So you’ve decided to join the 15.5 million people who are giving Dry January their all for 2025, but you’re not quite sure what you’re letting yourself in for. Let me shed a little light on the journey for you…
A Brief History of Dry January
Now in its 12th year, the movement first started in 2013 with a mere 4,000 participants after Emily Robinson took a month off booze to help prepare for her first half marathon. As a result she not only trained well but she slept better, lost weight and generally felt fantastic.
Two years later, on joining Alcohol Concern, as it was then known, Emily introduced the idea to the world, and the rest, as they say, is history.
How you Approach it
At this point, it’s worth noting something about the “challenge”: Anyone in the world can ‘do dry January’. You simply make the choice to remove alcohol from your life for 31 days and prioritise your physical and mental well-being over late nights and hangovers.
But to officially participate in Alcohol Change UK’s ‘Dry January®’ programme, you’ll need to sign up via their website and take advantage of their tools, which include the free Try Dry app, daily motivational emails, and a supportive online community.
How you decide to participate in the month-long event is entirely up to you, however, ACUK report that people who use their official program are twice as likely to succeed and that
A whopping 70% of people who used these tools during Dry January reported drinking less up to six months later.
If you’d like to go through your journey with the support of the ACUK community, you can sign up here and start your challenge whenever the time is right for you (it doesn't have to be Jan 1st).
Dry Jan Success Guide
Now, with that said, here are my top tips for a successful Dry January – however that looks to you.
Psychologically
1.Decide what success looks like to you
This may be a little controversial straight out of the gate, but my first tip is to decide what Dry January looks like for you.
The aim of the official programme is to remove alcohol from your life in its entirety for 31 days, but depending on your habits going into it, you may decide that the challenge looks a bit different to you.
Now, this advice isn’t for everyone, so make sure you’re honest with yourself about what you’re trying to achieve and why, and what is most likely to yield the best results for you.
If you decide that you want to have a moderately Dry January (or a Damp January, as some call it), make sure you’re not just using that as an excuse to still get sozzled because you’re not ready to make the full commitment.
Either way, make a decision and stick to it.
2.Don’t go it alone
Now that you know whether you’re going Dry, Damp, or somewhere in between, it’s time to be bold with those around you who may impact (or be impacted by) your choices.
Tell your family, your friends, your drinking buddies from the office. Set the expectations right out of the gate and remove the wiggle room.
Better still, if you can find someone who wants to do it with you and lean on each other for support when you find yourself leaning into temptation, you’ll have a much better chance of seeing it through to the end. - This is where ACUK’s tools and community resources really come into their own!
3.Don’t hide
It may be tempting to think that the best way to survive Dry January is to hide from it. Get up, go to work, come straight home, and sink into the sofa. While I love a good duvet day as much as the next woman, the world is not going to disappear just because you’ve decided not to drink for a few weeks, and there’s no point in pretending it will.
One of the best skills you can cultivate during this month off the booze is learning how to embrace a social life that doesn’t revolve around alcohol.
Related post: Fun without fizz: 10 ideas for Dry Jan joy!
A month-long break from alcohol isn’t just a reset for your body; if you give it true effort, it can be a reset for your entire attitude towards drinking.
4.Don’t just remove, replace
It should come as no great surprise that here at Low No Drinker, we’re big fans of finding quality low/no drinks to add to your toolkit for your month off the hard stuff.
You’ll still have rubbish days at work, the kids will still drive you crazy, and you’ll still want to reward yourself with something delicious. So do it. This is the perfect time to experiment and find some brand new low/no/light drinks to add to your repertoire of favourite beverages.
There is now a spectacular array of online and IRL shops and retailers catering to low/no drinkers like you and I, and thousands of producers working hard to give us great drinks.
Find low/no/light drinks online and get exclusive discounts inside the Low No Drinker New Citizen Quick Start Guide
Use the money you would have spent on booze to try some new low/no/light options. And even though prices these days are pretty comparable to full strength, you’ll still come out better off as you think of all the money you’ll save on unwanted shots, late-night kebabs and random £40 cab journeys because “how the hell do I get home from here?”
Physically
We’ve talked a lot about the psychological fortressing you can put in place to strengthen your resolve but lets not forget that this is a very physical undertaking.
Choosing to stop drinking for an entire month is going to impact you physically as much as mentally, and it always pays to be prepared.
