5 benefits of Dry January that last all year

Started by the U.K. charity Alcohol Change, Dry January encourages people to swear off drinking for the first month of the year.

The campaign has spread to a global event with 4 million people taking part as of 2020.

Research from the University of Sussex published in 2018 shows that participating in Dry January can have positive outcomes throughout the year, even for people who don't make it all month without a drink.

Once Dry January ends, participants tend to drink less in the following months, reporting that they drank one less day per week and had one less drink when they did partake.

That could be because a month of abstinence changed the way people think about drinking.

Seventy-one percent of participants also reported sleeping better when they stopped drinking.

Decades of research support the idea that drinking alcohol can interfere with your all-important REM sleep cycle.

Fifty-eight percent of participants in the Dry January study reported losing weight.

Losing weight is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Studies have shown that heavy drinking can lead to weight gain.

Eighty-eight percent of study participants reported saving money when they cut out alcohol.

It's a no-brainer that not splurging for alcohol can save you money, but since abstaining for a month can help you cut back on drinking all year, the savings might be more than you expect.

Among Dry January participants in the study, 93 percent reported a sense of achievement and 57 percent reported better concentration.

In addition, 67 percent said they had more energy and 70 percent said they had "generally improved health."

These outcomes could have as much to do with completing a goal as they do with reducing alcohol consumption.