Moderating alcohol intake now forms a key part of overall health and wellness goals year round. That means the idea of January as the month to give up alcohol is changing.
Does that mean it’s lost its relevance entirely?
Drink or not drink?
Participation in Dry January has shot up over the last few years and it’s now a global phenomenon.
Alcohol Change UK, the charity behind the official Dry January challenge, estimates that nearly one in three Brits (around 17.5 million people) plan to take a month off alcohol in January.
In the US, around 30% of Americans participated in Dry January last year, according to Circana data.
But there are signs that interest in participating in a month-long break is waning. Instead, consumers are thinking more about year-round moderation.
Alcohol data and insights company, IWSR, now finds that Gen Z consumers are losing interest in the idea of a month-long break from alcohol.
That’s not to say that monthly challenges such as Dry January or Sober October aren’t still popular: but consumer enthusiasm for the idea may have reached its peak.
For example, the number of Gen Z drinkers in the UK who reported taking a break from alcohol for a month or longer dropped from 33% in autumn 2024 to 24% in autumn 2025.
An even larger decline was recorded in Australia, where this shrank from 39% to 24%.
In the US, participation flatlined.
Temporary abstinence appears to be less central to moderation strategies than it once was. This is especially the case among Gen Z drinkers, who have always been its most enthusiastic adopters.
Marten lodewijks, president and managing director, IWSR
Shifting attitudes and social trends make not drinking acceptable all year round.
In fact, 81% of consumers across the UK, US, Spain, Brazil and Japan believe it’s fine to decline alcohol without an explanation, according to research from Heineken published last month.
Catering for sober-curious consumers
Brands see varying responses to Dry January. For some, it’s a big month where sales peak and interest is at its highest.
If a large consumer base is taking part in Dry January, then it’s clearly a key moment for alcohol-free sales.
But other brands now find that their sales are spread out more evenly across the year.
“January is always strong because of Dry January and wellness-focused resets,” Hannah Delaney, president of Boisson, the US’ largest alcohol-free marketplace, told us.
“But what’s interesting is that the category is no longer just seasonal. We’re seeing more consistent year-round demand, which shows that moderation and mindful drinking are becoming lifestyle choices, not just resolutions.”
Try January?
The concept of 'Dry January' has propelled acceptance of alcohol-free into the mainstream. But alternative messaging is emerging.
'Damp January' takes the attitude that the month is about reducing alcohol, without the need to go entirely 'dry'.
And 'Try January' shifts the emphasis to the discovery of new, alcohol-free products.
Mash Gang, meanwhile, promotes 'Wet January': flipping the abstinence association on its head.
Sometimes it depends on the category within alcohol-free.
Alcohol-free sparkling wine, for example, is more likely to see a peak in December when people stock up on options for celebrations over the holidays. Meanwhile, alcohol-free cocktails are more likely to see sales boom during the summer months.
Putting sales aside, January is still important to the alcohol-free movement, says Damian McKinney, CEO of non-alcoholic company DioniLife (the company does see a January peak in sales, but that’s now accompanied by a peak in the spring as well).
He picks up on Delaney’s point: January is a ‘reset’ for many consumers.
“People are thinking about their new year’s resolutions: it’s how they’re creating a tone for the year,” he said.
That means January remains a key month for marketing and messaging and getting behind health and wellness goals: whether that’s in food, drink or lifestyle.
And what’s important is that January is a month where consumers are not just looking – but also proactively seeking out – brands that meet their goals and aspirations.
They’re searching not just for products that are alcohol-free: but ones whose stories resonate with their overall lifestyle and aspirations. That opportunity isn’t about getting a few more consumers for a month: it’s about building loyal fans for the year.
For Alcohol Change UK, the charity behind the official Dry January challenge, the real goal of Dry January has always been to get people to think about their drinking habits beyond the month-long goal.
CEO Dr Richard Piper says that taking a month off alcohol helps create the behavioral habits for long-term change.
“It’s about helping any of us keen to reset our drinking habits to return to more controlled, moderate, low risk consumption over the longer term,” he said (independent research shows that people who take a month-long break from drinking are more likely to keep their alcohol consumption down over the long term).
Dry January can help people set themselves up for year-round moderation success. And alcohol-free brands who think the same way can also use January to set themselves up for the year.
