Sober October: frequently asked questions

Sober October is a fundraising challenge that asks you to go alcohol-free for the 31 days of October and raise money for Alcohol Change UK.

It’s an opportunity to do something positive for yourself while helping us work towards a future free from alcohol harm.

Alcohol Change UK is the official charity behind Sober October.

We are a leading UK alcohol charity working to reduce alcohol harm through evidence-based information and advice, working to ensure more and better support and treatment, campaigning for better policies and regulation, improving knowledge, and changing the conversation around alcohol to build better understanding and support for meaningful change.

We are the charity behind the Dry January® challenge and Alcohol Awareness Week and provide free tools and resources to help people manage their drinking year-round, including our free Try Dry® app.

Every pound you raise through Sober October will help us continue that work, preventing harm and saving and improving lives.

Evidence shows that taking a one-month break from alcohol can be a great opportunity to reflect on your drinking habits and experience some of the benefits an alcohol-free period can bring, such as better sleep, improved mood, and higher energy levels.

Sober October also gives you the chance to turn those 31 days into something bigger by raising money to help reduce alcohol harm.

The money raised will support our work to provide information and support, campaign for change, carry out and share research, and help create a society where alcohol causes less harm.

Sober October is first and foremost a fundraising challenge, so we’d love everyone who takes part to set up a fundraising page and raise whatever they can.

There’s no minimum fundraising target. Every donation, big or small, helps support our work to reduce alcohol harm.

The main challenge is simple: go alcohol-free from 1 October to 31 October and ask people to sponsor you along the way.

There are no complicated rules and it isn’t about being perfect. It’s about taking on the challenge, giving it your best shot and raising money for an important cause.

No. This year, Sober October won’t include Golden Tickets. The challenge is to go alcohol-free for the 31 days of October and raise money for Alcohol Change UK.

But we know that everyone’s month will look different, and having a drink doesn’t mean you’ve failed or that you should give up. If things don’t go to plan, simply carry on with your challenge.

If you’re using the Try Dry® app alongside Sober October, you can track your alcohol-free days as well as any planned drinking days, helping you see your progress across the month.

However your October goes, every pound you raise will still help us reduce alcohol harm.

Absolutely. Our free Try Dry® app is a great companion for your Sober October challenge – it's like a personal trainer in your pocket, cheering you on throughout the month and helping you see your alcohol-free streak build every day.

Simply select the Sober October goal in the app and you can track your alcohol-free days and see your progress throughout the month.

We’ll be in touch during Sober October with fundraising tips, information, updates and encouragement, but Sober October doesn’t include the same daily motivational emails you might know from our Dry January® challenge.

If you’d like daily support for your alcohol-free month, you can sign up to our free Try Dry® Anytime 31 Days challenge alongside Sober October.

You’ll receive daily tips, techniques, inspiring stories and expert advice to help you through your 31 days.

Sober October is a fundraising challenge: you go alcohol-free throughout October and ask people to sponsor you to raise money for Alcohol Change UK.

Try Dry® Anytime 31 Days is a behaviour-change challenge: it provides daily emails designed to support you through 31 days and help you explore your relationship with alcohol.

You can sign up to both. If you’re fundraising through Sober October and would like some extra motivation along the way, Try Dry® Anytime 31 Days is a great addition.

Sober October and Dry January® both offer an opportunity to take a month-long break from alcohol but each of the challenges has a different focus.

Sober October is predominantly a fundraising challenge. You go alcohol-free for the 31 days of October and ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you, raising money to support Alcohol Change UK’s work to reduce alcohol harm.

Dry January® is our behaviour-change challenge, designed to help people take a break from alcohol using our dedicated tools and resources and explore - and change - their relationship with alcohol for the longer-term.

If you’d like to access some of our free tools and resources while taking part in Sober October, you can use our Try Dry® app to track your progress and sign up to Try Dry® Anytime 31 Days for daily motivational emails throughout your challenge.

Absolutely. Sober October is open to anyone who wants to take on the challenge and fundraise for Alcohol Change UK.

Whether October feels like a big challenge or simply a chance to do something different for a month, your fundraising can make a real difference.

Every pound you raise will help Alcohol Change UK reduce alcohol harm, support people to make positive changes and campaign for a society where alcohol causes less harm.

Your fundraising helps us provide trusted information and advice, campaign for evidence-driven change, carry out and share research, and work towards a future that is free from the harm caused by alcohol.