Dry January: A Plan That Gets You to February

Somewhere around the second week of December, you'll say it out loud: "I'm doing Dry January." Maybe you said it last year too and made it to the 9th. This time you'd like to reach February, and to have a plan for what happens after that.

Here's where the idea came from, what research on participants found, and a plan for December, each week of January, and the month after.

Where Dry January comes from

In January 2011, Emily Robinson gave up alcohol for the month while training for a half marathon. She slept better and had more energy, and everyone wanted to ask her what it was like. In 2012 she joined the UK charity then called Alcohol Concern, now Alcohol Change UK. The first official Dry January ran in 2013, with 4,000 people signed up. By 2025, around 200,000 people a year were taking part worldwide using the charity's own tools.

What the research on participants found

The question most people ask is whether a month off changes anything once it ends. A study of 857 people who signed up for Dry January followed them for six months. Drinking had come down across the group, including among people who didn't complete the month. The changes were more likely among those who did, and very few people drank more afterwards than before.

Physical changes have been measured too. In a 2018 study, regular drinkers who stopped for a month had lower blood pressure, better insulin resistance and slightly lower weight at the end of it. In Alcohol Change UK's survey of participants, 86% said they saved money, 70% said they slept better and 66% said they had more energy. The post on what happens when you stop drinking for 30 days goes into the body side in more detail.

One more finding is worth knowing before you start. A study in England found people were 45% more likely to try to cut down in January than at other times of year, but their drinking didn't fall to match. The wish to change is already there in January. The rest of this post is about the plan.

December: set it up before the parties end

If you drink heavily every day, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor first. Withdrawal symptoms usually begin 6 to 12 hours after the last drink. Seek urgent care if you or someone else has severe shaking you can't control, confusion, seeing or hearing things that aren't there, a seizure, or a racing heart with heavy sweating.

For everyone else, use the last two weeks of December to get ready:

• Write down why you're doing it. NIAAA suggests reminding yourself of your reasons when an urge hits, so have them ready on paper.
• Tell a few people, and find one person to do it with if you can.
• Stock the fridge with alcohol-free drinks you like before 1 January.
• Look at January's calendar and mark the birthdays, dinners and nights out that will test you.

Alcohol Change UK found that people who used its support during the month were about twice as likely to stay dry as those going it alone, so line up whatever support you'll use before the 1st. If the holidays themselves worry you, Christmas and New Year without the usual hangovers covers the run-up.

January, week by week

The first weekend

In 2027, 1 January falls on a Friday, so the month opens with a weekend and possibly a New Year's Eve hangover. Plan something for Saturday morning that you'll want to be fresh for, such as a run or breakfast out with a friend.

The first full week

Back at work on Monday, the old evening cues return. NIAAA calls these triggers, the people and places that make you want to drink when you don't want to. Have your alcohol-free drink in the fridge before you get home. When an urge comes, NIAAA suggests riding it out, knowing it will crest like a wave and pass.

The middle of the month

By mid-January the novelty can wear thin. This is a good time to count what you've gained. Work out what you'd have spent on drink so far using the alcohol cost calculator, and notice how your mornings feel compared with December.

The last week

31 January is a Sunday. Decide what February looks like before that weekend comes round, so the end of the month is a plan instead of a finish line you run straight past.

Weekends, birthdays and nights out

January 2027 has five weekends. Treat each one as a small plan. Decide on Friday what you'll drink when you're out and when you'll head home. Dry January gives you an easy answer when someone asks why you're not drinking, and NIAAA's advice is to have a polite "no, thanks" ready before anyone asks.

For a birthday or a big dinner, arrive with your drink already chosen, order it first, and keep a full glass in front of you. If a particular event feels too risky, it's fine to go for the first part and leave early.

If you drink partway through

A drink on the 14th doesn't end the month. In a study of how habits form, missing one day did not materially change how a new habit developed. The Dry January research points the same way: people who didn't complete the month still drank less six months later.

Go back to alcohol-free the next day. Then look at what happened. Was it a place, a person, a mood, or a time of day? Plan for that moment next time. There's more in our article on getting back on track after a slip.

A plan for February

Some people keep going after January. Others want to drink again, but less. Both count. If you're going back to drinking, decide in advance how many days a week you'll drink and how many drinks you'll have on those days, as NIAAA suggests.

The NHS low-risk guideline is no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days each week if you want to cut down. A simple February could be weekdays alcohol-free and a set number at the weekend. Keep tracking for at least the first month after, so you can see whether the new level holds.