Dry January calendar 2027: a printable 31-day plan
January 2027 starts on a Friday and ends on a Sunday, so the month holds five full weekends, the first one on day 2. The calendar below gives you one small task for each day, marks the days most people find hardest, and leaves a box to tick every evening. Print this page (it fits on paper with the menus hidden) or keep it open on your phone.
Below: the month at a glance, the day-by-day plan with a task for each date, a one-page tracker, how to prepare in the last week of December, what to do if you slip, and how to use the same calendar for a damp January.
January 2027 at a glance
Knowing the shape of the month helps you plan around it. The dates that matter:
- Friday, January 1: New Year's Day. Day 1 lands on a holiday, often after a late night, so the first test is the same evening.
- Saturday 2 and Sunday 3: the first weekend, before most people go back to work.
- Monday, January 4: the first full working week.
- Friday 8, 15, 22 and 29: the end of each working week, the most common time for "just one".
- Monday, January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday, so the weekend of 16 to 18 is a long one for many people.
- Sunday, January 31: the last day. February 1 is a Monday, which makes a natural start for whatever comes next.
The month on one page
Tick each evening you stayed with your plan. Leave the box empty on a day you didn't, and carry on the next day; one empty box is not the end of the month.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ☐ Day 1 | 2 ☐ | 3 ☐ | ||||
| 4 ☐ Back to work | 5 ☐ | 6 ☐ | 7 ☐ Day 7 | 8 ☐ First Friday | 9 ☐ | 10 ☐ |
| 11 ☐ | 12 ☐ | 13 ☐ | 14 ☐ Day 14 | 15 ☐ | 16 ☐ Long weekend | 17 ☐ |
| 18 ☐ MLK Day | 19 ☐ | 20 ☐ | 21 ☐ Day 21 | 22 ☐ | 23 ☐ | 24 ☐ |
| 25 ☐ | 26 ☐ | 27 ☐ | 28 ☐ | 29 ☐ Last Friday | 30 ☐ | 31 ☐ Day 31 |
The day-by-day plan
Each day has one task. Most take under five minutes. They're ordered so that the planning comes before the hard days, not after them.
Week 1: January 1 to 7, set up
| Date | Task |
|---|---|
| Fri 1 | Write down why you're doing this, in one sentence, and put it where you usually pour a drink. |
| Sat 2 | Plan the evening before it starts: what you'll drink, what you'll do at the time you usually open a bottle. |
| Sun 3 | Clear the house, or move what's left out of sight. Stock two alcohol-free drinks you actually like. |
| Mon 4 | Notice your hardest moment of the day. Write the time and what was happening. |
| Tue 5 | Plan a replacement for that moment: a walk, a shower, a call, cooking with music, a tea ritual. |
| Wed 6 | Tell one person what you're doing. It's easier to say no in company when someone already knows. |
| Thu 7 | Plan Friday now: where you'll be, what you'll order, what you'll say if offered a drink. |
Week 2: January 8 to 14, the first Friday
| Date | Task |
|---|---|
| Fri 8 | Have the first alcohol-free drink in your hand before anyone offers you one. |
| Sat 9 | Do something on Saturday evening you'd normally skip because of drinking: an early film, a long dinner, a class. |
| Sun 10 | Score your sleep this week from 1 to 5. Compare it with how you remember December. |
| Mon 11 | Work out what a normal week of drinks cost you in December. Put that number on the fridge. |
| Tue 12 | Try one new alcohol-free drink. Our non-alcoholic drinks to make at home list has measured recipes. |
| Wed 13 | If you're more tired than you expected, plan an earlier night. It's common in week two (see below). |
| Thu 14 | Halfway check: write down one change you've noticed, however small. |
Week 3: January 15 to 21, the long weekend
| Date | Task |
|---|---|
| Fri 15 | Plan all three days of the long weekend now, one evening at a time. |
| Sat 16 | Get outside in daylight for at least 20 minutes. Short days make evenings feel longer. |
| Sun 17 | If there's a game, a party or a dinner, bring your own drinks so you're not left with water. |
| Mon 18 | A holiday Monday: start something that takes the whole evening, so the drinking hour passes inside it. |
| Tue 19 | Write down the three hardest moments so far and what got you through them. |
| Wed 20 | Say no once, out loud, to an offer. A short line works best: "I'm doing January dry." |
| Thu 21 | Three weeks. Weigh yourself or measure your waist if you tracked it on day 1. |
Week 4: January 22 to 31, plan February
| Date | Task |
|---|---|
| Fri 22 | Treat yourself with part of the money you've saved: a meal, a book, a ticket. |
| Sat 23 | Notice what you no longer miss. Write it down. |
| Sun 24 | Decide what February looks like: stay dry, set a weekly limit, or name your dry days. |
| Mon 25 | Write February's rule as numbers: drinks a week, drinks on any one day, dry days. |
| Tue 26 | Pick the replacement routine you'll keep after January. |
| Wed 27 | Look back at your why from day 1. Is it still the reason? |
| Thu 28 | Plan the last weekend, including what you'll do on Sunday night, the 31st. |
| Fri 29 | The last Friday. Same plan as the first: a drink in your hand before anyone asks. |
| Sat 30 | Score your sleep, energy and mood from 1 to 5 and compare them with week 1. |
| Sun 31 | Done. Write the one thing you learned, and put February's rule where you'll see it on Monday. |
Before January 1: a 5-day set-up in December
The people who finish a dry month usually decide the details before it starts. Spread these over December 27 to 31:
- Count a normal week. Write down what you drank the week before Christmas, in standard drinks. One US standard drink is a 12-ounce beer at 5%, 5 ounces of wine at 12% or 1.5 ounces of 40% spirits. Our guide to standard drink size does the sums.
