The new year has some reconsidering alcohol

There's more weight behind a New Year's health trend, due to new advice from a top doctor.

Dry January, encouraging people to take a month off from drinking alcohol, has been popular for a few years, and today the U.S. surgeon general is recommending alcohol come with warning labels because consuming it increases the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer.

Health Canada has not yet weighed in.

Dr. Abdel-Aziz Shaheen with the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary studies the liver and supports the trend of taking a drinking break and evaluating your lifestyle.

"You try one month, like January, for example, without drinking or decreasing the amount you drink, and it has an impact on your life, then here you go," he said.

He adds that other trends—liver cleanses through juices, foot baths or supplements—have not been proven to help at all and in some cases can damage organs.

He says people should be wary of detoxing products, but cutting back on processed food and alcohol is a safe and healthy choice.

It's no wonder alcohol-free drinking is a fast-growing market.

"In January last year, we saw about 10 per cent of sales were based on non-alcoholic sales," said Kristina Munro, manager of Market Wines University District.

Market Wines is offering Dry January events all month, including tastings of its non-alcoholic wines, beers and cocktails.

"It gets bigger and bigger each year," Munro said.

She adds that it goes beyond January since health and wellness is a growing focus.

"The younger generation is more focused on being around for a long time and not just having a good time," she said.

Market Wines is offering a discount on all its alcohol-free drinks in January.

For details on its Dry January tastings, go to https://marketwines.ca/pages/events.