The Janopause describes the post-Christmas abstinence from anything remotely pleasurable.

Look around your workplace and you’ll see people on the Janopause everywhere. They’ll be the ones with a litre bottle of Brecon Carreg on their desks, a packet of pumpkin seeds and an expression of utter misery.

'Janopause' has become a common way to atone for the over-indulgences of the festive season. But doctors warn that when drinkers cut out alcohol for just January, it fails to rejuvenate the liver in the long term.

Few of us make it through Christmas and the New Year without feeling as if we've overindulged. But would you have the gumption to give up alcohol for the whole of January? Here, four writers describe how they struggled to survive what has come to be known as the Janopause.