Dry January has become a fashionable excuse to justify dangerous drinking habits in December and February, addiction experts have warned. It is estimated that almost one in three men and around one-quarter of women are planning to avoid alcohol in the new year, according to the charity Alcohol Change UK, which founded in 2013. But the Priory Group, one of the UK’s leading alcohol withdrawal specialists, has issued an urgent warning, arguing that the scheme could exacerbate .
Dr Niall Campbell, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Group, said: “Dry January is a fantastic initiative. It is very popular and the health benefits of completing it are significant. “But I worry that it has become a fashionable exercise for a lot of people.
As a society, we need a wake-up call. “If you use Dry January as an excuse to drink to excess in December and February, and the rest of the year, then you’re missing the point. Increasingly, that’s what we’re seeing.
” The foundations of Dry January began in 2011 when Emily Robinson signed up for a half marathon in February and vowed to give up alcohol for the month before in preparation. She found she lost weight, slept better and gained more energy. When Ms Robinson joined the following year, she suggested making Dry January an annual challenge to show people how much their health improved with a month off booze.
Around 15.5 million people in the UK are expected to abstain from alcohol for 31 days, starting on Wednesday. However, .
