While Christmas is the most famous December tradition, January has long been held as the month to start a new diet.

Laying off the cakes and takeaways is a pretty tough task – but what about a complete abstinence from booze?

The number of people opting to give their liver a full 31 day break from processing alcohol has rocketed in recent years, with next month set to see a new high.

A YouGov poll has revealed a stunning 3.1 million people in the UK are planning to do Dry January 2018.

But is it worth it?

Are there any health benefits and is there any point if you get back on the beers as soon as February comes round?

Experts say there is.

Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Concern, said: “Dry January is a national campaign which changes lives, giving people the impetus and support they need to re-set their relationship with alcohol for January and beyond.

“The benefits are astounding: 49% of people lose weight, while 62% sleep better and a whopping 79% save money.

“Alcohol is the biggest cause of death, ill-health and disability for people aged 15-49 in the UK – but these tragedies are all totally avoidable.

“Dry January is growing year-on-year as more people across the country decide to take control of their drinking and reap the benefits, both in how they feel now and for their future health.”

Public Health England has also endorsed Dry January, saying: “Dry January is based on sound behavioural principles and our previous evaluation of the campaign shows that for some people it can help them re-set their drinking patterns for weeks or even months after completing the challenge.”

Research has shown that two-thirds of people who attempt Dry January make it through the month without drinking, while 72% maintain lower levels of harmful drinking than before Dry January six months later.

Man drinking alcohol. Silhouette.

The group most likely be planning to do Dry January this year are those with children aged 12-16, as well as those with three or more children in their household.

Alcohol costs the NHS an estimated £3.5 billion each year, which amounts to £120 for every taxpayer.

The poll of 2,086 participants showed up some other interesting trends:

Those aged 35-54 were most likely to be planning to do Dry January (7%).

Northern Ireland is the area of the UK where people are most likely to be planning to do Dry January (10%), closely followed by the North East (8%).

Those working full-time are more likely to do Dry January (7%) than those who do not work, who are working part-time, full-time students or retired.

People who have tried Dry January in the past are more likely to want to sign up for support, suggesting a higher proportion see its value compared to people who have not previously attempted Dry January.

People can sign up for Dry January at dryjanuary.org.uk, or by downloading the Dry January & Beyond app via the App Store or Google Play.

Dry January not a medical detox programme and should not be attempted by people with an alcohol dependency problem.