Hello, this is Monica Reinagal, and you are listening to the Nutrition Devo

podcast. Happy New Year. Are you participating in Dryuary this year? If so, you have plenty of company.

This month-long observation in which people commit to abstaining from alcohol during the month of January,

originally started as a public health campaign in the United Kingdom back in 2013,

and it has since grown in popularity and become a worldwide phenomenon with millions of people participating every year.

And similar events are now sprinkled throughout the calendar, including sober October, sober spring, dry July.

There are a few converging phenomena playing into this.

During the pandemic, we heard a lot about a pretty dramatic increase in alcohol consumption, especially by women.

And I think a lot of people emerged from lockdown feeling like their drinking had gotten a little

out of control and were looking for a way to ratchet things down.

Researchers have also been questioning long-standing guidance on what constitutes safe or low-risk

alcohol consumption. Some have argued that any amount of alcohol

increases your risk. Others point out that it's not a one-size-fits-all equation.

And even as we speak, recommendations to update official guidance are being hotly debated,

both here in the US and in neighboring Canada.

But there does seem to be an emerging consensus that previous recommendations,

no more than one drink a day for women,

two drinks a day for men,

may be a little too high.

And in the show notes,

you'll see links to some episodes

that I've done on some of this research and these recommendations.

...