WELCOME
WELCOME BACK AFTER THE HOLIDAYS , TAKING A BREAK FROM ALCOHOL IS
BECOMING A LARGER TREND. THANKS
TO THE DRY JANUARY MOVEMENT. THE
IDEA IS THAT YOU JUST DON'T
DRINK FOR THE FIRST MONTH OF THE
NEW YEAR AND THE 31 DAYS IN THAT
MONTH TO FIND OUT MORE. WE'RE
JOINED BY DOCTOR CRAIG ALAN,
VICE PRESIDENT OF ADDICTION
SERVICES FOR HARTFORD HEALTHCARE
AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF
RUSHMORE. RUSHFORD EXCUSE ME.
GOOD MORNING, DR ALAN, HOW ARE
YOU? MORNING SCOTT. GOOD MORNING
, NICOLE. DOING GOOD. HOW DID
THIS WHOLE THING BEGIN? THIS
WHOLE DRY JANUARY THING BEGAN.
WELL IT BEGAN BACK IN THE UK IN
ENGLAND. IN 2013. IT WAS A
PUBLIC HEALTH MOVEMENT AND A
YEAR AFTER YEAR IT CAUGHT ON. SO
THE IDEA WAS PEOPLE WERE
DRINKING TOO MUCH. WE WANT TO DO
SOMETHING FOR THE GENERAL HEALTH
OF THE COMMUNITY. HERE'S AN IDEA
. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT DRINKING
AND WHAT PART IT TAKES IN OUR
LIVES AND WHAT OUR RELATIONSHIP
IS WITH IT. AND PEOPLE LOVE A
GOOD CHALLENGE IN THE BEGINNING
OF THE YEAR, RIGHT? A NEW YEAR.
HOW CAN CHOOSING NOT TO DRINK
THIS MONTH IMPACT YOUR OVERALL
HEALTH? THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS
THAT CAN IMPACT YOUR HEALTH. THE
UH IN IN A SCIENTIFIC WAY. WE
LOOK AT THE INCREASED NUMBER OF
DEATHS FROM ALCOHOL OVER THE
LAST 10 AND 20 YEARS,
PARTICULARLY ARISE AND HOW IT
AFFECTS WOMEN AND THE INCREASE
IN ALCOHOL USE DISORDER IN WOMEN
MEN. TRADITIONALLY I HAVE DRANK
MORE AND HAVE MORE PROBLEMS WITH
ALCOHOL. BUT WHEN WOMEN DRANK
THE SAME AMOUNT, THEY CAN HAVE
PROBLEMS MUCH QUICKER. SO THOSE
ARE THE SCIENTIFIC THINGS, BUT
SOME OF THE MORE PRACTICAL
THINGS ABOUT CUTTING DOWN ON
YOUR DRINKING ARE THAT IN A
FAIRLY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, YOU
CAN SEE IMPROVEMENTS IN YOUR
SLEEP IN YOUR ENERGY. OVER THE
COURSE OF A MONTH, YOU MIGHT SEE
SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHT. UM
AND, UH AND AN INTERESTING ONE
IS YOUR COMPLEXION AND YOUR HAIR
BECAUSE ALCOHOL CAN BE VERY
DEHYDRATING. AND WHEN SOMEONE
DRINKS ALCOHOL, THEY TEND TO
HAVE MORE SUGARY AND SALTY. THE
SUBSTANCES IN THEIR BODY AND SO
DRINKING A LOT OF WATER CUTTING
DOWN ON ALCOHOL CAN MAKE YOU
HEALTHIER, LOOK HEALTHIER, FEEL
HEALTHIER AND BE HEALTHIER. IT
SOUNDS LIKE THAT WE SHOULD AVOID
THE MOCK TAILS AS WELL. DUE TO
THE FACT THAT THE HIGH SUGAR
CONTENT AND THAT'S ALL IT'S ALL
THE SAME RIGHT EXCEPT THE
ALCOHOL. YEAH YOU KNOW, I
WOULDN'T REPLACE HAVING TWO OR
THREE COCKTAILS AT NIGHT WITH
HAVING TWO OR THREE MOCK TAILS
AT NIGHT. I WOULD WANT TO LOOK
AT. WHY AM I HAVING TWO OR THREE
COCKTAILS AT NIGHT? AND IS IT IS
IT TO RELAX? IS IT AS A REWARD
IS FOR SOCIALIZATION? AND WHAT
CAN I DO TO REPLACE THOSE
BENEFITS? EXERCISE JOIN A JOINER
GROUP. HAVE YOUR FRIENDS YOU
KNOW, GO FOR A WALK. OR START A
BOOK CLUB. UM, IF YOU'RE HAVING
DIFFICULTY FALLING ASLEEP, AND
THAT'S WHY YOU'RE USING ALCOHOL
, LET'S LET'S DO SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT, YEAH, JUST REPLACING WITH
THE MARK. TAILS. I DON'T THINK
THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. MAYBE IN A
PINCH WHEN YOU'RE AT A PARTY
YOU, MARK TELL CERTAINLY CAN
TAKE THE PLACE OF AN ALCOHOLIC
DRINK AND YOU FIT RIGHT IN AND
YOU'RE SOCIALIZED. BUT YOU'RE
NOT GETTING ALL THE ALCOHOL. GOT
IT. ALRIGHT AND DR ALAN, ARE
THERE ANY OTHER RED FLAGS THAT
WE SHOULD LOOK FOR? YOU KNOW
WHEN ALCOHOL'S BASICALLY A
BIGGER PROBLEM. SOMEONE'S LIFE.
YEAH YOU KNOW, DRY JANUARY IS
FOR MOST OF US WHO DRINK AND
WANT TO CUT BACK. THERE'S A
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION MAY
BE AS HIGH AS 13 14% THAT HAVE
AN ALCOHOL USE DISORDER AND
CUTTING BACK IF YOU'RE A HEAVY
DRINKER OF REGULAR DRINKER, IF
YOU'RE OLDER, IF YOU HAVE KUMAR
BEEN MEDICAL PROBLEMS, AND YOU
DRINK EVERY DAY, THEN YOU SHOULD
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST ABOUT
IT BECAUSE YOU COULD POTENTIALLY
HAVE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE
ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL. WHEN YOU'RE
DRINKING IF YOU'RE DRINKING
STARTS TO TAKE THE PLACE OF
OTHER THINGS YOU'VE DONE IN YOUR
LIFE, LIKE GET UP FOR WORK OR
PLAY WITH THE KIDS. IF YOU'RE
STARTING TO USE YOUR EXTRA
MONEY, EXTRA CASH ON ALCOHOL IF
YOU'RE STARTING TO DRINK MORE
AND MORE TO GET THE SAME
EFFECTS, OR YOU'RE STARTING TO
HAVE PROBLEMS GETTING OUT OF BED
IN THE MORNING AND FEELING SICK.
THOSE ARE ALL SIGNS THAT YOU
MIGHT BE DEVELOPING AND ALCOHOL
USE PROBLEMS. WE CAN'T THANK YOU
ENOUGH SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
AND WE WISH YOU A HAPPY