The Dry January challenge: how to do it, and make it last

The Dry January challenge is a month with no alcohol, from January 1 to 31. It started in 2013 as a campaign by the UK charity Alcohol Change UK and is now taken up in the US and many other countries. To get through it, plan before January starts: pick your alcohol-free drinks, clear the house, tell people, and know your hardest days in advance.

This guide covers who should check with a doctor first, what to do in late December, a week-by-week plan, what the research says you can expect, how to handle a slip, and the part most guides skip: what you do on February 1 so the change sticks.

Who should not do Dry January alone

For most people, a month off alcohol is safe. The exception is anyone whose body has come to depend on alcohol. If you drink heavily every day and get shaky, sweaty, sick, anxious, or can't sleep when you go without, stopping all at once can bring on alcohol withdrawal, which can be dangerous and, in rare cases, life-threatening. Harvard Health and doctors quoted in news coverage of the challenge give the same warning: daily heavy drinkers should talk to a doctor first, who can help you cut down safely or stop with support.

Talk to a doctor too if you take medicines for anxiety, sleep or seizures, have a liver condition, or have had withdrawal symptoms before. In the US, SAMHSA's free, confidential helpline is open around the clock on 1-800-662-4357.

Not sure where you stand? Count a normal week first. Our guide to how many drinks a week is normal shows how to turn pours into standard drinks and where the heavy-drinking line sits.

What the research says you can expect

Two studies are behind most of the claims you'll read about Dry January. It's worth knowing what each actually measured.

So the fair summary is: a month off alcohol is linked with better sleep, lower blood pressure and weight for many people, and with drinking less for months afterward. It isn't a cure, it doesn't reset years of heavy drinking, and results differ from person to person.

When you might notice changes

• Days 1–7: sleep can feel worse for a few nights if you're used to drinking before bed, then begins to settle. Evenings feel long. Cravings are strongest at your usual drinking time.
• Days 8–14: many people report deeper sleep and fewer early wake-ups, and clearer mornings. The first weekend is usually the first real test.
• Days 15–21: the novelty wears off. This is where many quit; a bartender quoted by WKYT in January 2026 said people who give up tend to do it around day 15 to 20. Plan a reward here.
• Days 22–31: the routine is mostly built. Money saved is now noticeable. Start thinking about February.

These are common patterns people describe, not promises. If you have a medical reason to track blood pressure or weight, measure it at the start and end of the month so you know your own result.

Before January 1: your December checklist

Dry January is won in the last week of December. Doing these seven things before the first is worth more than any amount of willpower on January 3.

1. Count your current week. Write down what you drank over a normal week before the holidays. It tells you how big the change is and gives you a number to compare in February.
2. Write down why. Two or three reasons in your own words: sleeping through, the morning run, money for a trip, a blood pressure reading. Put them on your phone's lock screen.
3. Find your cue. When do you usually pour? Home from work, cooking, the kids in bed, Friday night. That moment is where January gets hard, so it needs a plan of its own.
4. Stock your replacements. Buy what you'll drink instead (list below) and a glass you like for it.
5. Clear the house. Give away, store out of sight or finish sensibly what's open. Don't plan a huge New Year's Eve "last hurrah"; heavy drinking right before a month off makes the first days worse.
6. Tell people. Your partner, the friends you drink with, the group chat. Ask one person to do it with you, or to check in weekly.
7. Look at the calendar. Birthdays, work dinners, a trip, the big game. Decide now what you'll order and say at each one.

A week-by-week plan for the month

Track every day. A paper calendar on the fridge with a mark for each dry day works as well as an app. Seeing the chain grow is a real reward in the first two weeks, before the slower benefits show up.

What to drink instead

The drink in your hand is part of the habit. Replace it with something that still feels like a treat:

• Sparkling water with lime, grapefruit or a splash of bitters (bitters contain alcohol, but a few dashes add very little; skip them if you want zero).
• Non-alcoholic beer. In the US a beer sold as "non-alcoholic" can still contain up to 0.5% alcohol by volume, as Harvard Health notes; look for "0.0%" on the label if you want none at all.
• Alcohol-free wine or sparkling wine, ideally chilled and in a wine glass.
• Kombucha, ginger beer, or a cold herbal iced tea.
• A mocktail: muddled fruit and herbs, citrus, soda water, served the way you'd serve a cocktail.

