Many of us will be seriously contemplating¹ taking part in Dry January today, as we nurse sore heads from New Year's Eve celebrations. Going alcohol free for January is a popular way of starting the year after over-indulging over the festive² period - more than four million people are planning to start today, according to a YouGov study from December.

新年前夜的狂欢令很多人醉酒头痛，所以大家都在慎重思考是否要加入"一月戒酒"活动。据YouGov去年12月的研究报道，一月不饮酒是一种节假日过度放纵后开始新年的流行方式--400多万人打算自今天起加入这一活动。

But apparently³ it's not a "fix-all solution" to having a healthier lifestyle when it comes to drinking, and we risk tricking ourselves into thinking we have a more restraint over our habits than we may in reality.

但显然，在饮酒方面，这并非拥有健康生活方式的"通用方法"，我们甘愿欺骗自己：我们对不良习惯的自制力比现实生活中所表现出来的自制力更佳。

Dr Mark Wright, a consultant⁴ in liver medicine at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said the month-long break from booze runs the risk of being the perfect "decoy" as it "can make it seem like people have a grip on their drinking".

南安普顿大学医院NHS基金会的肝脏医学顾问马克·赖特医生说道，长达一月不饮酒看似美味"诱饵"，因为这一活动"会让人们觉得能控制饮酒"。

Instead, people should be wary⁵ of their consumption year-round, he said. Although there are physical benefits to giving your body a break, Dr Wright warns that the approach is not the best psychologically for problem drinkers - and it won't improve your health if you just go back to your usual habits again.

他说道，相反，人们应该留意全年的饮酒量。虽然暂时性的不喝酒能给身体带来一些身体益处，但赖特医生警告道，对于嗜酒者而言，这并不是最好的心理治疗方法--此外，如果活动结束后再度饮酒，人们的健康状况并不会得到改善。

He said: "Giving up alcohol for dry January as some sort of detox is like maxing out your credit cards all year and thinking you can solve your financial problems by living like a hermit⁶ for a month. It just isn't going to make things better if you then go back to your usual habits in February. The danger is that abstaining⁷ for a month can make it seem like people have a grip on their drinking, but, in fact, it can be the perfect decoy to justify⁸ drinking far too much in the festive season. It's not a fix-all solution. What people need to do is be aware of their consumption all year round, aiming to stick to 14 units per week with three to four dry days."

他说道："作为某种排毒方式，一月戒酒就像是刷爆一整年的信用卡，还自以为只要像隐士般生活一个月就可以解决经济问题。但是，如果二月份你重染旧习，事情并不会向好的方向发展。戒酒一个月的危险之处在于：会使人们产生一种可以控制饮酒的感觉，但实际上，这是在节日期间纵酒的完美诱饵。这并不是通用的解决方法啊。人们还是应该注意全年的饮酒量，力图将每周饮酒量控制在14单位以内，同时坚持每周3至4天不饮酒。"