PEOPLE who like a drink are being encouraged by Somerset County Council to take a break and have a Dry January.

The campaign by Alcohol Concern is aimed at social drinkers and encourages them to give up alcohol for the month.

Trudi Grant, Somerset Director of Public Health, said: “More and more people are taking part in Dry January. It can help kick-start a change in routine, and is a great way to start the New Year.”

She said those taking part would start to feel health benefits such as sleeping better, having more energy and losing weight, and it also helps to save money.

“It’s not about stopping drinking altogether – it just encourages a short break from alcohol.

“And it has been shown to help people in the longer term to drink a bit less and stick to the low risk drinking guidelines,” she added.

Reasons for giving Dry January a go include:

* Drinking alcohol every day can easily push people above the recommended weekly guidelines of 14 units a week for men and women – equivalent to six pints of average-strength beer or ten small glasses of low-strength wine.

* Even six months later, evidence from Dry January shows that two-thirds of participants are still drinking less.

Two thirds of the participants from the last Dry January were successful at going the whole month last year.

The majority who signed up to the campaign and had a month off alcohol said they felt a great sense of achievement. Having support from friends and family helped many stay dry.

Anyone wanting to talk to someone confidentially about their drinking can call Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service on 0300 303 87 88.

Information can also be found on the Dry January website.