Consider going alcohol-free for Dry February

This Dry February, I’m encouraging everyone to take a moment to reflect on their use of alcohol, stay informed about the risks and consider reducing or eliminating alcohol from your routine.

Understanding the full impact of alcohol use helps in making informed choices to support personal health goals and can lead to a more balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Eliminating or reducing your alcohol intake has many benefits including having more energy, improved digestion, better quality sleep and an improved general sense of well-being and mental health. Beyond these benefits, it’s important to understand that drinking alcohol is linked to heart disease and stroke as well as an increased risk of at least seven types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer.

The general recommendation is if you drink, it’s better to drink less. We now know that even a small amount of alcohol can be damaging to your health. Research shows that no amount or type of alcohol is good for your health regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnicity, tolerance for alcohol, or lifestyle.

Some practical tips to help you cut back on the amount of alcohol you’re drinking may include:

• Before reaching for a drink to unwind why not try playing a game, going for a walk, connecting with friends and family, and drinking water while doing these activities.
• Keep track of how many standard drinks you have per week to understand your habits.
• Choose alcohol free drinks, or ones with a lower percentage of alcohol.
• When drinking alcohol, drink slowly in small sips.
• And, for every drink of alcohol, have one non-alcoholic drink.

You can find more information about the effects of alcohol in Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health. This guidance helps individuals understand the risks associated with alcohol consumption, to help reduce short and long-term harms to health.

It’s also important to talk to your health care provider about strategies to help you along the way.

If you’d like to learn more about alcohol and the effects on your health, visit durham.ca/alcohol.