01 Jan In the spirit of “New year, new you” have you considered trying Dry January?

What is Dry January?

As the name suggests, Dry January is an initiative that encourages people to stop drinking alcohol for the month of January. Dry January was devised by Alcohol Change UK in 2013 and last year over 130,000 people participated in the challenge.

The health impacts of alcohol

The NHS recommends that adults drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, and that these should be spread over the course of 3 or more days.

Excessive alcohol consumption has also been found to weaken the immune system – making people more susceptible to things like colds and flu. It has also been linked to a number of health conditions. These include:

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Liver disease
• Various cancers

Did you know that alcohol affects your oral health too?

Drinking alcohol can affect the health of your mouth in many ways. Excessive alcohol consumption has been identified as a key risk factor for mouth cancer. This is because alcohol contains carcinogenic elements that damage the DNA in cells.

Additionally, many alcoholic beverages are fizzy or high in sugar. Drinking these regularly can lead to problems such as decay and tooth erosion – both of which require dental work to fix!

Alcohol-related injuries such as stumbling over when drunk often affect the face and mouth and can require expensive dental treatment to correct.

So if you want to give Dry January a chance?

Alcohol Change UK also has a number of resources to help you succeed at Dry January, including the Try Dry app that tracks your progress and lets you set customised goals for the year.

If you need any additional support, feel free to speak to our dental team on 0117 9507949 and we will give you the advice and encouragement you need to help reduce your alcohol intake.