Participating in Dry January is worthwhile, say researchers ánd participants

1 February 2025

Dry January is becoming increasingly popular and is even expanding to other months: Dry July and Sober September. But does it actually make people drink less? Participants and researchers agree: it often does.

IkPas is the organization behind the Dutch version of Dry January and has existed since 2014. This year, 13,442 participants took part in the challenge, but the concept of not drinking alcohol for a month appeals to many more people every year, says Martijn Planken of IkPas.

Current affaires programme EénVandaag conducted research among more than 1,800 panel members who took part in Dry January this month. More than half (55%) of them noticed positive effects of their participation after a month without alcohol. There were hardly any negative effects, although slightly less than half (42%) of the participants reported they did not notice a big difference.

On a physical level, participants often report being fitter, sleeping better or having lost weight. But mentally, a large proportion also noticed an improvement: they often felt 'clearer in their head' and were in a better mood.

Two thirds (65%) abstained from alcohol for the entire month of January. For the largest group, this was relatively easy, although there were also difficult moments. 'No glass of wine with dinner', 'stressful days' or 'many New Year's drinks' are often mentioned as examples.

A third (32%) ultimately did not abstain for the entire month. In those cases, an exception was often made for a special occasion. Although some panel members also found a solution for this by extending the challenge a little. "I have a punishment rule for myself that if I do drink something on an occasion, I have to continue Dry January, February, and if necessary March for another week", jokes one participant.

Do people celebrate when the month is over and immediately uncork another bottle? "No, absolutely not", says Planken. "Participants in Dry January have been so busy with their alcohol intake all month that many feel it is a waste to throw it overboard immediately." Also among the panel members participating in Dry January, a large number want to make changes to their alcohol consumption after this month. Half of them (50%) plan to drink less than they did before. 10% go a step further and even want to stop drinking alcohol altogether.

Source: avrotros.nl.

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