January is a time when many people resolve to change their habits, including how much alcohol they drink.
Many who celebrated New Year's Eve likely found themselves turning to one of many popular hangover cures. From eating sardines on toast to drinking Pedialyte, some people have created elaborate routines to combat hangovers.
Dr. Patrick McHugh, an emergency physician at Cleveland Clinic Akron General, said carbohydrates are a good option because excessive drinking often leads to low blood sugar. He also recommended drinkers stick to light-colored liquor to prevent bad hangovers.
“The darker alcohols have compounds within them that are metabolized to methanol, and methanol is a toxic alcohol," he said. "It is those small amounts of the methanol in the darker liquors or wines that contribute to the hangover.”
McHugh warned against popular remedies such as fish oil or ibuprofen to prevent a hangover, but recommended people with hangovers eat bland carbohydrates and drink water, ideally with electrolytes.
His biggest recommendation is moderation. He said drinking every night is healthier than rarely drinking and bingeing one night.
For those looking to cut back even more, Northeast Ohio doctors say taking part in Dry January — or “Drynuary” — can have significant health benefits, including a decrease in heart palpitations, headaches and an improvement in their skin complexion.
Dry January is a month of sobriety, often adopted by New Year's resolutioners. Participation in the concept has grown since its inception as more people pursue the health benefits of less alcohol.
Dr. Leslie Koblentz, chief clinical officer consultant of the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County, said often people don’t realize how much they’re drinking, or how it’s affecting them.
“You go to the neighborhood bar and you maybe have four or five drinks and then you leave, and then the next day you do the same thing," Koblentz said. "But Dry-nuary makes you stop, think and then put that thinking into action so that you're not just doing something out of habit.”
Koblentz said people should avoid going cold turkey if they binge drink — for men, that’s five or more drinks in a two-hour time, and for women, that’s four or more drinks in two hours. She added that heavy drinkers should consult a doctor before attempting to go dry.
More than 140,000 people die from excessive alcohol use in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state of Ohio recorded 1,101 fully alcohol-related deaths from 2015 to 2019, an Alcohol-Related Disease Impact Application report found.
The CDC says excessive alcohol use can lead to chronic diseases and other serious problems, including high blood pressure, cancer and mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Alcohol Change UK officially launched Dry January as a campaign in 2013, though the concept of a month of sobriety dates back to 1942 under the Finnish term Raitis tammikuu, or Sober January, during the war against the Soviet Union, according to Forbes.
More than 175,000 people signed up for Alcohol Change UK's Dry January in 2023, according to the organization's website.
A University of Sussex survey of Dry January participants in 2018 found that 80% felt more in control of their drinking after a month of sobriety. Seventy percent said they felt healthier overall while 71% slept better, 67% had more energy 58% reported weight loss.
