{"id":31538,"date":"2019-02-01T15:11:43","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T15:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=31538"},"modified":"2019-02-01T15:11:43","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T15:11:43","slug":"so-how-was-dry-january-for-you-cardiff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/01\/so-how-was-dry-january-for-you-cardiff\/","title":{"rendered":"So how was Dry January for you, Cardiff?"},"content":{"rendered":"

IT’S 9pm on Saturday night, I\u2019m sitting on the sofa in my bear-eared dressing gown and I\u2019m happy.\u00a0 I\u2019m happy because my house is\u00a0warm\u00a0and\u00a0I have\u00a0finally found the willpower to turn down a night out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis year I decided not to commit to Dry January after last year\u2019s attempt\u00a0where I\u00a0broke\u00a0my booze ban\u00a0on day one. However, I felt inspired, if not a little guilty, by the genuine #DryJanuary2019 attempts on social media and\u00a0decided I’d make an effort to\u00a0cut down.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nMy phone\u00a0pings\u00a0and before I\u2019ve had a chance to read the message, I’m dressed and with\u00a0my friends.\u00a0It\u2019s not long before a drink finds its way into my hand. \u201cCome on, you know you want to!\u201d it said.\u00a0\u00a0Oh dear.\u00a0<\/span>
\nDry January is a challenge set up by\u00a0Alcohol Change UK<\/a>\u00a0to encourage people to give up alcohol for a month, and to encourage healthier long-term drinking habits.\u00a0<\/span>
\nResearch conducted by the Royal Free Hospital in 2018 found that taking just one month off alcohol has a\u00a0catalogue of health\u00a0benefits.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt lowers blood pressure, reduces diabetes risk, cholesterol, and levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood. That\u2019s not forgetting\u00a0weight-loss,\u00a0saving\u00a0money\u00a0and improving\u00a0sleep.\u00a0<\/span>
\n

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