{"id":262,"date":"2020-02-03T09:33:14","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T09:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/?p=262"},"modified":"2020-02-03T09:33:22","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T09:33:22","slug":"dry-january-a-reflective-account-of-a-participating-alcohol-researcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/dry-january-a-reflective-account-of-a-participating-alcohol-researcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Dry January: A reflective account of a participating alcohol researcher"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Charlotte Pennington<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This blog post provides a reflective account of my own experiences participating in Dry January \u2013 an alcohol abstinence challenge initiated by Alcohol Change UK<\/a>  that encourages people to reduce their levels of alcohol consumption. As an experimental social psychologist, my research investigates the influences of contextual and social factors on alcohol consumption and related behaviours. Working alongside collaborators at Edge Hill and Aston University, our work to date has suggested that frequent alcohol consumption is associated with our motivations and expected outcomes of drinking, as well as heightened attention towards alcohol-related cues. It was never my intention to blog about my experiences of Dry January; it was simply a personal endeavour that I aimed to complete. However, as the days went on, I noticed a lot of parallels with my own research, as well as becoming more cognisant about wider issues embedded in the UK\u2019s drinking culture. I hope that my reflections below will speak to other people\u2019s experiences associated with taking part, as well as highlighting cultural issues with our relationship with alcohol, and how we might best support those who wish to reduce their consumption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Dry January?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDry January\u201d<\/a>  is a 1-month challenge where people give up alcohol for the month of January. Typically completed with the aid of a phone app, the overarching goal is to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages for 31-days, with badges rewarded for day streaks, drinking in moderation, reducing alcohol intake, and total dry days. At the end of each day, the participant completes an online calendar, responding whether they\u2019ve stayed \u2018Dry\u2019, \u2018drank\u2019, or \u2018drank as planned\u2019. Given the nascent stage of this particular challenge (2013<\/a>), there has been little research conducted on the benefits and potential drawbacks of Dry January. However, research has suggested that Dry January can have a range of positive health-related and psychological benefits, ranging from improved sleep, weight loss, and enhanced self-control (see De Visser et al., 2016). Further, whilst some have proposed that Dry January may lead to a \u2018rebound effect\u2019 (i.e., binge February), the majority of available research suggests that a period of abstinence can encourage longer term reductions in drinking (Bray et al., 2010; De Visser et al., 2016). This is because, after a person has made a commitment to engage in behaviour change, they are more likely to maintain these changes in the future (de Visser et al., 2017). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflections on Dry January<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Learning about the reasons I drink<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT<\/a>), I am categorised as a \u2018low risk drinker\u2019 with an overall score of 7 out of 40 (anything above 8 is seen as higher risk). Personally, I would classify myself as an \u2018occasional social drinker\u2019, who rarely binge drinks but instead has \u2018one or two every now and again\u2019. Over the Christmas period, I found myself overindulging in unhealthy foods and drinking more alcohol and I therefore decided to take part in Dry January to regulate my behaviour and explore the benefits. Early in the New Year, I found it relatively easy to abstain from alcohol, simply because I felt I\u2019d had my fill over the festive period (my AUDIT score would have been temporarily higher!). As the days turned into weeks, however, I found myself thinking about reaching for an alcoholic drink a lot more. I then stopped to think about when <\/em>and why <\/em>I wanted an alcoholic drink, and realised that I tend to drink to alleviate stress or to relax in social situations. In the alcohol literature, these reasons are known as \u2018drinking motives\u2019 (see Kuntsche et al., 2006), which are the valued outcomes that people associate with drinking alcohol. The examples I provide are known as \u2018coping\u2019 (i.e., to deal with negative emotions) and \u2018social\u2019 motives (i.e., to enhance interactions), but there are also enhancement (i.e., to heighten mood) and conformity motives (i.e., to avoid social pressure or a need to fit in). Interestingly, research has shown that these drinking motives are a unique predictor of alcohol consumption and related behaviours (Kuntsche et al., 2014; Merrill & Read, 2010). