It is January, the month known as Dry January. A month without alcohol. Are you participating in Dry January? Not yet? Then read on quickly and discover why you should also participate in Dry January.
Dry January is originally, at least the concept, a Finnish invention. In 1942, an alcohol-free month (January) was organized in Finland for the first time. This phenomenon was also known as Tipaton Timmaku and was mainly intended to help the Finns through the war. The result was astonishing:25% of Finns still don't drink alcohol.
The alcohol-free month was introduced here after Great Britain successfully launched Dry January in 2014. Other countries soon followed suit, including the Netherlands. Here the campaign is mainly known from ikpas.nl. So the idea is that you abstain from drinking alcohol, in any form, for a month. So don't cut back or take a smaller percentage, but just:no alcohol for 31 days.
The reason that an alcohol-free month is organized every year is very simple. This campaign aims to make people aware of their alcohol consumption. Did you know, for example, that the Dutch drink an average of 7 liters of pure alcohol per year? And that the campaign contributes to making people more aware of drinking? And that the percentage of people who do not drink or pay more attention to their behavior is more than 40%?
Incidentally, the new alcohol law that came into effect on 1 July 2021 also contributed to this. Especially for young people it is becoming increasingly difficult to get alcohol. It has even become a criminal offense for adults to buy alcohol for a minor.
Maybe you are used to having a drink every day. Many people believe that drinking some alcohol before going to sleep will help them get a better night's sleep. Unfortunately, the opposite is true and the alcohol can actually make you sleep worse. Your body also relaxes less well with alcohol.
But why stop drinking alcohol even more? Below you will find all the reasons in a row:
It is not easy for everyone to stop drinking. Nevertheless, you can take a number of steps to make it easier for yourself:
It may sound strange, but I've never consciously drank in all my life. I say deliberately, because I suspect that I once had a bowl with some drink as a child. But I can't say that for sure. In any case, I never consciously drank a drop of alcohol. That is indeed a conscious choice that I made, not only because of my faith, but also because I experienced first-hand what alcohol can do to you.
My grandfathers were both alcoholics, although one grandfather could hide it well. My other grandfather was literally always drunk. My father was also an alcoholic until he came to faith. After that he didn't touch a drop again.
All in all, everything has ensured that I stay away from alcohol and therefore will not promote it on my websites. By the way, I enjoy myself just as much and to be happy I don't need alcohol. Nowadays there are more than enough alternatives to enjoy a tasty mocktail every now and then. It's even hip and trendy to be a total abstainer.