Watch the sugar in some mixers and sodas. A plain sparkling drink most nights and a fancier one at weekends keeps it simple.

The hard moments, and what to do

Lines that work, said once and kindly: "I'm doing Dry January." "I'm good with this, thanks." "I'm sleeping better, so I'm sticking with it." You don't owe a longer answer.

If you slip

A drink on day 12 doesn't cancel the 11 days before it, and it's no reason to give up the month. Harvard Health's advice is not to feel guilty and to start again the next day. The Sussex research reported that even people who didn't complete the month were drinking less afterward than before they started.

1. Note what happened just before: the place, the people, the mood, whether you'd eaten.
2. Make one plan for next time: "If there's an open bar, I'll get a soda water first and hold it."
3. Carry on the next day. Don't add extra days in February to "make up for it".

If you find you can't go more than a few days, or the cravings are much stronger than you expected, that is useful to know. It's a good reason to talk to a doctor, not a reason to blame yourself.

Damp January: the cut-back version

Some people choose a "damp" or "dry-ish" January instead: drinking less, not nothing. That can mean only weekends, no drinking at home, or a set number of drinks a week. It's a real option, especially if a full month off feels out of reach or you want to practice the habits you'll keep. The same tools apply: a weekly number, dry days chosen by name, a plan for your cue. Our guide on how to cut back on drinking alcohol has a 4-week schedule for exactly that.

February 1: how to make it last

The month ends; the habits shouldn't. The biggest risk is going back to exactly where you started, or celebrating with a heavy weekend. Before January 31, decide:

• Your weekly number. Lower than your December count, ideally within NIAAA's low-risk lines (no more than 14 a week and 4 a day for men, 7 a week and 3 a day for women) or lower.
• Your dry days. Name them: "Monday to Thursday" is easier to keep than "four days a week".
• Your cue plan. Keep the new evening routine you built in January, even on the days you do drink.
• Your first drink. Make it a planned one, with food, not a reflex at 6 p.m. on the first.
• A check-in date. Count a full week again in late February and compare it with December.

If you'd like to know which pattern your drinks follow before you set those rules, our free 2-minute drinking pattern quiz asks when, where and why you drink and names the cue behind most of your drinks.

Questions people ask

When does Dry January start and end?

It runs from January 1 to January 31: 31 days with no alcohol. You can start any month; the idea works the same.

Does Dry January actually do anything?

In a 2018 study, moderate-to-heavy drinkers who stopped for a month had lower blood pressure, better insulin resistance and slightly lower weight afterward. Survey research from the University of Sussex found that most participants reported better sleep and saved money, and were still drinking less in August.

Is non-alcoholic beer allowed in Dry January?

Most people count drinks under 0.5% ABV as fine. Check labels, since some contain up to 0.5%. If alcohol-free beer makes you want the real thing, skip it for the month.

Will I lose weight during Dry January?

Some people do, because a 5 oz glass of wine is around 120–125 calories and a regular beer around 150 (USDA data). In the Royal Free study, average weight loss was 1.5%. It depends on what replaces the drinks.

Why am I so tired during Dry January?

Many people feel tired in the first days as sleep patterns adjust, especially if they used alcohol to fall asleep. It usually passes as sleep settles. If you have strong symptoms such as shaking, sweating or a racing heart, see a doctor.

What if I drink during Dry January?

Carry on the next day. One drink doesn't undo the month, and the research suggests partial months still bring benefits.

More on drinking less: all our drink-less guides.

Sources: Alcohol Change UK, the Dry January challenge (founded 2013). Mehta G et al., "Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study", BMJ Open 2018;8:e020673. University of Sussex, "Take part in Dry January and you'll reap the benefits for months" (Dr Richard de Visser, evaluation of Dry January 2019). Harvard Health Publishing, "Take the Dry January challenge", January 2024. WKYT/Fox19, "Dry January challenge offers health benefits but poses risks for heavy drinkers", January 1, 2026. NIAAA, Rethinking Drinking (low-risk limits). USDA FoodData Central (calories). SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357. This guide is about habits and is not medical advice.