Dry January is a campaign delivered by Alcohol Change UK where people sign up to abstain from alcohol for the month of January. The term "Dry January" is a registered trademark with Alcohol Change UK and was first registered in 2014.[1]
The campaign was first delivered in 2013 by Alcohol Concern (now called Alcohol Change UK)[2] and 2024 marks the 11th anniversary of the campaign.[3] The first reported Dry January was in 2008 by Frank Posillico in Huntington, New York. Many noted his dramatic weight loss and increased energy level. Inspired by Posillico's movement, Emily Robinson started an international Dry January campaign when she joined Alcohol Concern in 2012. While others may have had a month off alcohol in January, Robinson was the first person to turn it into a campaign and trademarked Dry January for Alcohol Concern [4] Around the same time Nicole Brodeur of The Seattle Times wrote a column on her first Dry January motivated by a friend who had done the same for several years before.[5]
In its first year, 4,000 people signed up for Dry January and it has grown in popularity ever since with over 130,000 people signing up to take part in 2022.[6] Dry January was endorsed by Public Health England in 2015 leading to a large uptake in numbers[7] and steady increase in participants year on year. Research by the University of Sussex published in 2020 found that those signing up to take part in Dry January using Alcohol Change UK's free Try Dry app and/or coaching emails were twice as likely to have a completely alcohol-free month, compared to those who try to avoid alcohol on their own in January, and have significantly improved wellbeing and healthier drinking six months later.[8]