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another insight I had was that my tendency to drink alcohol in low-quantity, but rather frequently, may influence me to underestimate my true<\/em> alcohol consumption. The limitations of self-report measures of alcohol consumption could be discussed at length, but the main point here is that such behaviour may be easily forgotten and unreliability reported. In addition, it may mask viewing consumption as a \u2018problem\u2019 and be an obstacle to behaviour change. Partaking in Dry January made me realise how I might reach for a drink without really counting it or thinking that I need to cut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol cues are everywhere<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Seeing an advertisement for alcohol in a drinking establishment (i.e., pubs and bars) comes as no surprise, particularly in UK culture. However, abstaining from alcohol made me evaluate the quantity of alcohol advertisements we see in our everyday lives and the appropriateness of their placement. During a conference visit in January, I stayed at a well-known hotel chain and found promotional offers for alcohol in the reception lobby, as well as included in leaflets in my room. Throughout Dry January I became more and more aware of the number of alcohol adverts that were aired on television and decorative signs in shops that glamorised drinking. I found my heightened awareness of this very interesting and this led me to think more about something we, as researchers, call \u2018cue reactivity\u2019. Here, research shows that alcohol-related cues capture and hold the attention of those who drink alcohol and appear to increase subjective cravings for alcohol (see Field et al., 2009). Moreover, such attentional processing seems to be heightened in heavy drinkers and even abstinent alcoholics (Field et al., 2013). Such advertisements challenged my self-control to not drink by heightening my craving for alcohol, which led me to think about the implications that such advertising has for those with problematic alcohol use, or alcohol-related disorders. In the UK, alcohol-related adverts are regulated so that they do not condone or encourage irresponsible or immoderate drinking. Unlike cigarette advertising which is banned on television and heavily regulated in supermarkets (e.g., cigarettes hidden behind a screen), however, alcohol advertising appears to be much more relaxed. Let\u2019s compare a packet of cigarettes and a bottle of alcohol, for example; the packaging of cigarettes includes large health warnings<\/a> on 65% of the front and back, a brand name in standard font, and drab colours. The packaging of alcohol, on the other hand, includes limited (or no) health warnings, bright colours and attractive images, and beverages themselves come in many different colours and flavours. It therefore seems that more work needs to be done to regulate the branding and advertisement of alcohol to make them less attractive and \u2018wanted\u2019. Health warnings and nutritional labels would raise awareness of the health implications of consumption, and help people to make informed decisions with regards to drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenging conversations around drinking<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There were\na few occasions during Dry January where my choice not to drink during social\noccasions was questioned by others, and people tried to influence this decision.\nStatements such as \u201cjust have one and then don\u2019t drink tomorrow\u201d, or \u201chave a\nbeer now and then a glass of water\u201d were voiced, perhaps with the aim to test\nmy self-control. This made me think about the wider conversations we have about\ndrinking and the societal norms associated with alcohol; we wouldn\u2019t ask\nsomeone why they are drinking, so why is it okay to ask someone why they\u2019re\nnot? I found that the most effective way of dealing with this was to have open\nconservations about the benefits of Dry January and to engage in discussion\nwith people about wider problems regarding the UK\u2019s binge drinking culture (see\nPincock, 2003).  It was interesting to\noutline the many different reasons why people may choose to moderate their\nalcohol consumption, or not to drink, spanning choice (e.g., not feeling\ncompelled to drink in social circles), finance (deciding to drive to a venue\nrather than drinking to save money), and health (weight loss, better sleep, concentration,\nand addiction). In relation to this, another challenging experience of taking\npart in Dry January concerned situations in which others expected me to pay for\na round of drinks, or split the bill, when they had been drinking alcohol and I\nhadn\u2019t. In some establishments, the cost of an alcoholic beverage is up to\nfour-times the cost of a soft drink, so the bill might be quite surprising! Again,\nthis may have been overcome with a simple conversation, but the stronger\nmessage here is that we need to be more aware of how we treat people who are\nnot drinking and think more carefully about how we can support them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how did I get on?