If you’ve been toying with the idea of Dry January, here are some incentives to start now
WORDS: Megan Graye
Let’s face it, January can be a bit bleak. There’s that post Christmas lul, the undeniable bloat and the lack of festive charm to cheer up those cold dark nights… Then someone suggests Dry January – no thanks!
…But it’s actually not as miserable as you might think! According to 2026’s official Dry January doctor – Dr Jeevan Fernando – taking part in Dry January can be a great way to get back on top of your fitness, start to feel healthier, lose weight and find new ways of relaxing and socialising.
“Dry January is a very good test of your relationship with alcohol and to see whether it really is what you say it is,” says Fernando. “If you think that your alcohol is healthy, Dry January is often a good way to see whether that’s true or not. Doing the dry month can help you to improve your discipline and really clarify what your relationship with alcohol is – and what you want it to be.”
Dr Fernando says that the sober month can act as a reset button. “You can sort of set the scale down to zero, and then you can then say, ‘you know what, I’m gonna drink this time, and I’m not gonna drink at another time’”. According to the doctor, 70% of people who take part actually reduce their alcohol intake for up to six months afterward. So, win, win?
What are some signs you should give dry jan a go?
- You’re using alcohol to relax
“Dry January might benefit you if you feel like alcohol is one of your go-tos to de-stress,” says Dr Fernando. “That’s a sign that you may be drinking more alcohol than is safe. Life is very stressful and if that’s your go to for stress, then you are likely drinking a lot more than you should.” But cutting alcohol out to unwind can be a daunting feeling if that’s your habit.
“This is a very common feeling,” says Dr Fernando. “In the scientific field we call this self-medication. You might use it to help you to relax such that you can get to sleep, for example. The problem with this is that often in the short-term feeling is that alcohol helps you, but in the long-term it creates a negative. With sleeping, alcohol has an effect where it decreases the time taken to fall asleep technically, but the, but the quality of your sleep is massively impaired.”
- You’re social life is based around it
“I think we historically and culturally have a false connection between fun and alcohol, and that’s where I think the trouble can come,” says the Doctor. “We feel like if we’re going to see our friends, it has to be in a place where there’s alcohol. That can sometimes be true, (bars or pubs or parties where there’s alcohol present) but that doesn’t mean we have to forgo seeing our friends and enjoying the event itself.” So how do you know it’s a good idea to try a break?
“If you feel like you can’t socialise without alcohol – that is at least some form of reliance on it – and gives us a signal to show that maybe we need to decrease that,” Fernando says. “Dry January can help kickstart that relationship where you feel like you can go to a social event, a party, a bar, a pub, and not have to drink. Then you realise that you can have the best of both worlds!”
- If you’re struggling to shift weight
Did you know there are approximately 200 calories in a large glass of wine and a pint of beer! “If you feel like you’re not able to lose weight or you’re aiming to get fitter, removing alcohol is generally something that helps you because there’s a lot of calories that you consume without realising,” says Fernando.
According to the Dry January expert, if you’re looking to gain muscle or lose weight, Dry January is something that can help to kickstart that change. “It also helps you to feel rested and keeps your hormones in a much better, more natural state to facilitate you exercising.”
- You have more drinking days that non-drinking days
A good indicator a dry run might be a positive change is if you can’t remember your last alcohol free day. “If you are drinking more days than you aren’t drinking in the week, or aren’t having many Alcohol-free days, this is a sign,” says Fernando. If alcohol is a part of your routine, try switching to non-alcoholic alternatives to beer, wine or g+t.
These can be a really great way of tricking your mind into feeling like you’re still having a drink, without the health impacts on your body. “Alcohol is a very potent chemical in your body and if you’re just removing that, it can benefit so many different systems,” says Fernando.
Inspired to give it a go? Here’s some hacks to get through the sober month and feel great doing it!
If you’ve decided to give it a whirl (and it’s absolutely not too late by the way!) then we’ve curated nine useful tips from the Dry January expert to help get you through the month. It may seem daunting at first, but there are some tactics that can really help make it easier – and dare we say – fun!
The Dry January® challenge, created and run by Alcohol Change UK since 2013, helps people around the UK and the world reset their relationship with alcohol over 31 days and beyond.
This year, alongside tapping into our individual motivations for taking on the challenge – such as saving money, improving our fitness or feeling happier – and the features in the Try Dry® app to track your progress every step of the way, Alcohol Change UK is bringing Funny AF to the UK: a one-night-only live dry comedy event at the Lucky Saint this January. Featuring a celebrity host and a range of comedians, the night will showcase that ditching the booze doesn’t mean losing the banter. Enter to win tickets via the Try Dry® app from 17th December.