There will be some fantastic physical benefits to taking this break, like better sleep, better skin, more energy, improved memory and even a stronger immune system.
But before that, depending on your previous drinking habits, there may also be some not-so-appealing physical impacts, and to be forewarned is to be forearmed:
Headaches
Alcohol is dehydrating. And when we drink, we often fail to take in enough additional water.
When you stop drinking for a while, it takes time to reintroduce the habit of drinking enough water, leading to dehydration, as is often seen in the form of headaches.
Up your water intake. Use one of the many free apps or set reminders on your phone.
And remember, only water is water. Swapping booze for coffee is not going to help with dehydration.
Disturbed sleep
While you may think that a nightcap helps you sleep, it actually interrupts REM sleep, which is where you get your deepest rest and recuperation. When you remove alcohol, it may take a little time for your body to recalibrate, and you may experience either insomnia or more vivid dreams during the first week or so.
Practice good sleep hygiene, stay off your phone or other digital devices before bedtime and avoid stimulants like coffee and energy drinks.
Tiredness and low energy
As a result of that disturbed sleep, while your body adjusts to the change in function without alcohol and tries to return hormones and other functions to the base level (homeostasis) you’ll likely feel fatigued and uninspired to move much.
This will pass, but until it does, take it easy and don’t give yourself a hard time if you’re not instantly feeling motivated to go for a daily jog.
Irritability
Alcohol affects neurotransmitters like dopamine, so suddenly stopping may cause irritability, anxiety, or low mood.
These symptoms typically subside as the brain adapts, but perhaps don’t put any extra mental or emotional pressures on yourself in the first few days as you level out.
Hunger
Many people see an increase in appetite for sugary foods as one of the main challenges in giving up booze. There’s often a lot more sugar in your drinks than you realise, and depending on how you consume your alcohol (with sugary mixers, in sweetened cocktails,
etc), your body has gotten used to a certain level of glucose coming in and will seek to replace that with your favourite sweet snacks.
Stay strong! It’s fine to indulge in a few sweet treats, but don’t get carried away–you don’t want to trade one unhealthy habit for another. Find a few snacks that help you fight the craving but are better for you (think nuts, dried fruits, dark chocolate).
Gastrointestinal discomfort
Alcohol impacts the gut microbiome, and stopping can lead to bloating, gas, or changes in bowel movements as the digestive system rebalances.
Try to up your intake of plant-based, whole foods alongside your usual diet to help your digestive system get back on track.
Shakes & sweats
This is more common in people who drank heavily and may indicate mild withdrawal symptoms.
As with everything on this list, it will eventually pass, but if these symptoms are severe (e.g., tremors, rapid heartbeat), it’s important to seek medical attention straight away.
Aches & pains
Alcohol is a great mask for a lot of what’s going on inside our bodies. When you remove it, you’ll start to become a lot more aware of those little niggles you’ve been ignoring or putting down to a hangover.
Usually, it’ll be nothing you can’t fix with a little more self-care and exercise (which you’ll have time to focus on now), but of course, if anything becomes too uncomfortable, make sure to see your doctor.
Cravings
Last but not least, you will crave alcohol. It’s only natural. You’ve likely been drinking the same way for most of your adult life, and if you’ve never taken a break before, it’s perfectly normal for your body to crave what it’s gotten used to. Most cravings only last for around 20 minutes. Much like a grumpy kid, the trick here is distraction. Find something (anything) that you can do to take your mind off it for 20 minutes, and you’ll find those cravings much easier to manage than if you spend the time wrestling with your internal monologue.
Do some exercise, read a book, play a video game, even cleaning the house or preparing a nice meal (as long as that doesn’t trigger a pattern of pouring a glass of vino), anything that you find enjoyable, difficult (so it needs full concentration) or generally demanding of your time will help you ride those waves and after a while those waves of craving will get smaller and calmer and much easier to surf.
Don’t get legless on Feb 1st
My last bit of advice for you is this: When you’ve made it through your Dry January, Sober October or any other challenge, it’s tempting to plan a big blowout to celebrate your first day of returning to "normal".
But if your only goal is to get leathered on Feb 1st, then what was the point in taking a month off in the first place?
Have a goal. Something that you want to get out of this experience that you will take forward with you into the rest of the year. It doesn’t have to be complete abstinence, you may just want to live a more mindful drinking way of life, whatever it is, hold on to the benefits it gives you and don’t fall back into the patterns of old habits, just for the sake of it.
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
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