Staying Fit
Photo Illustration: MOA; (Source: Getty Images (2))
To start off the new year on a healthier note, more and more people are hopping on the Dry January trend. If you’re wondering if this is the year to try a month of sobriety, our AARP smart guide can help walk you through the process.
GETTING STARTED
1. Be radically honest with yourself
If Dry January seems daunting, it may be time to look at recent lifestyle challenges that have led to an increase in your drinking. For example, “retirement brings special challenges as one loses the social support of coworkers and the structure that a job provides,” says Joseph R. Volpicelli M.D., executive director at the Institute of Addiction Medicine. “Free of the demands placed by a job, [retirees find that] alcohol drinking has one less constraint and can gradually increase.” Due to “increased isolation and fewer constraints on their drinking” during the pandemic, many drank more. Plus, losing a loved one, especially your spouse, can have “a profound effect on increased sadness and loneliness,” Volpicelli says.
2. Understand “unhealthy drinking”
Evaluate your level of drinking. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) advises limiting your intake to one drink or less for women and two drinks or less for men per day. Unhealthy drinking is either drinking too much on a particular day (binge drinking) or having too many drinks over a week (heavy drinking), explains Volpicelli. “Research shows that alcohol drinking has no absolute safe level and risks increase the more one drinks,” he says. Although the risks are lower for adults who follow the guidelines above, Volpicelli says that “levels of moderate drinking decrease [because] drinking later in life poses several increased health risks.”
3. Know your personal “why”
Whatever inspired you to try Dry January, keep that in mind as you tackle an alcohol-free month. “Recognize that this is something you are doing for yourself primarily — a gift of improved physical and emotional health that’ll benefit you year-round,” says Edie Weinstein, a licensed social worker, psychotherapist and interfaith minister. “Don’t look at it as a New Year’s resolution. Consider it a lifestyle change and a shift in attitude about alcohol.” Even when (or if) you go back to consuming alcohol, you’ll now know how you feel sans alcohol.
4. Track the benefits
How do you know if Dry January is benefiting your body? Journal about it, recommends Lisa Smith, author of Girl Walks Out of a Bar and cohost of the podcast Recovery Rocks. “Go gently with yourself and pay attention to how you feel without the alcohol. Are you sleeping better? Feeling less sluggish in the morning? Eating better? Have a clearer head?” says Smith. Volpicelli says a short break from alcohol can mean better control of your blood pressure or blood sugar (diabetes), reduced heartburn and belly pain, less risk of falling and bone fractures, less dehydration and improved skin health, less chance of car accidents, improved energy, fewer feelings of anxiety, more time for recreational activities and improved relationships with others.
5. Don’t stress about tomorrow
“Try to [focus on] the current day,” says Smith. “Don't worry about how you'll skip alcohol tomorrow or for the rest of the month. Remember that if you do drink, you can just pick right up and start again the next day. No need to be perfect!”
6. Understand and avoid triggers
When you begin Dry January, you may notice that certain thoughts, feelings, people, places or things make you crave alcohol. “Triggers include loneliness, boredom, stress and health issues,” explains Rehan Aziz, a geriatric psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “Retirement is a particularly challenging time. It can bring major changes in social roles and social networks, as well as changes to assets like income and health insurance. Any of these factors can cause loneliness and stress, which can lead to depression.”
7. Talk to your doctor
“Many health care professionals fail to ask patients about their drinking, and this is especially true for older adults,” says Volpicelli. Bring up the topic with your doctors, since even moderate drinking can “increase the risk of cancer or neurological damage.” Ask your doctor to measure liver enzymes, he advises. “As the liver is damaged by alcohol, liver cells release enzymes in the bloodstream that can be easily measured. If the results show liver damage not associated with other medical disorders, then a reduction in drinking or a period of abstinence is a good idea.”
8. Consider whether medication would help
If you crave alcohol or experience difficulty in controlling your alcohol use, Volpicelli recommends asking your doctor about medications such as naltrexone or acamprosate to reduce the feeling of needing to drink. “These FDA-approved medications are helpful for a wide range of people,” he explains. “The medications are safe for older people and generally do not interact with other medications. The medication naltrexone has been tested specifically for older adults and found to be safe and effective.”
9. Avoid self-medicating with alcohol
Many factors can lead to self-medicating with alcohol as we age, says Gary Small, chief of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center and author of The Memory Bible: An Innovative Strategy for Keeping Your Brain Young. These include health, marital and financial issues, and questions about retirement. “Uncertainty and indecisiveness about retirement can lead to anxiety, insomnia, and other psychological and physical symptoms,” he explains. He recommends identifying some of your life's stressors and adding ways to reduce stress to your routine, such as “exercise, meditation, 12-step groups and spending time with people who don’t drink.” Seek professional help to address triggers to drinking, and recognize that triggers can mean that it’s time to “substitute other ways to reduce stress and avoid the harmful effects of excess alcohol use,” he adds.
10. Address anxiety and depression
Life stressors lead to increased anxiety and depression. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, explains Weinstein, so “if someone is already feeling depressed, it is likely to exacerbate the symptoms of depression.” She adds, “As we age, we may become more susceptible to depression and anxiety for reasons related to loss, illness and incapacity. Widowhood, children leaving home, change in routine, income level adjustment, cognitive decline and isolation are all contributing factors.” Drinking suppresses anxious or depressed moods, but “the rebound effect once they stop drinking can worsen anxiety and depression,” says Aziz. If your anxiety and depression have increased over time, talk to your doctor.
11. Get better sleep
Many believe that alcohol helps with falling and staying asleep, but that’s not the case. Volpicelli notes that alcohol can increase the frequency of having to urinate during the night and that “alcohol relaxes muscles and can increase snoring and sleep apnea.” During Dry January, take the opportunity to chart your sleep pattern and record how you feel the next day, he advises.
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