Dry January as an experiment, not a punishment - Harvard Gazette

"People sometimes have binary mental models about problems with alcohol, but those problems actually fall along a spectrum. The image people have of severe alcohol use disorder is usually of someone whose drinking is impacting their work and relationships, who can't stop, and whose problem is very apparent to people around them. I, of course, do see patients like that in my addiction practice."

"It's a moment to pause and see how alcohol fits in your life. Is it sometimes causing things you don't like to happen? Is it harder than you thought to stop drinking? That can actually open up a conversation - even if it's just with yourself - about wanting to make changes and not waiting for some negative event. In the past, that was often how problems with alcohol were recognized:"

Dry January has become a popular way for people to attempt an alcohol-free month to improve health and wellbeing. An addiction medicine expert highlights cognitive and physical benefits and encourages curiosity rather than guilt as the catalyst for trying sobriety. Alcohol problems exist on a spectrum, from severe alcohol use disorder to milder cases and early-stage drinking that begins to harm health or life. A month-long abstinence offers a lower-stakes opportunity to pause, observe how alcohol fits into daily life, and assess difficulty in stopping. That experience can prompt conversations and motivate earlier changes without waiting for a crisis.

Read at Harvard Gazette