Why January could be the WORST month to give up alcohol

New Year, new you?

Why? Was the old you really that bad?

According to a YouGov poll commissioned by charity Alcohol Concern, over 3.1 million people are planning to do Dry January and ditch alcohol for a month.

January is a strange old month. People who regularly tank a bottle of wine a night decide that they’re going to give themselves the shakes for a month and bang on about how great they feel whilst simultaneously looking like someone has stamped on their every hope and dream.

Good on the people who do it for charity – but you could just donate and, you know, have a beer as well.

Some pubs would even make the point that they also collect for charity, all year around, and need customers in January filling up their tills as well as the little plastic tubs on the bar top with spare change.

To some, Dry January is the bane of the pub industry at a time when sales are already in decline. People stay away, or even worse drink cordial in a vapid fog of hopelessness, labouring under the misapprehension that after a month, they’ll be happier/thinner/richer/reformed.

Of course, a month makes no real difference to your liver. That’s an ongoing maintenance project.

These are the same people that sit at their desks at work, eating biscuits and dreaming of the burger and chips they’ll probably have for their tea.

Why January is the worst time to give up alcohol

It seems we are a nation of extremists when it comes to drinking. Drink loads and fall over or drink nothing and be smug. Whatever happened to ‘everything in moderation?’

When we decide that we want to be ‘better’, food and drink normally bears the brunt. Gym membership soars, restaurant bookings dip, forcing operators into the world of half-price discounts.

Which used to be fine when you could up-sell people with booze.

Reasons to avoid doing Dry January if you live in Manchester

It’s no secret that January feels like a hard slog. From the freezing cold conditions and dark mornings, to inflated stomach lines and deflated bank accounts, it can feel like an endurance test. But despite the bad rap this month gets, there are plenty of perks to enjoy.

For one, you can grab a bargain as companies do their best to entice you out of hibernation mode. A clear diary is welcome relief after the giddiness of December and allows for time to see and do exactly what you want to do; and with lots of people opting to stay indoors, there’s more room to enjoy experiences when you do venture out.

So, January could be the very WORST month to give up booze. You’re already on a downer post-Xmas, it’s cold, dark and boring. Booze makes it better.

Well, sometimes anyway. If we could actually afford to buy any.

Luckily for you, there’s loads of January offers and Ginuary deals out there from a free wine flight at James Martin to three gin and tonics for a tenner at Atlas Bar.

Drink responsibly.