Ready to take on the challenge of controlling your alcohol consumption? Like every year for more than a decade, millions of people around the world will stop elbow raises for a month. This is what is commonly called Dry Januaryor January Challenge in its French version.
The principle could not be simpler: do not drink alcohol during the month of January, after the excesses of the end-of-year celebrations. Dry January comes to us from the United Kingdom, where it was created in 2013 by the British organization Alcohol Change.
At the origin of this idea was one Emily Robinson, who had decided to give up her alcohol consumption during her month of preparation for a half marathon in 2011. She then joined Alcohol Change and launched the idea of encouraging people to do the same. same. . The first Dry January It was launched in 2013 and attracted 4,000 participants across the English Channel.
41,000 alcohol-related deaths per year
Year after year, the phenomenon grows and crosses borders. Today, national campaigns are deployed in 12 countries, including 9 in Europe.
In France, the campaign has the support of associations that fight against alcoholism and convinces 24% of the population to try the experiment in 2022. However, in the face of protests from wine lobbies since its first French edition in 2020, The public authorities withdrew from the operation. , which continued without government support.
Yannick Neuder, appointed Minister of Health by François Bayrou on December 23, accused of supporting the wine industry despite public health recommendations, finally announced that he would participate in the 2025 edition of the Challenge in January.
In France, alcohol consumption causes 41,000 deaths a year, according to Public Health France. According to several studies, alcohol, a major social problem, even in small doses, causes health risks.
Among the benefits attributed to Dry Januarybetter control of alcohol consumption, better sleep, general improvement in the participants’ health or weight loss.
Source: BFM TV
