Westend61/Getty Images(NEW YORK) When the ball dropped at midnight on New Year's Eve, some people took their last sip of alcohol for the next 31 days in a New Year's challenge known as "Dry January." The challenge, as the name implies, is to go dry in January, i.e. having no alcohol for the entire month. The Dry January campaign was started in 2013 in England and is now becoming more and more popular in the U.S. "Alcohol consumption is a generally accepted part of our society and culture but a lot of people are either overtly overdoing it and overindulging or they're teetering on the line," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a practicing OBGYN and ABC News chief medical correspondent. "That might not be segueing into a real alcohol problem but it might still be impacting on their health in other ways." Ashton, author of The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier and Fitter - One Month at a Time, has practiced Dry January for the
Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images(NEW YORK) For a New Year's resolution that lasts, start now, start simple and be specific. Almost half of all Americans make a New Year's resolution each year, research shows. Most commonly, people aspire to lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking or eat healthier. Many will abandon their resolution by a month or less into the new year. One barrier is that forming a habit takes time about 66 days, on average, at least one study suggests. "It takes about two to three months for someone to start feeling confident and comfortable with a new habit, but the repetition of the habit can start to become more of a routine after several days" Dr. Beth Frates, president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, told ABC News. When deciding on a resolution, Frates recommends considering the six pillars of health: nutritious diet, physical activity, restorative sleep, elimination of substances (e.g. cigarettes), positive relationship
(NEW YORK) For a New Year's resolution that lasts, start now, start simple and be specific. Almost half of all Americans make a New Year's resolution each year, research shows. Most commonly, people aspire to lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking or eat healthier. Many will abandon their resolution by a month or less