The evidence that suggests you don’t need alcohol as a social crutch

Following the excesses of the holidays, many of us have opted for a Dry January. One reader tells me she hopes to keep cutting back on her drinking after the month ends, but she is worried about socialising. Alcohol raised her confidence with others and she is nervous about living without booze to lubricate her interactions.

I imagine this is a very common concern, but a survey of 342 US college students by Christine Lee at the University of Washington in Seattle and her colleagues might help…