Here’s what I learnt doing Dry January as a Liverpool student

Ah, Dry January. A month of having zero fun experiences, feeling superior to everyone else, and actually making it into uni at 9am, right? Wrong! If I’m honest, I didn’t intend to do Dry Jan. It had gotten to the 3rd day of the month and I’d realised I hadn’t had a drink yet, so I might as well have a go at the full thing.

My expectations were definitely something, but here are some things I learnt when reflecting over my experience – and it’s not all doom and gloom, I promise.

You save a lot of money

This probably goes without saying, but if any of you need any money-saving tips, maybe think about doing dry January, sober Octobers or just cutting down a bit on your alcohol consumption. The thrill of being back in the city as term starts just makes you want to splash the cash a little bit, which defo isn’t a mindset suited to having a maintenance loan.

We all know going into the new year can be hard money-wise, so why make it harder by drinking loads? I spent a good portion of January in London, where most pints cost upwards of £6. If that’s not a reason to do Dry January, I don’t know what is.

It forces you to try different things 

By decentralising alcohol you can try out new places and different activities with friends! If you need inspiration for places to go there’s a cute pottery painting studio at the top of Smithdown Road called Frankie’s. For the price of a few pints you can paint a mug or plate!

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Or if you fancy a drink that’s more on the fun side, on New Year’s Day, my best friend and I went out for jasmine tea and dumplings. It was really wholesome and prevented our terrible New Year’s Day hangovers. You learn to appreciate things you never expected to enjoy, and it also means you can be tucked up in bed at 9pm with a film and a cup of tea.

It gives your body a well-needed detox 

We all know you need it after the sheer amount of quad vods you consumed at Hatch before the Christmas holidays. Not to mention all the booze you drank over the festive period and New Year’s Eve…

I have to say, it’s pretty nice waking up on a Friday morning without a pounding headache. It’s a shame I didn’t have university for the majority of January, because I might’ve actually made my Friday 9am.

You don’t need alcohol to socialise 

Believe it or not! And this comes from someone who loves to drink in social situations. Like many, I find I become more confident and relaxed when they’ve had a bit to drink. But doing Dry January has helped improve and test my confidence, as I don’t have alcohol to rely on alcohol and I’ve loved it.

It won’t stop you from doing the things you love 

I still carried on doing the things I love the most, such as going to raves and the pub with my friends. Even though having a few pints or doubles gives you that buzz you think you need to enjoy a night out, you don’t actually miss out on anything, apart from a horrible hangover the next morning.

Don’t fold to temptation

Even a few days into January I was tempted to have a cheeky Guinness or two, but with the help of supportive friends (and the national shortage) I didn’t fold. It sounds so appealing just to have a pub trip after a day out at the weekend, or celebrate the end of exams with a cheeky pint at The Sphinx, but the boost you feel from sticking to your goals is next to none!

Guinness Zero will be your best friend

Whilst on the topic of Guinness, you can bypass the national shortage with the cans of Guinness Zero which many pubs have in the fridge. Nobody will even know that you’re not drinking, including yourself because they taste so similar!

If you’re not a Guinness kind of girly, most pubs will have a zero per cent lager if you feel better holding a glass that looks more like a pint, or you can keep it simple with a diet coke. You can’t go wrong with a classic.

Hold yourself accountable

I made sure I told all my friends and family about it, to add more pressure and make sure I wouldn’t give up. Reflected on my experience here really helped too, as I knew I couldn’t share my experiences with you if I slipped up one day.

It definitely got harder when I came back to uni and wanted to catch up with friends, but it was so manageable with encouragement from my loved ones.

If you needed any kind of inspiration or advice to tackle Dry January next year, then take this as your encouragement. It did wonders for me when it came to properly socialising with my friends, waking up and making the most out of my weekends after an alcohol free drinking sesh, and just generally feeling good all-round.

It doesn’t mean I won’t be having a celebratory pint this week though – bring on February!