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Is Dry January actually helpful?

Hamilton, ON, Jan. 15, 2025 –Most people have likely heard of Dry January, a voluntary month where people go without consuming alcohol. But the idea can extend beyond booze to other activities like cannabis consumption. 

James?MacKillop is a professor with McMaster’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences and director of the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research. 

He has spoken at length about the benefits of a “dry” month. For cannabis users, these benefits include a resetting of tolerance, a clearing of the mind, and giving the lungs a break.  

MacKillop can be reached directly at?jmackill@mcmaster.ca.