The Dry January® challenge is the UK’s one-month alcohol-free challenge run by us, Alcohol Change UK. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people across the UK go alcohol-free for 31 days, using the tools and resources provided by us, including the Try Dry® app, daily motivational emails, and an active online community.
The campaign began in 2013 and has been growing ever since, with around 200,000 people globally taking part in January 2025. As we head into January 2026, we are encouraging organisations like yours to come together to help people in your community to drink more healthily.
A month without alcohol brings lots of benefits, like more energy, a chance to save some money, improved concentration, better sleep, boosted mood and so much more. It does you good on the inside. In fact, research shows that a month off alcohol leads to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes risk, as well as lower cancer-related proteins in the blood.
But there's a big difference between a DIY alcohol-free attempt and participating fully in Dry January® challenge. Encouraging people to take part in the Dry January® challenge using our free tools and resources, like the Try Dry® app, not only doubles the chances of success, but helps people reset their relationship with alcohol and unlock lots more benefits for January and beyond – from more cash in their pocket and increased energy to better sleep and fitness gains.
With your help we can make the campaign go further, inspiring more people to participate fully in Dry January® challenge and enjoy all the benefits that brings.
Designed by behaviour change experts at Alcohol Change UK, the Dry January® challenge offers a circuit breaker that helps us reset our relationship with alcohol over the longer-term. Independent research has found that six months after taking part in the Dry January® challenge, 70 per cent of participants have significantly improved wellbeing and lower alcohol health risks.
So, helping to spread the word about the Dry January® challenge to people in your community can bring big benefits, helping people to drink more healthily for January and beyond using Alcohol Change UK’s dedicated tools and resources - such as our free app, Try Dry®, daily motivational emails, and online communities.
Throughout January, local areas across the country run events and displays, as well as social media campaigns, using free downloadable resources provided by Alcohol Change UK.
You can join us by using these resources to:
- Spread the word – use our press pack for sharing with local media and our social media graphics and suggested posts to spread the word across your channels.
- Create a display – put our posters on display online and out in your local area e.g. reception areas and waiting rooms, entertainment venues, bus stops.
- Get businesses to let you know if they are providing low and no-alcohol options – create a list to share with local residents so they feel confident when they turn up at venues that they will be comfortably catered for.
- Connect with your community - link up with established community networks such as sports clubs, faith communities, interfaith groups and exercise classes. They may not have any specific focus on alcohol issues, but they will be full of people who have experience of the role alcohol plays in their community.
Encouraging people in your community to take part in the Dry January® challenge can double their chance of having a totally alcohol-free month and get some amazing, lasting benefits.
Get your free resources for this year's Dry January® challenge and help people in your community to drink more healthily.
Get your resources
The Dry January® challenge is for anyone who feels like they’re drinking a bit too much, or too often … or just feels like they could do with some time off from alcohol. It’s particularly effective for increasing risk and higher risk drinkers.1
It's easy to take part. Participants can simply:
- Download the free Try Dry® app via the App Store or Google Play
- Or, if preferred, take part via the Alcohol Change website at dryjanuary.org.uk and sign up to receive daily motivational emails with tips, stories from other participants and so much more.
The Dry January® challenge is a trademark of Alcohol Change UK. Therefore, we kindly request that any references to it are only used to describe people signing up to take part in the Dry January® challenge created by us, Alcohol Change UK, using the tools and resources we provide such as Try Dry® (the tool to rule the Dry January® challenge) and our daily motivational emails.
Research shows that anyone taking part in the Dry January® challenge by Alcohol Change UK is twice as likely to be successful in completing the one-month challenge and change their drinking habits longer-term, compared to those who try to avoid alcohol on their own in January. Therefore, to ensure people get the most positive benefits from the challenge, it's important that when promoting the campaign you are clear on what it means to take part and only share Alcohol Change UK created resources which we’ll share with you in the run up to the campaign.
Although the Dry January® challenge is safe for most people, it isn't right for anyone who is alcohol-dependent. Therefore, it's important to share information on alcohol withdrawal to anyone who might be at risk.
Alcohol withdrawal warning
People who are clinically alcohol dependent can die if they suddenly, completely stop drinking.
If you experience fits, shaking hands, sweating, seeing things that are not real, depression, anxiety, or difficulty sleeping after a period of drinking and while sobering up, then you may be clinically alcohol dependent and should NOT suddenly, completely stop drinking.
But you can still take control of your drinking. Talk to a GP or your local community alcohol service who will be able to get help for you to reduce your drinking safely. Find out more.
1 Increasing risk drinking is defined as drinking more than 14 but less 35 units a week for women, or more than 14 but less than 50 units a week for men. Higher risk is regularly drinking above these levels, while lower risk drinking is not regularly consuming more than 14 units a week.