METRO DETROIT (WXYZ) — Lots of people are participating in the annual tradition of Dry January, dropping the booze and instead picking up mocktails or non-alcoholic beverages. So, we're looking into the health benefits.
Every year, countless Americans join in Dry January, giving up alcohol for the month for a variety of reasons.
Watch Christiana's report in the video player below
"This is my first time participating in January, but I've done dry months before," said Danielle Johnson.
For Johnson, a bartender, it's all about mind over matter.
"I am not easily enticed by alcohol. As humans, we use alcohol as a stress reliever, you know, people drink when they're bored, and there are so many other things that you can do to fulfill those, you know, the empty spaces," Johnson said.
But she does enjoy a mocktail, and as a bartender and owner of the mobile bar Pop-Up and Pour, she said more and more people are asking for them.
"It's literally a thing, and it's we have to adapt to the world," Johnson said. "People are working out, they're healthy, they're taking all the different pills and supplements because we're trying to live longer and be healthy."
Chris Nixon, Director of Addiction Medicine for Henry Ford Health, said Dry January can be a great way to hit refresh on your habits.
"I think that Generation Z has really helped to create its popularity; some of the cultural norms around alcohol have changed," Nixon said. "And so being alcohol-free has become more accepted, and also people really (are) using it as an opportunity to kind of reset and re-evaluate."
He said there are a lot of benefits.
"The benefits really include better mental clarity, improved sleep, feeling better physically," Nixon said.
But Nixon mentioned one thing to watch out for are sugar cravings that can come.
"It can cause an instability in the regulation of sugar by giving up alcohol, hence creating urges to replace that sugar that we're lacking through alcohol," Nixon said. "So suddenly, we might start having fantasies and dreams about hot fudge sundaes and chocolate cake."
This is why you need to be careful with mocktails.
"You wanna monitor the sugar intake that is contained within a mocktail," Nixon said. "I mean, there are different types of mocktails. I mean, ideally shifting to crystal water that is lower in sugar, just water and citrus combination, things like that are the better alternative, but some of the mocktails out there can be OK."
He suggests focusing on good, positive, healthy habits, exercise, and fresh fruit to be successful.