- Mark your January events. Birthdays, dinners, work events, games. Write them on the calendar above.
- Choose your drinks. Buy what you'll drink instead, before the shops are full of January offers.
- Pick a way to track. This page printed on the fridge works. So does an app; our comparison of Dry January apps covers the free ones.
- Find your cue. Most people's drinking hangs on one or two moments a day. Our free drinking pattern quiz takes 2 minutes and names yours, so the calendar's tasks aim at the right hour.
One caution before you start. If you drink every day and have had shaking, sweating, a racing heart or strong anxiety when you've stopped before, talk to a doctor before January 1. Stopping suddenly can be risky for some heavy drinkers; a doctor can help you cut down safely. Our Dry January challenge guide lists who should check first.
What to expect, week by week
A calendar is easier to keep when you know which weeks tend to be hard. Most people report something like this, though it varies:
| Week | What's common | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cravings at your usual time, restless evenings, sometimes broken sleep | A plan for the hard hour, a drink ready, an early night |
| 2 | Tiredness, and the first Friday test | Sleep, daylight, and a social plan that doesn't hang on a bar |
| 3 | Better sleep and mornings; "I've proved it, one won't hurt" thinking | Re-read your why; plan the long weekend in advance |
| 4 | Steadier energy; thinking about February | Set February's rule as numbers before the 31st |
Feeling more tired before you feel better is common and usually passes. Our guide to being exhausted during Dry January explains why and when to see a doctor. For the changes that studies have measured, see our Dry January benefits timeline.
If you slip
An empty box on the calendar is information, not failure. What to do the next day:
- Don't restart at day 1. Carry on from the date you're on. The month is about the pattern, and 29 dry days out of 31 is still a very different month from December.
- Write down what happened. Time, place, who, what you felt just before. That moment goes in your plan for the rest of the month.
- Plan the same situation. If it was a Friday after work, next Friday gets its own plan on Thursday.
- Watch the "might as well" thought. Giving up the rest of the month after one drink costs far more than the drink did.
The University of Sussex research on Dry January found that people who didn't stay dry for the whole month still drank a little less afterwards. Finishing the calendar, even imperfectly, counts.
Using the calendar for a damp January
If you're cutting down rather than stopping, use the same page with two changes:
- Mark your dry days in advance. Shade 4 days a week before the week starts. Tick a dry day when it stays dry.
- Write a number on drinking days. In the box, write how many standard drinks you had. Add each week's total on Sunday.
A practical damp target is half your usual week, no more than 2 drinks on any day, and at least 4 dry days. Our guide to Dry January alternatives compares damp January with dry weekdays, two dry weeks and other options, with a 4-week plan.
After January 31
February 1, 2027 is a Monday. The habit you've built is at its strongest that morning, and so is the pull to celebrate. Decide on Sunday the 24th what comes next, and write it on the calendar's last line. Our guide to Dry January and February walks through staying dry, going damp, or drinking again with rules.
Questions people ask
What day does Dry January 2027 start?
Friday, January 1, 2027. It runs 31 days and ends on Sunday, January 31. February 1 is a Monday.
How do I print this Dry January calendar?
Use your browser's print option on this page. The menus and buttons are hidden on paper, so the calendar and the daily plan print on their own.
Is there an official Dry January calendar?
Dry January is run by the UK charity Alcohol Change UK, whose free Try Dry app includes a tracker. Some US groups, such as Prevention Action Alliance, have published calendars of daily tips. This one is ours, built on the real 2027 dates.
Which days of Dry January are the hardest?
Many people find the first weekend, the first Friday and the middle of the month hardest. In 2027 that's January 2 and 3, Friday the 8th, and the long weekend of January 16 to 18.
What if I miss a day?
Leave the box empty and carry on from the next day. Write down what led to it and plan for that situation next time. Starting the month again from day 1 isn't needed.
Can I use this calendar for Dry February?
Yes. February 2027 has 28 days and starts on a Monday, so the weeks line up neatly. Use the weekly tasks in order and skip the January dates.
Find the hour your calendar needs to cover
Most drinking hangs on one moment of the day. The free drinking pattern quiz takes 2 minutes and names yours before January 1.
Take the quizMore on Dry January and drinking less: all our drink-less guides.
Sources: Alcohol Change UK, Dry January and the Try Dry app. de Visser RO, Robinson E, Bond R, "Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during Dry January and subsequent alcohol use", Health Psychology 2016;35(3):281–9. NIAAA, "What is a standard drink?". MedlinePlus, Alcohol withdrawal. US Office of Personnel Management, federal holidays 2027. Prevention Action Alliance, Dry January prevention calendar. SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357.