Guide · Dry January 2027
What is Dry January? The complete guide for 2027
One month, no alcohol, a few million people doing it at the same time. Here is what Dry January is, where it came from, when it starts in 2027, what the research honestly shows, and how to make the 31 days feel less like a test and more like a holiday for your evenings.
Photo is illustrative, not from a past month. Credits.
Quick answer. Dry January is a public challenge to drink no alcohol for the 31 days of January. It began in 2013, run by the UK charity Alcohol Change UK, with 4,000 people, and is now done around the world. Dry January 2027 runs from Friday 1 January to Sunday 31 January 2027. In surveys of people who took part, most reported saving money and sleeping better. If you drink heavily or every day, talk to a doctor before you stop.
Every year, in the first grey days after New Year, a great many people pour the last of the fizz down the sink and decide to give their evenings a month off. Some do it for their sleep, some for their bank balance, some because December was a lot. Most do it quietly. A few announce it on every platform they own. All of them are doing Dry January.
This page is the hub for everything we have written about it. Start here, then follow the links to the part you need.
Please read this first. If you drink heavily or every day, or use other drugs daily, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before you stop. The Quiet Month is not medical, not therapy and not rehab. In a crisis, call your local emergency number or find a free helpline at findahelpline.com. More in our questions.
Dry January in one paragraph
Dry January is a simple challenge: no alcohol from 1 to 31 January. It is not a diet, not a pledge to quit for life and not a medical programme. It is a month-long experiment in noticing what alcohol does in your life, and what your life does without it. The name "Dry January" is a registered trademark of the UK charity Alcohol Change UK, which runs the official campaign, a free app and daily emails. Anyone can take part, anywhere, for free. (The Quiet Month is not connected to Alcohol Change UK; we simply write about the month it made famous.)
When is Dry January 2027?
Dry January 2027 starts on Friday 1 January and ends on Sunday 31 January 2027. That is 31 days, with five full weekends (2 to 3, 9 to 10, 16 to 17, 23 to 24 and 30 to 31 January). Starting on a Friday means your first test is a weekend, straight after New Year's Eve. Worth planning for.
- Does it start at midnight? Officially, it covers the whole of 1 January. Most people raise their last glass (or a sparkling alternative) at midnight on New Year's Eve and start when they wake. Our sober New Year's Eve guide helps if you would rather start the night before.
- Can I start on the 2nd? You can, but you'll miss the clean line of the 1st. More on this in the rules.
- Missed the start? Do 31 days from any date. A dry month is a dry month.
Where Dry January came from
The story is pleasingly ordinary. In 2011, a woman called Emily Robinson signed up for a half marathon and gave up alcohol in January to make the training easier. She lost weight, slept better and had more energy, and friends kept asking her about it. In 2012 she joined the charity now called Alcohol Change UK, and the team wondered: what if more people took a month off, especially after Christmas? The first official Dry January ran in 2013 with 4,000 people.
It has grown a long way since. Alcohol Change UK says more than 200,000 people took part using its free tools in 2025, and its polling suggested many millions more planned a month off in January 2026. Similar challenges now run in other countries and other months: Dry February, Sober October, FebFast in Australia. All of them, side by side: sober months of the year.
The rules, briefly
There is really only one: no alcohol for the 31 days of January. Everything else is your call. Alcohol-free beer and wine? Many people drink them; some find they keep the old habit warm. Cooking with wine? Most of the alcohol cooks off, but not all of it. Slipped on the 9th? Carry on from the 10th, don't restart. Our full guide to Dry January rules answers every edge case, from kombucha to the work drinks.
Rowan is our AI assistant. Please keep health details for the video call.
What Dry January can do (and what it can't)
The best-known research comes from Dr Richard de Visser at the University of Sussex, who has surveyed participants for years. In the charity's summary of his 2019 work, 86% of people who took part saved money, 70% slept better, 66% had more energy and 54% lost some weight. In a larger 2019 study of more than 6,000 people, participants were still drinking less in August than at the start of the year, while a comparison group of ordinary drinkers was not.
Two honest caveats. First, these are surveys of self-selected people, not randomised trials: people who choose a dry month may differ from people who don't. Second, a month is a start, not a finish line. The research summary is in Dry January benefits: what the research shows, and the week-by-week picture is in what happens when you stop drinking for a month.
How to do Dry January well: seven steps
- Write down your reason in December. "I want to wake up clear on Saturdays" beats "I should drink less".
- Clear the house on 31 December, or move the bottles somewhere you don't pass every evening.
- Plan your 6 pm. The hardest hour is usually the one where a drink used to mark the end of the day. Have a replacement ready: a walk, a shower, a good alcohol-free drink.
- Tell people, briefly. One line, said once, is enough. Scripts are in how to tell people you're not drinking.
- Use a tracker or a daily email. People who used the official app, website or emails were about twice as likely to finish the month dry. Our comparison of Dry January apps covers the free options.
