Try going dry this January

With the busy Christmas period upon us, now might be the time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions.

After a highly successful 2015 campaign, Blackburn with Darwen is backing Dry January again in 2016 – inviting people to sign up and join in with thousands of others taking a break from booze this January.

Dry January, run by Alcohol Concern and Public Health England, aims to start new conversations about alcohol and give people a different perspective on their use of it.

Statistics released by Alcohol Concern and Public Health England showed Blackburn with Darwen was responsible for the highest number of people in the UK, per 1000 of the population, signing up to the campaign this year – with 689 sign-ups second only to the City of London.

Locally the Council and its re:fresh team is working with partner organisations including VOICE and substance misuse provider Inspire to put the invitation to sign up out to the people of Blackburn with Darwen.

Dry January is your chance to ditch the hangover, lose weight, save money – and make a real difference to yours and your family’s lives.

Even if you don’t make the full month you can still take part. Dry January is primarily about giving your body a break and taking some time out to think about your drinking.

Sign up at www.dryjanuary.org.uk

Councillor Mustafa Desai, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:

It’s good to see Dry January back for another year. This year the campaign was so successful locally that the borough accounted for two of the top five performing postcodes in the country per 1000 people. A lot of people saw that going hangover free meant a rejuvenated start to their year.

After the busy Christmas period, Dry January gives people the chance to reflect on their alcohol intake. Cutting it out for a month can help them re-evaluate their drinking levels long-term. I’d encourage as many people as possible from individuals to groups of friends and families to sign up and take part in the challenge.