Forget Dry January — the One Week No Booze Method may be an easier way to reap the benefits of drinking less alcohol

• The One Week No Booze Method involves not drinking for 7 days a month.
• TikToker Bridget Stangland came up with the idea to make cutting down on drink as easy as possible. 
• She's been doing it for a year and has a built a community of followers. 

If you want to cut down on alcohol but the all-or-nothing nature of Dry January is too challenging, the "One Week No Booze Method" might be for you.

The technique popularized by TikToker Bridget Stangland involves quitting alcohol for one week a month. Over the course of a year that amounts to three alcohol-free months, making it easier to reap the benefits of drinking less — from more energy to lower blood pressure — while still enjoying booze from time to time.

Stangland explained in a TikTok video shared in December that she noticed alcohol was central to many social occasions but she felt that it was no longer serving her to drink so often. She cut back on alcohol and realized she had less brain fog, slept better, and her skin improved.

"Why not create a small change that results in this major impact?" she asked herself, and a year ago decided to try cutting back at a level that felt easy to her: one week a month.

Stangland said she sometimes goes longer each month depending on how she's feeling and what's happening in her life.

She said she shared her method to show it's possible to incorporate healthy habits that aren't "drastic" into our lives, and has built an online community around it. She added that the method isn't for those who deal with substance abuse issues.

Ian Hamilton, associate professor in addiction at the University of York, told Business Insider the One Week No Booze Method is a reasonable compromise for those who want to cut down on drinking but who don't gel with concepts like Dry January.

Start the One Week No Booze Method as easily as possible

Stangland told Today that people can start the method any time, but choosing a week where they are less likely to drink anyway will help them to succeed. If you slip up, just start again, she said.

Hamilton said that it's important for people to be realistic and avoid setting themselves up for failure when making a behavioral change, and to see slip-ups as a learning exercise.

"Think about times which are least stressful or the opposite where you might want to celebrate — the latter can catch many people out," he said.

As she progressed, Stangland challenged herself to not drink on the week of a close friend's birthday party.

"I just felt so present," she told Today.com. "And then driving myself home and not having to spend on an Uber, climbing into bed and feeling that clear-headed feeling, I'm like, this is amazing."

Drinking too much can cause health problems including high blood pressure

Experts agree that there is no safe amount of alcohol to consume, but the CDC says two drinks or less a day for men and one or less for women is considered moderate. Excessive drinking long-term can cause health problems including high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and digestive issues, as well as certain types of cancer. It can also weaken the immune system, and lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

Dr. David Fiellin, professor of medicine and director of the program in addiction medicine at Yale School of Medicine, also backed the One Week No Booze Method. "A trial of stopping alcohol can help a person realize the extent to which they do or do not have control over their drinking," he told Today.

Fiellin also highlighted the signs a person may need professional help, which can involve medications, behavioral counseling, and support groups such as AA.

"Folks may be able to cut down from three drinks a day to two drinks a day, but they can't get to the point where they can get down to one drink a day," Fiellin said. "It's all good progress, but it's also a sign that they should seek out professional help."

Hamilton said those who are physically or psychologically dependent on alcohol should avoid the method as abruptly stopping drinking and then restarting can be dangerous.