CLEVELAND — During the holiday season, many people indulge in a few extra alcoholic drinks. Some have started the new year by taking part in “Dry January."
Dr. Jamile’ Wakim-Fleming is a liver specialist with the Cleveland Clinic and said participating in “Dry January” is a great idea, especially this year.
“This past year, 2020 has been very difficult for everybody. There's a lot of isolation. Loneliness. And so, we've noticed more increase in alcoholic use," Wakim-Fleming said.
Wakim-Fleming said going "dry" can decrease alcohol induced liver and stomach inflammation, and can have other various positive effects.
“They are more alert. They have more better relationship with their friends, spouse, at work. Their concentration is better. There is a lot less violence at home. And so, they are aware that when I do this dry month, I’m more functional, and I’m feeling healthy.”
Kim Stone is the administrator of “Dry January," a Facebook group with a community of more than 4,000 members.
“There's so many different people from different walks of life different areas of the globe. But we're all doing the same thing for a month," Stone said.
Stone said when she first started the group on Dec. 31, 2009, she didn’t expect that it would one day serve as a support system for thousands of people here in the U.S. and abroad.
“People post articles. People post pictures of what they're doing. People post pictures of all kinds of cool stuff and they just kind of share, which is, you know, what are you doing instead of drinking?”
Wakim-Fleming said “Dry January” is only beneficial if people don’t start excessively drinking after the month ends. She said if people choose to drink alcohol, she recommends that they participate in dry months throughout the year.
“If they continue to stop, that's the secret! Any time you stop is good, but for how long? If they decide I'm done with it, then we're going to see a lot of improvement. If they don't, and they take a break for a month, yes, that is some improvement, but if they go back to it, we go back to square zero," Wakim-Fleming.
Wakim-Fleming points out that if you have a history of heavy drinking, you may suffer from scarring of your liver, and that damage may not always be reversed by going dry.
The Link LonkJanuary 08, 2021 at 09:45PM
https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2021/01/07/avoiding-alcohol-with--dry-january-
Avoiding Alcohol with “Dry January” - Spectrum News 1
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment