be fixed with a glass of champagne.

Now, it goes without saying that if you’re in recovery, a heavy drinker, or have encountered some trauma during the Christmas period, then a stretch of abstinence is a great opportunity to reconsider your relationship with alcohol. But if, like me, you’re a contented moderate drinker, then perhaps you should pause before signing up to something that might make you feel desolate. The world is a dark place at the moment. We don’t need to cast an even longer shadow on it.

The roots of Dry January actually date back to the Second World War, when the Finnish introduced something called “Ratis Januar” or “Sober January” – this was intended as a contribution to the war effort, to help conserve resources and promote good collective citizenship. Its more recent incarnation was introduced in 2013 by the organisation Alcohol Change UK, and research indicates that approximately 9 million people in the UK will attempt Dry January this year.