If you’ve worked with me, you know I’m not an all or none kind of gal, which is why I don’t love dry January. Instead, I do think it can be a good time to evaluate your drinking habits and form some healthier ones. Here’s how to do Damp January:

Can you Drink Alcohol with PCOS?

First of all, can you drink with hormone conditions like PCOS? The answer is yes, but you want to be smart about it. Damp January is a great time to take a look at your current habits and build some healthier ones.

Re-Evaluate your Drinking Habits

Take note of your normal drinking habits and figure out whether they’re serving you – do you normally drink 1 glass of wine a night to wind down? Do you normally wait until the weekend and drink 5 drinks in one night? This is a good time to take a good hard look at what you normally do and whether it is helping you reach your health goals.

Generally you don’t want to have much more than 1-2 drinks in one sitting. If you binge drink on the weekends, is there a way you can distribute those drinks throughout the week more? If that one glass of wine is just a habit and you’re not even enjoying it, can you replace it with another activity at night?

Only Drink with Food

Honestly this is a year round rule of mine. Food slows down the processing of alcohol and also gives you something to do besides drink, so it generally slows down the drinking too. The Mediterranean Diet includes 1-2 glasses of red wine per night and has been shown to help prevent type II diabetes, heart disease and inflammation.

Try some Organic Wines and Beers

This is also a great time to look at WHAT you’re drinking. Alcohol labels aren’t required to include ingredients, so sometimes this can be a guessing game. Finding a trusted organic or biodynamic winery can be a great way to ensure you’re not getting a bunch of inflammatory additives in your alcohol.

Only Drink Socially

For some, drinking alone can be unhealthy, particularly if you find you’re binge drinking alone. Try only drinking as a social lubricant. This can help slow you down and give you a healthy context for drinking.

Alternate with NA Beverages

This doesn’t have to be just water, though water is great. There are tons of tasty NA drinks on the market these days from non-alcoholic beer that actually tastes good like Athletic Brewing to non-alcoholic cocktails from companies like Curious Elixirs.

Choose a Specific Number Limit of Drinks Per Sitting

While there are general recommendations out there, everyone’s body is different and processes alcohol differently. Find a number of drinks that is good for you and stick to it. You may find you’re thankful the next day.

Need more help finding healthy lifestyle habits that serve your body and your hormones? Book a free nutrition chat to learn more about working with me one-on-one.