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Out of the\n31 days in January, I managed 26 days dry; 1 of these was a \u2018drinking as planned\u2019\nday, whilst the other 4 were days in which I drank in moderation. Using the\nphone app was extremely helpful for monitoring and managing my behaviour; over\nthe course of my alcohol-free days, my best streak was 14 days, and I saved substantial\nmoney and calories.  Some people have\nsaid \u201cso you didn\u2019t complete Dry Jan?!\u201d, and again I think this rhetoric is\nproblematic. Although I didn\u2019t complete 31 whole days, the challenge allowed me\nto regulate my consumption and cut down significantly. It also helped me to\nthink about helpful strategies to moderate my drinking, such as adding on an\nextra \u201cdry\u201d day to my calendar after an unplanned drinking session, and to not\ngive up on the challenge if I had drank. The most positive experience of Dry\nJanuary for me, however, has been reflecting on the conversations we have about\nalcohol, and thinking about ways in which we can support people who chose to\nreduce their intake or abstain all together. It has also opened my eyes to\ncultural and societal factors that influence alcohol consumption (e.g., alcohol\nadvertising), which may act as an obstacle to reducing intake. For me, Dry\nJanuary has been a fundamentally interesting reflective experience, both as a\nparticipant and an alcohol researcher, and has aided my awareness of the\nbenefits and barriers that people face when making the choice to cut down or\nabstain from drinking, and how we might best support them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bray, R.\nM., Brown, J. M., Pemberton, M. R., Williams, J., Jones, S. B., &\nVandermaasPeeler, R. (2010). Alcohol use after forced abstinence in basic\ntraining among United States Navy and Air Force trainees. Journal of Studies on\nAlcohol & Drugs, 71, 15-22. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

de Visser, R. O., Robinson,\nE., & Bond, R. (2016). Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during\n\u201cDry January\u201d and subsequent alcohol use. Health Psychology, 35<\/em>, 281\u2013289.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

de Visser, R. O., Robinson, E., Smith, T., Cass, G., &\nWalmsley, M. (2017). The growth of \u2018dry January\u2019: promoting participation and\nthe benefits of participation. European Journal of Public Health<\/em>, 27<\/em>,\n929-931.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Field, M., Mogg, K., Mann,\nB., Bennett, G. A., & Bradley, B. P. (2013). Attentional biases in\nabstinent alcoholics and their association with craving. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27<\/em>,\n71\u201380. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Field, M., Munaf\u00f2, M. R.,\n& Franken, I. H. (2009). A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship\nbetween attentional bias and subjective craving in substance abuse. Psychological\nBulletin<\/em>, 135<\/em>, 589.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Field, M., Mogg, K., Mann,\nB., Bennett, G. A., & Bradley, B. P. (2013). Attentional biases in\nabstinent alcoholics and their association with craving. Psychology of\nAddictive Behaviors<\/em>, 27<\/em>, 71-80.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuntsche, E., Knibbe, R.,\nGmel, G., & Engels, R. (2006). Who drinks and why? A review of\nsocio-demographic, personality, and contextual issues behind the drinking\nmotives in young people. Addictive Behaviors<\/em>, 31<\/em>,\n1844-1857.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuntsche, E., Gabhainn, S.\nN., Roberts, C., Windlin, B., Vieno, A., Bendtsen, P., … & Aasvee, K.\n(2014). Drinking motives and links to alcohol use in 13 European\ncountries. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs<\/em>, 75<\/em>,\n428-437.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merrill, J. E., & Read,\nJ. P. (2010). Motivational pathways to unique types of alcohol\nconsequences. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors<\/em>, 24<\/em>,\n705.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pincock, S. (2003). Binge\ndrinking on rise in UK and elsewhere. The Lancet<\/em>, 362<\/em>,\n1126-1126.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Charlotte Pennington This blog post provides a reflective account of my own experiences participating in Dry January \u2013 an alcohol abstinence challenge initiated by Alcohol Change UK  that encourages people to reduce their levels of alcohol consumption. As an experimental social psychologist, my research investigates the influences of contextual and social factors on alcohol … Continue reading “Dry January: A reflective account of a participating alcohol researcher”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3],"tags":[57,58],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-applied-cognition-and-neuroscience","category-research","tag-alcohol","tag-dry-january"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":265,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions\/265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/psychological-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}