- Plan the five weekends before they arrive: one thing on each Saturday you'd enjoy more clear-headed.
- Decide February in the last week, not on 1 February. After Dry January helps.
Thirty-one more ideas, sorted by moment, are in Dry January tips that actually help.
Free tools for your month
- Dry January calculator: the money, calories and units your month off keeps, from your own numbers.
- 31-day alcohol-free challenge: one small task a day, a printable checklist, nothing to sign up for.
- Dry January email challenge: one short email a day from 1 January 2027, free, one-click unsubscribe. Everything else is in the Dry January hub.
Prefer one small prompt a day on paper? Print the Dry January 2027 planner. Prefer a short email each morning? 30 Quiet Days is free, from 1 January. Need a line for your announcement? Here are 75 original Dry January quotes and captions.
Is Dry January for everyone?
For most people who drink socially, a month off is a low-risk experiment. But not for everyone in the same way:
- If you drink heavily or every day, or have shaky hands, sweats or feel unwell when you don't drink, do not stop suddenly. Talk to a doctor first; stopping can be dangerous.
- If you can't imagine a month without it, that is useful information, not a failure. Your doctor or a local service can help you plan.
- If a full month feels too much, Damp January (drinking less, on purpose) is a real option.
- If you're curious about drinking less for good, read what "sober curious" means.
Every Dry January guide, by question
| Your question | Read this |
|---|---|
| What counts? Is 0.5% beer OK? | Dry January rules |
| Is it worth it? | Dry January benefits |
| Will I lose weight? | Dry January weight loss |
| Which app should I use? | Dry January apps |
| What do I drink at 6 pm? | Easy mocktail recipes |
| How do I get through it? | Dry January tips and the 2027 plan |
| My partner, my office, my friends still drink | Partner, work, friends |
| I had a drink. Now what? | Drank during Dry January? |
| Where can I get support? | Dry January support |
| Home or away? | Away or at home and Dry January abroad |
Where The Quiet Month fits
Most people can do Dry January at home, and this site is full of free help for that. Some would rather change the setting as well as the drink: no fridge, no usual Friday, no office drinks, just a calm month with people doing the same.
The Quiet Month is a calm month away for up to four guests, each in their own private flat a short walk from me: slow mornings, a short, always optional meditation, daily movement, shared low-carb meals and long evening talks, with no alcohol, no smoking and no drugs for anyone, me included. The first month starts on 1 January 2027, then on the 1st of every month. Honestly: I'm self-taught, not a doctor or counsellor, and The Quiet Month is not medical and not therapy. Every guest is 21 or over and brings a doctor's fit-to-join letter. I don't publish where I am; after a free video call, if we both want to go ahead, you learn the country and city before you sign anything, and nothing is paid before that call and a signed agreement. The programme fee is US$10,000 for the month; your flat and flights are extra. See the January 2027 month and what the fee includes.
Email me first at info@thequietmonth.com, start step 1 of the application (about five minutes, free, no commitment), or book a free 20-minute call.
The Quiet Month team
Questions people ask
What is Dry January?
A public challenge to drink no alcohol for the 31 days of January. It was started in 2013 by the UK charity Alcohol Change UK with 4,000 people, and is now done in many countries. It is free and anyone can join.
When does Dry January 2027 start and end?
It starts on Friday 1 January 2027 and ends on Sunday 31 January 2027: 31 days and five full weekends.
Who started Dry January?
Alcohol Change UK ran the first official Dry January in 2013. The idea came from Emily Robinson, who gave up alcohol in January 2011 while training for a half marathon and later joined the charity.
Does Dry January actually work?
In surveys by the University of Sussex, most participants reported saving money and sleeping better, and in a 2019 study participants were still drinking less in August. These are surveys, not randomised trials, so read the numbers as encouraging rather than certain.
Is Dry January safe for everyone?
For most social drinkers, yes. If you drink heavily or every day, or feel unwell when you don't drink, stopping suddenly can be dangerous: talk to a doctor first.
Sources
- Alcohol Change UK: The Dry January story (started 2013 with 4,000 people; Emily Robinson, 2011; read 3 Nov 2026)
- Alcohol Change UK: The evidence behind the Dry January challenge (de Visser 2019: 86% saved money, 70% slept better, 66% more energy, 54% lost weight; tools roughly double the chance of a dry month; read 3 Nov 2026)
- University of Sussex (2020): Take part in Dry January and you'll reap the benefits for months (over 6,000 people surveyed January to August 2019; read 3 Nov 2026)
- de Visser RO, Piper R (2020), Alcohol and Alcoholism: Short- and longer-term benefits of temporary alcohol abstinence during Dry January are not also observed among adult drinkers in the general population (prospective cohort, not randomised)
- Find A Helpline: free helplines in many countries
Prices and facts were checked on 3 November 2026. Prices change; always check the source before you book anything.