Better sleep, more energy and feeling in control: the reported benefits of Dry January

Since it was started in 2013 by the charity Alcohol Change UK, the Dry January challenge has significantly grown in popularity, becoming a very popular new year’s resolution. In 2023, 175,000 people officially signed up to take on the challenge of going alcohol-free for the entire month of January – and it’s likely many more will have done it unofficially.

Taking a month-long break from alcohol can have many benefits. And these benefits appear pretty quickly – across various aspects of health and wellbeing.

At the biological level, one month of abstinence is associated with reductions in liver fat, blood glucose and blood cholesterol.

A month of abstaining from alcohol can also have a range of psychological benefits, as found in one study on the Dry January challenge that I conducted with Alcohol Change UK.

The study looked at 4,232 adults who had signed up to participate in Dry January. Participants were surveyed just before the start of the challenge, with follow-up surveys conducted in the first week of February.

One of the key benefits of doing the Dry January challenge was better sleep. Over half of participants (56%) said their sleep quality was better by the end of the month.

Although many people believe alcohol facilitates sleep, alcohol use is actually shown to impair sleep quality and the amount of dream sleep a person gets. This can affect memory and concentration. Alcohol use can also make sleep apnoea worse.

It’s no wonder then that giving up alcohol – even temporarily – can benefit sleep quality. And alongside better sleep, 52% of the Dry January participants surveyed reported having more energy, while 50% said they had better overall health. In addition, 63% of participants reported Dry January helped with saving money.

In a subsequent study of 1,192 Dry January participants followed-up over six months, my co-author and I used validated questionnaires to assess psychological wellbeing and self-efficacy (a sense of being able to take on challenges). The study found significant improvements in both. That study also found that people who completed Dry January felt more in control of their drinking.

These benefits were found among all participants, but were more apparent in those who stayed dry for the whole month. But people who cannot commit to a full month may still benefit from abstaining even for a shorter time.

My co-author and I have also conducted a parallel study of the general population to compare people who were participating in the Dry January challenge to people not trying to change their drinking. The positive changes experienced by Dry January participants were not seen in the general population. This indicated that the positive, changes we saw were the result of participating in Dry January, and not due to seasonal variation in drinking or wellbeing.

Around half of the people who undertake Dry January return to their previous drinking levels – but feel they have a greater sense of control over it. Around 40% choose to make broader changes to their drinking – either by drinking on fewer days per week or drinking less on the days they do drink.

People who sign up for Alcohol Change UK’s Dry January challenge and those who engage with the campaign’s supporting materials are twice as likely to complete the challenge than those who try to go it alone. This may be because they have access to an online community of other participants who share tips for managing temptation and cravings. They also receive feedback on their achievements, and motivation to continue. Other studies have shown that having social support can help people to reduce alcohol use.

If you’re attempting to have a dry January, try to minimise opportunities to drink. For example, it may help not to have alcohol at home. If you do go out with friends to a restaurant or the pub, try planning ahead and work out what you will drink instead of what you usually order. Planning how to politely refuse offers of drinks may also help.

If you think it will be difficult to manage social pressure or expectations to drink, consider socialising in alcohol-free places and times. You could meet in a café rather than a pub or bar, or meet on Saturday morning rather than Saturday night.

Some people benefit from pairing up with another person: buddy systems can work, but may not be for everyone.

Dry January may not be appealing to all drinkers. It’s also not appropriate for those who experience alcohol dependence of addiction, and may need specialist support. But for many people who are motivated to change their drinking, it can be effective – and comes with numerous physical and psychological health benefits.