Why Dry January is a BAD idea: Expert warns the popular craze leads to a 'binge or bust' approach to drinking

After one too many drinks on Wednesday night, many will wake up and swear off alcohol for the month.

But Dry January is a bad idea as it promotes a 'binge or bust' approach to drinking, an expert has warned.

Julian Braithwaite, CEO of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, said the challenge is often taken up by people who have been drinking more heavily in the run–up to the New Year.

Many do report feeling better for it – from improved sleep to a lift in mental wellbeing.

'But that may not translate into wider change', he told the Daily Mail. 'One major UK study found that although 25–27 per cent of drinkers tried to cut down during Dry January, there was no population–level reduction in alcohol consumption.'

Nearly one in three Brits – the equivalent of 17.5 million people – plan to take part in Dry January this year, polling figures suggest.

Yet alcohol is still causing thousands of deaths every year, with 7,673 alcohol–related deaths in England in 2024.

'If you want to change your relationship with alcohol longer–term, a single month of abstinence is not necessarily the answer,' Mr Braithwaite said.

He explained that, for many people, sharing a drink is part of how we celebrate and connect.

'Rather than a binge–or–bust approach, we encourage moderate, sustainable habits that let adults enjoy the social benefits of drinking while managing health risks sensibly,' he added.

His comments echo those made last year by Dr Niall Campbell, a consultant psychiatrist at the Priory and one of the UK's leading alcohol withdrawal specialists.

'If you use Dry January as an excuse to drink to excess in December and February, and the rest of the year, then you're missing the point,' he said. 'Increasingly, that's what we're seeing.

'Dry January is a fantastic initiative. It is very popular and the health benefits of completing it are significant.

'But I worry that it has become a fashionable exercise for a lot of people. As a society, we need a wake–up call.'

Figures recently released by research company IWSR revealed monthlong abstinences – such as 'Sober October' and 'Dry January' – are becoming less popular among Gen Z, who were born between 1997 and 2012.

The number of Gen Z drinkers in the UK who reported abstaining from alcohol for a month or longer during the last six months dropped from 33 per cent in autumn last year to 24 per cent this year.

'Temporary abstinence appears to be less central to moderation strategies than it once was,' IWSR President Marten Lodewijks said.

'This is especially the case among Gen Z drinkers, who have always been its most enthusiastic adopters.

'Moderation is still an important trend across the entire beverage alcohol industry, but performative abstinence periods are less of the driving force they once were.

'Instead, consumers moderate by drinking less often and, when they do drink, they tend to drink less.'

Experts now believe people are drinking more 'mindfully' by deciding which days they will drink or taking part in 'Zebra striping' – when alcoholic and non–alcoholic drinks are rotated.

The IWSR also said that consumers are seeking out more expensive drinks – such as fancy cocktails – while cutting back on how much alcohol they consume overall.

Dry January officially started as a public health campaign in 2013, when it was launched by Alcohol Change UK.

Short–term benefits can include marked reductions in liver fat, blood glucose and cholesterol along with improvements in sleep.

Findings from one study suggest that taking part in Dry January can lead to less drinking year–round.

The research, led by psychologist Dr Richard de Visser form the University of Sussex, included giving a questionnaire to 3,791 people who took part in Dry January in 2014.

A total of 71 per cent made it through the month without drinking.

Follow–up questionnaires, issued six months later, revealed statistically significant reductions in the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking, and increased confidence about refusing alcohol.

These long–term benefits were seen in all the people who had signed up for Dry January, even if they did not manage to abstain for the full month, the research showed.