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Comment and Health

The problems with Dry January – and what you could try doing instead

Many people decide to give up alcohol during January. But is this actually helpful in the long-term and are there better, easier ways to change our drinking habits, asks Ian Hamilton

By Ian Hamilton

6 January 2025

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Is this sparkling water, in the spirit of Dry January – or something harder?

Brent Hofacker/Alamy

Dry January, the challenge of going without alcohol for a month, is proving to be more popular than ever as millions sign up. Alcohol Change, the charity responsible for the campaign, hopes that people will reflect on their relationship with drink and go on to reduce their consumption beyond this month.

But despite Dry January having run for more than a decade, there has been little independent evaluation of its effectiveness. For example, we don’t know what happens when people reach the end…

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