What is Dry January?

Last updated: 22 October 2026

Dry January is a month without alcohol, from 1 to 31 January, run every year since 2013 by the UK charity Alcohol Change UK. It started with 4,000 people, and the charity counted 200,000 people taking part in 2025 through its campaign.

Where did Dry January come from?

Dry January began with one person's month off. In January 2011 Emily Robinson gave up alcohol to train for a half marathon, found that everyone wanted to talk to her about it, and later took the idea to the charity, which ran the first official Dry January in 2013.

The charity was called Alcohol Concern at the time. Today it is Alcohol Change UK, and it still runs the campaign every January.

How does Dry January work?

The rule is a 31-day break from alcohol in January, and nobody checks but you. The campaign offers free sign-up, daily emails and its own app, and for anyone who starts later it has a 31-day version that begins on your own date.

You can do it alone, with a partner or with friends. The organisers also say it is not the right challenge for people who are physically dependent on alcohol: if you drink heavily every day, stopping all at once can be risky, so talk to a doctor first.

Why do people do Dry January?

People mostly give practical reasons: better sleep, more energy, saving money, or wanting to see what a month feels like. A University of Sussex release from January 2019 reported that, among people who did Dry January 2018 and answered its survey, 88% said they saved money, 71% slept better and 67% had more energy.

Those were self-reports from people who chose to answer, so read them as what participants said rather than as measured effects. It does not have to be a decision about the rest of the year either: a month is enough to notice which evenings the drink was a habit rather than a choice.

What does research say happens after Dry January?

Participants tend to drink on fewer days for months afterwards, including many who did not manage the whole month. Among 857 participants who answered all three surveys in a 2016 study, those who completed January went from about 4.8 to 3.7 drinking days a week six months later, and those who did not finish also drank on fewer days.

A 2020 study compared 1,192 participants with 1,549 drinkers who did not take part: health, well-being and control over drinking improved among people who completed the month, not among the non-participants, and those who tried but did not finish changed less. Neither study was randomised, and people who sign up are already motivated, so this is association, not proof.

Which part of Dry January should you plan for?

If you usually drink on weekday evenings, plan for the time when you would normally pour your first drink. If that is after work, it is the moment you get home and the day is over, when the first drink used to be how you marked it.

That moment is short, and it can be planned for: what goes in the glass, what you do with that hour, and a clear picture of tomorrow morning. Waking up without the nausea, without checking your phone to see what you sent last night, with a head that is just a head. The tips for Dry January guide is built around that hour.

What if you slip during Dry January?

You carry on. The organisers' own answer is that "there is no need to reset or drop out", and in the 2016 study even people who did not finish the month were drinking on fewer days half a year later.

One evening that goes differently is one evening. The next one is a new evening, not day one again.

Quick answers

Does Dry January have to start on January 1?

No. The campaign's emails are timed for 1 January, but it offers a 31-day version for any start date.

Why is it called Dry January?

"Dry" here simply means without alcohol, as in a dry wedding or a dry bar.

Is alcohol-free beer OK during Dry January?

Alcohol-free beer and wine keep the ritual. Check the strength on the label, even on drinks called alcohol-free: in the UK that word can still mean up to 0.05% alcohol.

Is Dry January worth it if you don't drink much?

The 2020 study found that people who sign up tend to drink more than average. If your drinking is light, the month mostly shows you which evenings you reach for a drink out of habit, which is still useful to know.

What does Dry January do to your body?

A small 2018 study measured lower blood pressure, insulin resistance and weight after one month without alcohol. The guide on what Dry January does to your body explains the measurements and their limits.

How can Morning Mirror help in January?

Morning Mirror is a drink less app for the evening: three minutes of audio before the first drink that show you tomorrow morning, so you decide from there. It is made for the time you would normally pour your first drink, and it is not connected to Alcohol Change UK or its campaign.