Woman’s Voice: The Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a diverse group of dedicated community members united around the goal of reducing substance use in Lenawee County. LSAPC members work collaboratively to engage and educate the community in order to promote a healthy Lenawee.
Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. And with me tonight is Madeline DeMarco, and Madeline is with the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority as well as the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. And Madeline, we’ve talked a few times now about mental health and substance abuse issues, and I think that the subject we’re going to talk about right now that for January is kind of exciting. Let’s have a dry month.
Madeline DeMarco: Thanks for having me, Kathy. You’re absolutely right. We’re talking all about Dry January today, which is a growing trend where folks make a pledge to not drink alcohol for the full month of January. And this started really as kind of a reaction to all the holiday partying and luxuries that we enjoy during December. So, kind of like a New Year’s resolution to just kind of reset and make some healthy choices for yourself.
Kathy Williams: Yeah, I mean it’s like every month you can have something different, but what a great idea to just kind of, like you said, reset. Let’s just take January off. We’re not going to have anything with alcohol in it, but we can do some creative mixing that doesn’t include liquor. So there’s lots of benefits for a Dry January.
Madeline DeMarco: Yes. And the first thing that I want to say is that Dry January is really for everybody. It’s not just for folks that have, you know, an alcohol use disorder or something more serious. But it’s really a personal and kind of individual wellness challenge that anybody can do. And we love it because, like you said, it has a ton of health benefits. So, if you abstain from alcohol, it can lead to things like better sleep and having higher energy levels. You know, so you’ll do better at work, stay awake better, those sorts of things. It can strengthen your immune system, which we’re all looking for during these times.
Kathy Williams: Exactly.
Madeline DeMarco: You can see improved skin health, so your skin will be less dry, less redness… Some people say that, you know, acne and things can clear up. You might reach a healthier weight. And there’s some non-physical things as well. You know, you can save money. We all know what it’s like to look at your wallet at the end of a night out at the bar. It’s not always pretty.
Kathy Williams: Yep.
Madeline DeMarco: So, you can save some money and you’ll be more socially connected to the people around you too. You know, when you’re not always worrying about showing up to a place and immediately ordering your drink and kind of mindlessly drinking it, you can really be more connected to your friends and family when you’re not drinking. And you’ll have a clearer mind too, because you won’t be impaired by the alcohol.
Kathy Williams: Exactly. And it gives you a chance maybe to reevaluate: Do I need to have those drinks? Do, you know, can I fill that time in other ways and still have a fun evening without several glasses of whatever?
Madeline DeMarco: When you see, yeah, that, you know, “I didn’t have alcohol and I felt great the next morning,” you didn’t have to deal with the hangover or any of those substances, like you said, you might realize that, “Yeah, I feel better when I don’t drink” and that might lead to some more long-term lifestyle changes as well.
Kathy Williams: So, there’s a lot of tips that we can give people to succeed in their January, Dry January.
Madeline DeMarco: So some of the things that we recommend to help with your success in your Dry January is to number one, tell folks what you’re doing. Tell your family and friends, tell your neighbors, tell your coworkers, so that they can help keep you accountable. You know, if you tell someone: “Hey, I’m trying not to drink.” and then five minutes later you go to order a glass of wine, you know, your friends and family can kind of say: “Hey, wait a minute. Didn’t you just say…?”
Kathy Williams: Exactly, they love to call you out.
Kathy Williams: Exactly. And you can also recruit folks to do it with you. It’s always easier to do things when we’re in a group and we can support each other. And if folks around you, aren’t drinking, then you’ll be less likely to drink as well. Some other things that you can do include things like identifying the things that maybe normally encourage you to drink alcohol and try to make some new habits around that. So, for example, if you normally go to the bar every Thursday night, maybe call a friend during that time or go to the gym instead so that you’re not tempted to drink. And then you can also experience with, or experiment, with some mocktails or some non-alcoholic drinks as well. So, you can still treat yourself.
Kathy Williams: Right. Well, and there’s so many different ways that you can make a non-alcoholic drink. I know just by eliminating vodka, vodka has no flavor, and so you can, you know, mix it up with other spices and such to have a great flavor.
Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, there’s a lot of things that you can do because non-alcoholic drinks don’t just have to be something boring, like a juice box, you know, from the kids cooler at a party, right? But it can be a lot of fun.
Kathy Williams: Yes.
Madeline DeMarco: And so some things that you can try or, you know, making it look good: there’s all these Instagram posts about fancy cocktails and the way that they look. And so there’s no reason that your, you know, your non-alcoholic drink can’t look like a little Baby Yoda in a glass, for example.
Kathy Williams: Exactly.
Madeline DeMarco: And you can make a lot of fun, homemade ingredients like syrups, or, you know, some flavored waters with fruit juices and things like that to spice up the flavors of what you’re drinking. And those things can also be used outside of, you know, beverages as well. You can put them on cakes, you can put them in your oatmeal and your yogurt and kind of get some double-duty. We love those kitchen hacks.
Kathy Williams: Exactly. Well, the sources for those mixes is endless. I mean, you can Google it.
Madeline DeMarco: Yes. Yeah. The world of mocktails is not what it used to be. It’s really taken off and there’s a whole market of non-alcoholic spirits, if that makes sense, out there where you can buy things online that kind of mimic the flavor or the idea of gin without actually having alcohol in it. So that can be a great option as well.
Kathy Williams: So if someone needs maybe some extra support, they can call Lenawee Community Mental Health again.
Madeline DeMarco: Yes, Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority is always available if you or someone you love is struggling with alcohol use or other mental health needs. And so if you notice that you’re trying Dry January and it’s kind of challenging for you, really difficult, it could be a sign of a more serious issue. So again, CMH is here for you. We’re happy to help. So, you can call us at (517) 263-8905 and we’re happy to help.
Kathy Williams: And we’re going to have some extra ideas and such on the LSAPC website.
Madeline DeMarco: Yes. We have a website: www.DrugPreventionLenawee.com. And you can also learn more on our Facebook page. It’s @LenaweeVsAddiction, where, like you said, we’ll be sharing tips throughout the month of January.
Kathy Williams: Put some recipes on there.
Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, absolutely.
Kathy Williams: Thanks, Madeline. And here’s to your Dry January.
Madeline DeMarco: Cheers.
Woman’s Voice: Thank you for listening. This information has been provided by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration. New messages air on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:15 p.m. You can listen to this program as a podcast under the audio tab on WLEN.com and listen and gather more information at DrugPreventionLenawee.com.
