Dry January tips that are backed by research

What predicts finishing Dry January

Researchers at the University of Sussex asked 857 Dry January participants about their drinking before, during and after the month. The best single predictor of getting through January was how often people had been drunk in the month before. Those who had been drunk less often in December were more likely to complete the challenge.

People who felt more confident turning down a drink in social situations at the start were also more likely to succeed. This kind of confidence has a name in research, drink refusal self-efficacy, and it grew among participants over the following six months. The practical lesson: if December was heavy, give yourself extra support in the first week, and treat saying no as a skill you can practise.

Track every day, not just the good ones

NIAAA, the US government institute for alcohol research, puts keeping track at the top of its strategies for cutting down. It suggests whatever works for you: check marks on a kitchen calendar, notes on your phone or a card in your wallet.

For Dry January, the simplest version is ticking off each alcohol-free day. Our Dry January tracker does that and counts your total, so one day with a drink never wipes out the days you have already done. If you plan to drink less rather than not at all after January, NIAAA also recommends knowing standard drink sizes so you can count accurately; the standard drink calculator shows what your usual glass holds.

Know your triggers and plan around them

NIAAA suggests working out what triggers your urge to drink. It might be certain people or places, a time of day, an activity or a feeling. Where you can avoid a trigger, avoid it. Where you cannot, plan something else to do at that moment instead of drinking.

Home is a common trigger. NIAAA puts it plainly: if drinking at home is a problem, keep little or no alcohol there. For many people the hardest moment is a specific one, such as getting home from work, cooking dinner or Friday evening, so it helps to decide in advance what you will drink and do at that time.

• Write down your three most likely trigger moments for January.
• For each one, decide what you will do instead and what you will drink.
• Clear out or give away the alcohol in the house before January 1.
• Move plans that revolve around drinking to daytime or to places where a drink is not the point.

How to handle an urge when it hits

You will probably get urges, especially early on. NIAAA lists several ways to handle them when a trigger cannot be avoided: remind yourself of your reasons for changing (it suggests carrying them in writing or on your phone), talk things through with someone you trust, or get involved in a healthy, distracting activity such as exercise or a hobby.

It also suggests a different approach: instead of fighting the feeling, accept it and ride it out without giving in, knowing that it will soon crest like a wave and pass. Many people find it easier to wait out ten or twenty minutes than to argue with an urge.

Practise your "no, thanks"

You will be offered drinks in January. NIAAA advises having a polite, convincing "No, thanks" ready, because the faster you can say no, the less likely you are to give in; if you hesitate, it gives you time to think of excuses to go along.

Your no does not need a long explanation. "I'm doing Dry January" is enough for most people. The NHS also suggests letting friends and family know that you are cutting down, so they can support you rather than top up your glass.

Fill the gap alcohol leaves

If drinking took up a lot of your time, NIAAA suggests filling it with new or renewed activities, hobbies and friendships. If you used alcohol to feel comfortable socially, to manage moods or to cope with problems, it suggests looking for other healthy ways to deal with those parts of your life.

The NHS lists benefits that many people notice when they drink less, such as feeling better in the mornings, being less tired in the day and having more energy. Noticing them, and writing them down, gives you more reasons to keep going in week three.

If you slip during January

A drink in the middle of January is not the end of the month. In the 2016 Sussex study, taking part in Dry January was linked with drinking less and with more confidence in saying no six months later, among everyone who took part, not only those who completed it. The changes were more likely among completers, so it is worth carrying on rather than giving up.

Log the day honestly and start the next one alcohol-free. If you find you cannot stay within the limits you set, NIAAA advises considering quitting altogether, getting professional help, or both.

When to talk to a doctor before you start

The NHS warns that it can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you are dependent on alcohol, and advises getting medical help before you try to stop if you get withdrawal symptoms. Those symptoms can include anxiety, difficulty sleeping, feeling sick, a racing heartbeat, sweating and shaking, and they usually begin within 6 to 12 hours of the last drink.

NIAAA also advises quitting rather than cutting down, with medical advice where needed, if you have a condition caused or made worse by drinking, take a medicine that interacts with alcohol, or are or might be pregnant.

Common questions

When to get help

This site offers self-help tools and information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor, or call one of the lines below, if:

• you feel shaky, sweaty, sick or anxious when you haven't had a drink;
• you find it hard to stop once you start, or you want to cut down and can't;
• drinking is causing problems with your health, work or the people close to you.

Before you stop: It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you are dependent on alcohol. If you get withdrawal symptoms, get medical help before you try to stop drinking.

Sources

1. de Visser RO, Robinson E, Bond R. (2016). Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during "Dry January" and subsequent alcohol use. Health Psychology, 35(3), 281–289. PMID 26690637
2. Tips to Try (Rethinking Drinking). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
3. To Cut Down or to Quit (Rethinking Drinking). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
4. Tips on cutting down on alcohol. NHS. nhs.uk
5. Alcohol-use disorder. NHS. nhs.uk