In 2026, 17.5 million people across the UK plan to take a month off alcohol in January, aiming to kick off the year on a happier, healthier note. Top motivations include saving money, improving health and fitness, and boosting mental health and wellbeing. So, do they stand to benefit? Independent evidence says yes – and even more so with the right support.
The Dry January® challenge: Part of our wider Try Dry® programme
The Dry January® challenge, developed and delivered by Alcohol Change UK, began in 2013 with a simple idea at its heart: to take a break from alcohol for the first month of the year. Now in its 14th year, it is part of our evidence-based, expertly-designed and ever-developing Try Dry® behaviour change programme.
Designed by experts in public health and behaviour change, the Try Dry® programme uses proven techniques to help individuals reset their relationship with alcohol and reduce consumption long-term. Meeting people’s needs and motivations year-round, we offer three other challenges alongside the Dry January® challenge: Sober Spring, a 31-day Anytime challenge, and our new Cut Back Challenge for those needing support to reduce how much they drink. And in our pockets every day of the year is the Try Dry® app, where people can stay accountable, track and improve their relationship with alcohol. It includes more than 30 ‘Missions’, a huge range of Badges that positively nudge ‘good’ behaviours, and an almost infinite number of user-set Goals covering reduction, lower-risk drinking, and being alcohol-free.
A ‘DIY’ alcohol-free month or the Dry January® challenge – what’s the difference?
Taking part in the Dry January® challenge means using at least one of our free tools: the Try Dry® app for accountability and motivation, engaging daily content for inspiration and information, and an online community for solidarity and peer support.
Yet every January, millions of people across the UK try an unaided alcohol-free month. Whilst we’re proud of the influence that Alcohol Change UK’s Dry January® challenge has had on wider public attitudes to alcohol at the start of the year, the evidence is clear that how you approach the month matters.
Those using Alcohol Change UK’s free Dry January® challenge tools and support, including the Try Dry® app, enhance their experience. As a result, they are twice as likely to complete the month alcohol-free and go on to drink less longer-term. Whereas outcomes for those going it alone in January are very different: just 36% manage to complete a dry month, versus 70% using our guided tools and support (DeVisser).
Further benefits reported by Dry January® challenge participants include:
- 86% saved money
- 81% felt more in control of their drinking
- 70% slept better
- 67% had better concentration
- 66% had more energy
- 65% reported improved health
These findings come from independent evaluations of Dry January® challenge cohorts and are sustained at follow‑up, with lower drinking scores (AUDIT), improved wellbeing, and greater confidence in refusing drinks. Beyond January, independent studies also affirm the efficacy of Try Dry® versus alcohol-industry-funded alternatives, with the app included in the Department for Health and Social Care’s Clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, 2025.
Try Dry® app data also highlights the scale of its impact. Since its launch in 2018, users have saved a total of £1.6 billion, 258 million units, and 16.2 billion empty calories, based on self-reported decreases in alcohol consumption.
All of this drives us to work harder to get our proven tools in the hands of even more people.
The dangers of misinformation
The Dry January® challenge is built on behaviour change science, including theories and techniques such as positive nudges, non-judgmentalism, an experimental mindset, social modelling and gamification. The Try Dry® app, daily motivational content and peer support help participants set clear goals, track progress, anticipate high‑risk moments, build refusal confidence and shift their personal identity – skills and attributes associated with longer‑term reductions in alcohol use.
Given the evidence on long-lasting benefits for Dry January® challenge participants, it’s disappointing to see misinformation – so often propagated by the alcohol industry itself – designed to discourage people from trying an alcohol-free January.
In the Daily Mail, we had an ‘expert’ from none other than the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (a body with membership largely comprising major alcohol industry players) casting doubt on the Dry January® challenge, saying that it’s a ‘bad idea’. How insulting and demoralising to the thousands of people who have already used the Dry January® challenge as the reset moment for long-term change, and those actively working hard to reach their goals this January.
Other misinformation has seen claims that ‘Dry January is promoted by the alcohol industry’, muddying understanding of its charitable purpose. We work very hard to ensure that no industry-funded organisations can promote the Dry January® challenge and we vigorously protect the integrity of the brand.
Ultimately, to ensure the effectiveness of the Dry January® challenge, we must make sure people understand what it is – and what it is not. It is way more than ‘31 days without alcohol’. It is a structured, proven, proprietary intervention, led by our charity and backed by DHSC, local authorities, public health experts and partners across the UK. Misrepresenting it risks undermining confidence in the tools that work and could discourage participation.
Our role is to communicate clearly: the Dry January® challenge is about more than a month alcohol-free: it’s about building skills, support, and motivation for long-term healthier habits.
Looking ahead: how the Dry January® challenge can be even more effective
We’re not complacent! We know that there are still too many people going it alone when trying to change the alcohol they drink, and not unlocking lasting benefits through the right tools.
We are committed to being inclusive and tackling health inequalities, by removing barriers to participation and targeting those who can benefit the most.
That’s why we recently commissioned Polimapper to analyse fully anonymised UK data from the Try Dry® app, evaluating the demographic profiles of areas most likely to use the app.
Full analysis will be published shortly, but key findings include:
- Areas with more people from higher socioeconomic classes and higher levels of qualifications had more Try Dry® sign-ups
- Women were more likely than men to use Try Dry®
- The app can work for everyone, with no differences in effectiveness by socio-demographic groups
We’re actively working to improve the Try Dry® programme, to be even more inclusive for people year-round. This includes:
- Targeting working class men and men aged 35+ in our marketing of the Dry January® challenge
- Launching a new guided ‘Cut Back Challenge’ supporting those who want to reduce how much alcohol they drink
- Investing in new partnerships with Local Authorities and Integrated Care Boards, particularly in areas with high levels of alcohol consumption
- Enhanced monitoring and reporting of health inequality issues across the programme
As January closes, I tip my hat to anyone taking part in the Dry January® challenge, despite the noise and deliberate confusion about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ for you. Ultimately, taking a break from alcohol and setting a plan for long-term change can only be a good thing – especially in this world where big alcohol brands shout the loudest and make it even more difficult for us to choose to drink less, or not at all.
Written by Joe Marley, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, Alcohol Change UK.
All IAS Blogposts are published with the permission of the author. The views expressed are solely the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute of Alcohol Studies.