“Dry January” is an idea that originated with anti-alcohol advocates in Britain. Now the French Government has embraced it, and French winemakers aren’t happy.
“Incomprehensible,” says Jean-Marie Fabre, chairman of France’s independent winemakers federation. It “implies breaking with the idea that it is better to educate people about the culture of wine than to ban it,” he adds.
Dry January adds to a list of grievances against the government, including no-spray buffer zones near residents, delays in paying export subsidies and lack of government action in response to the Trump Administrations decision to increase tariffs along with concerns about Brexit and a slowing in Chinese imports. “Dry January is the last straw to break the proverbial camel’s well-laden back,” added Éric Tesson, director of the AOC wine federation (CNAOC).
Alcohol Change UK, the group that started “Dry January,” says participants will save money, sleep better and have more energy. But the positive effects one may experience aren’t just because some temporarily quits alcohol.
But when someone quits drinking for a month, what does he replace it with? Did they replace it with other healthy lifestyle changes? And, it turns out, a large number of people who start drop out. What does that mean? The most recent study was conducted by Public Health UK, which endorsed the Dry January campaign. An independent evaluation of the program would be helpful.