Wellbeing - Dry January and Veganuary

A new year presents an opportunity to start over and focus on our health and wellbeing again. We often make new year’s resolutions to have a healthier start to the year, especially after the festivities around Christmas and New Year.

This year marks 10 years of the Dry January campaign which is a challenge to go alcohol or booze-free throughout the month of January. However it goes beyond this and encourages people to take a month off from alcohol at any point during the year. Dry January encourages people to take control of their drinking habits which could translate to lower consumption overall across the whole year. In 2022, 1 in 5 adults participated in Dry January which was up from 13% in 2021. If current trends hold, even more participants will be signing up this year. If you are considering taking the plunge this year, check out these top tips and resources in this useful Complete Guide To Making It Work by Alicia Gilbert, creator of Soberish (a site dedicated to supporting sobriety).

According to the charity Alcohol Change, during Dry January last year 88 per cent of participants saved money, 7 in 10 people slept better and more than half lost weight (alcoholchange.co.uk). Other benefits include improved blood pressure, improved digestion, healthier skin, stronger immune system, better concentration and more energy.

Another kick start health opportunity is the annual campaign for Veganuary which aims to encourage and support people from all over the world to go vegan for January and throughout the rest of the year. They provide lots of resources, tasty recipes and expert tips. Started in January 2014, around 3,000 people took part and in 2023, more than 700,000 signed up to participate. The view the latest data, you can visit Meatless Meals On The Rise: Studying Vegetarian Statistics (worldanimalfoundation.org).

Benefits include better skin, increased energy levels and better skills in the kitchen and the impact on animals and the environment. As a result of this progressive movement towards a greener way of life, businesses really can’t afford to ignore the increasing trend either; between 2016 and 2017, plant-based food sales in the UK increased by 1,500% (Why has the vegan diet become so popular? - Wellbeing Magazine).

At home, we find ourselves catering for more vegan relatives and friends and if you’re thinking of going vegan in January and beyond, you can discover delicious recipes here - Vegan Recipes | Easy Plant-based Cooking | Veganuary.

Whether you choose to participate in the above campaigns this year or take steps to simply improve your health and wellbeing this year in other ways, January marks a new beginning and an opportunity to start fresh.

Lizzy Turek

Client Research Associate