Dry January Tips: How to Make It Through and Keep Going

Dry January is simple on paper: no alcohol for 31 days. In practice, it lands right after the most drink-heavy weeks of the year, through cold evenings, birthdays and the first payday of the year. Most people who slip don't lack willpower. They just didn't plan for the moments that catch them out.

This guide covers how to get ready before January 1, how to get through the month, what to do if you slip, and the part most guides skip: what to do on February 1 if you want to keep going.

Safety first: if you drink heavily every day, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before Dry January, so they can help you stop safely.

Before January: get ready

1. Write down your why

Better sleep, more money, a clearer head, or finding out whether you actually need that evening drink. Write your reasons down and keep them on your phone. In the third week, when the novelty has worn off, you'll want them in front of you.

2. Clear the house

Finish, give away or pour out what's left from the holidays. It is far easier to say no once, in the shop, than every evening in your own kitchen.

3. Stock up on alcohol-free drinks

Pick a few drinks you actually look forward to: alcohol-free beer, sparkling water with lime, a good tea, a mocktail. Having something ready at the time you'd usually pour a drink keeps the ritual while dropping the alcohol.

4. Tell a few people

Tell the people you usually drink with. Most will be supportive, some might join you, and it saves you explaining yourself at every table.

5. Mark the hard dates

Look at your January calendar now. Birthdays, work drinks, the first Friday back, payday. Decide in advance what you'll drink, how you'll get home early if you want to, and who you can text if it gets hard.

During January: get through it

6. Replace the ritual, not just the drink

Much of drinking is routine: the end of the workday, the sofa, the first glass while cooking. Put something in that slot on purpose. A walk, a shower, a call, a hobby, a different drink in a nice glass. An empty slot is where the craving moves in.

7. Have a plan for cravings

Cravings are normal, and they pass, usually within minutes. Breathe slowly, delay the decision by 15 minutes, change rooms, or text someone. Our guide on how to deal with alcohol cravings has ten ways to get through one.

8. Go out, with a drink in your hand

You don't have to hide at home for a month. Order your alcohol-free drink first, before anyone offers you a round, and have a short answer ready: “I'm doing Dry January” is all most people need to hear.

9. Watch what you gain

Count your alcohol-free days, the money you didn't spend and the calories you didn't drink. Seeing the numbers grow is one of the best reasons to keep going.

10. Notice how you feel

Check in with yourself every day: your sleep, your mood, your mornings. Many people only realize how much alcohol was affecting them once it's gone. Those notes will matter on February 1.

If you slip

A drink on January 14 doesn't cancel the month. The danger is the thought that comes after: “I've already blown it, so I might as well carry on.” Don't. Stop where you are, think about what triggered it, and pick up again the next day.

It's worth it. A University of Sussex study of Dry January participants found that taking part was linked to drinking less six months later, even for people who didn't complete the month, although the change was more likely among those who did.

What a month off can do

One month is short, but it's long enough to notice a difference. In a study at University College London, regular drinkers who stopped for a month saw improvements in insulin resistance, blood pressure and weight compared with people who kept drinking. The Sussex study found that participants felt more confident turning down a drink six months later, and very few drank more after the month than before it.

Just as important is what you learn: which situations make you want to drink, what helps you get through them, and how you feel without alcohol.

February 1: keep going

Here's the question most Dry January guides don't ask: if you feel better than you have in years, why go back?

February 1 isn't a finish line you have to celebrate with a drink. You've already done the hardest part: the first weeks without alcohol, when habits and cravings are strongest. Some options:

• Keep the streak going. Don't reset at 31 days. Keep counting from your last drink and see how far you can take it: 60 days, 100 days, a year.
• Make it permanent. If January showed you that life is better without alcohol, decide that your last drink of December was your last drink.
• Step down instead of bouncing back. If you're not ready to stop for good, don't go back to your old normal. Keep alcohol-free days and set a weekly goal that gets lower each week until it reaches zero. Our guide on how to cut back and quit walks through how.

If you find you can't stop drinking even when you want to, talk to your doctor. Free, confidential help is available: in the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 (24/7); in the UK, Drinkline on 0300 123 1110.

How Pour Decision helps

Pour Decision is an iPhone app for people who want to stop drinking, and it fits Dry January on both ends. Log your last drink on New Year's Eve, and the sober clock counts every day, hour and minute since. Daily mood check-ins show how much better you feel, and an “I'm about to relapse” button walks you through a craving when it hits.

On February 1, there's no reset. Keep the sober clock running, or, if you're not ready to stop for good, let Pour Decision build a personal plan that steps you down to zero one week at a time.

Using the charity's Try Dry app for the month? See how it compares in Try Dry vs Pour Decision.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Alcohol Change UK: The Dry January challenge
• de Visser, Robinson and Bond (2016): Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during “Dry January” and subsequent alcohol use, Health Psychology
• Mehta et al. (2018): Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors, BMJ Open
• NHS: Tips on cutting down alcohol
• SAMHSA National Helpline