The premise is simple: Dry January is a month where people stop drinking alcohol, or make their best efforts to cut down.
It’s a big month for alcohol-free brands, who see the opportunity to reach new audiences as they search for new and exciting alternatives to alcohol.
But the campaign isn’t just about giving up alcohol for a month...
From niche origins to mass movement
Dry January started as a month-long campaign from Alcohol Change UK (then Alcohol Concern) in 2013, encouraging people to refrain from drinking alcohol for a month.
The reality back then was an initiative found primarily on posters in doctors’ waiting rooms: one that occasionally grabbed headlines in newspapers and talk shows for its novelty (and, indeed, audacity).
Today, the campaign has evolved enormously: the idea of going dry in January is known and embraced throughout the world.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the idea is completely understood.
Myth: Dry January is a campaign against alcohol
Two common myths. Firstly, that Dry January is a campaign against alcohol; and secondly that the one and only aim is to give up alcohol for a month.
Thinking like that risks missing the point entirely, says Dr Richard Piper, CEO at Alcohol Change UK.
“Alcohol Change UK is anti-harm, not anti-alcohol,” he told us.
“The goal of the Dry January challenge is to provide a moment in time that gets us all thinking and talking about our relationships with alcohol.
“Importantly, it’s not about giving up alcohol forever, unless that’s our own personal goal, but helping any of us keen to reset our drinking habits to return to more controlled, moderate, low risk consumption over the longer term.”
Changing habits for one month (a relatively small and achievable goal) then helps us to think about how much we drink the rest of the year.
That’s not blue sky thinking: it’s about how we, as humans, assess and change our habits.
“Decades of behavior change evidence show that simply trying to cut back on alcohol is much harder without first taking a proper break of a month or more,” said Dr Piper.
“Through this, we can experience the benefits to our health, wellbeing, wallets, relationships and more, while soaking up the learnings and building the confidence and skills needed to make more intentional choices about if, when and how much alcohol we drink for the rest of the year.”
Staying dry
An independent study found that those taking on the challenge with Alcohol Change UK’s Try Dry app and daily email journey double their chances of achieving a completely alcohol-free month vs those attempting 31 days off on their own.
Meanwhile, 70% of those who use these tools report still drinking less alcohol six months later.
Going dry in January comes at the right time of year: it’s a time when people are reassessing their health, wellness, career and lifestyle choices.
That clear and simple fit has meant the idea has resonated with others and boomed over the last 14 years.
In 2013, around 4,000 people took part in Dry January in the UK. In 2025, eight million people took part. This month, nearly a third of the UK population (around 17.5 million people) are expected to participate. And that’s in the UK alone.
Alcohol Change UK’s tools and resources have evolved: with a Try Dry app and daily motivational emails. Adoption from local authorities and health services have helped the movement gain mass nationwide attention.
The Try Dry app
The Try Dry app - 'think Strava or Garmin for your relationship with alcohol' - supports those taking part in Alcohol Change UK's Dry January challenge.
Since 2018, users have saved over £1.6bn from money not spent on alcohol, avoided 16.2 billion empty calories from alcohol, and cut alcohol consumption by 258 million units.
Users can:
> Track alcohol-free streaks and money, calories, units saved
> Monitor sleep, mood, wellbeing and cravings
> Set missions and earn badges for being alcohol-free at activities such as pub trips, comedy nights, dates, birthdays, weddings and more
> Access deals, discounts and prizes to experiment with alcohol-free brands
> Receive daily tips and advice for the challenge
But what’s now really interesting about the campaign is that it’s become involved in all areas of people’s lifestyles. That’s made it more than a campaign: it’s a movement.
Brands embracing Dry January
For Alcohol Change UK, brands have now become an important part of evolving their Dry January challenge.
“As the challenge has evolved, we’ve been able to attract support from corporate partners: from fast growing independent alcohol-free drinks to major retailers, health, wellbeing and leisure brands to name a few,” said Dr Piper.
That support keeps building the momentum behind the campaign.
And that money goes back into research and developing more resources for the challenge.
International dimensions
Alcohol Change has exported the Dry January® challenge internationally via its partners:
• France - Federation Addiction
• Switzerland - Blaues Kreuz Schweiz
• South Tyrol – Forum Prävention (province in North Italy)
• Luxembourg - Direction de la santé
• USA – Meharry Medical College
The Try Dry app currently has active users in 184 countries
At the heart of this is alcohol-free brands. This year Lucky Saint, the UK’s top alcohol-free beer, returns for the fifth year running as the Official Beer of the Dry January challenge.
Illustrating the range of options in alcohol-free is Counter Culture Drinks, the official kombucha; and Dash, the wonky fruit-infused soft drinks brand.
Joining the fold for the first time as Official Mocktail is Belvoir Farm; while Change Clean Cider, Wise Bartender and Nekta also join as official brands and supporters.
These brands offer their support, energy and creativity to the campaign: with a host of Dry January initiatives that help people realize the number of alcohol-free options and ideas now available to them.
And for the brands it’s about building a long-term path for growth and changing the message around drinking and not drinking.
Like Alcohol Change UK, we are not against alcohol, but we are against alcohol harm. Our vision is a society where drinking alcohol feels more like an indulgence and conscious choice, rather than an inevitability or necessity
Tom Smart, co-founder and CEO, Counter Culture Drinks
Who’s in charge of Dry January?
The biggest point of confusion comes from the name Dry January itself.
The concept of Dry January is known and embraced throughout the world.
The official Dry January® challenge, however, which comes with the apps and resources and support, is the trademarked domain of Alcohol Change UK.
Bringing brands on board helps the charity continue to spread its mission and the resources it offers.
“As the charity behind the Dry January® challenge, Alcohol Change UK is immensely grateful to work with official partners and supporters each year," said Dr Piper. “Their backing helps us to reach more people in January and beyond, continue improving our tools and resources and, crucially, keep everything free and accessible to anyone, in the UK and around the world,” said Dr Piper.
While Dry January has become synonymous with the idea of giving up alcohol, Alcohol Change UK conducts its official Dry January challenge carefully and cherishes the mission and vision for the campaign. To that end, it asks brands that want to associate products, services or messaging with the Dry January challenge to get in touch before they do so.
“We cherish and protect our Dry January® challenge, just as the London Marathon Foundation cherishes and protects ‘The London Marathon’,” said Dr Piper.
“We’ll start planning 2027 very soon and welcome conversations from any brand keen to get involved. Get in touch and, if you share our values, we’ll happily explore collaborating.”
