Being “dry” in January is easy for some, and not so much for others. As women, we are uniquely built to shift from week to week in our moods, our energy levels, our nutritional needs, and more. It is quite motivating to learn the science behind our desire for and effects of alcohol. We even have genes that predispose us to crave imbibing.
I have a stack of books on my table about women’s unique qualities and every single one of them has a section on the harms of alcohol throughout our lifespan.
According to Dr Felice Gersh, alcohol gives us worse PMS and interferes with getting pregnant in a healthy manner.
Dr Jen Gunter says drinking makes menopause symptoms worse.
Dr Lisa Mosconi reports that alcohol worsens the likelihood of dementia for those with the risky genetics.
Dr Lara Briden just calls it like it is: Alcohol is a toxin. She says alcohol is bad for sleep, shrinks the brain, damages the gut, stimulates appetite, and impairs estrogen. Yikes!
In this interesting podcast, Dr. Ashley Alexis talks about women and their hormones. The topic of alcohol was addressed through the example of how we metabolize it differently in the 2nd half of our cycle versus the 1st half. Maybe instead of quitting altogether, we learn to time our cocktails with our body rhythms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-root-cause-medicine-podcast/id1589219026?i=1000569921199
With so many compelling reasons to put down your glass, I encourage you to make the rest of January (or any month of year) dry. If that seems too difficult for you, then try to just go drier. Your body will thank you. No one ever said, “I really regret going dry for a while!”