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By Rachael O'Connor
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You could sleep better, maintain a better mood and improve your health if you undertake Dry January, a new review has found.
Each festive season, after the late nights, parties and tipples—not to mention the expense of going to bars— many people give up alcohol entirely for the month of January.
The challenge, known as Dry January, was popularized by Alcohol Change UK in 2013, and saw more than 200,000 people sign up in 2025. But the number of people giving up alcohol for January without going the 'official' route is likely to be much higher—into the millions, researchers believe.
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Now, a review from researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health, and the Warren Alpert Medical School, has analyzed 16 different studies, made up of more than 150,000 participants, and examined what happens when a person gives up alcohol for a month.
The study's lead author, Megan Strowger, told Newsweek that the review "consistently found that participants report sustained decreases in overall alcohol consumption and a reduced risk for developing alcohol use disorder for at least six months," along with "substantial physical and mental health benefits, including weight loss, better sleep quality, and improved overall well-being."
She added: "Most importantly, the data shows that even individuals who did not abstain for the entire month still reported significant gains in mental well-being, indicating the effort is beneficial for everyone."
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Led by researchers at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies (CAAS), the team found that giving up drinking, even for a short while, can have major impacts on the body.
Those who completely cut alcohol for the month reported improved sleep, better mood, healthier liver function and blood pressure, and weight loss. They also reported being able to concentrate better and having more energy than before.
Even those who reduced the amount or regularity of their alcohol consumption reported improvements in the same areas.
While some people gave up alcohol without going through the official Dry January campaign route, those who formally registered and used the tools on offer were much more likely to complete the month without using alcohol, and to continue drinking less after the month had ended.
Strowger said in a statement that the effort to give up alcohol for a month "leads to sustained moderation."
"Most participants continue to drink less alcohol rather than increasing consumption afterwards," she said. "Overall, participating in Dry January allows people to pause, reflect and rethink their relationship with alcohol, including how it affects their social life, mental health and physical health."
Researchers also found that participants tend to identify as heavier drinkers than average, which is usually a difficult group to reach through intervention programs.
However, there were some negative side effects—some who were unable to complete the month without alcohol reported drinking more afterwards.
Overall, however, Suzanne Colby, professor of behavioral and social sciences, said the review shows that "taking a break from drinking can be reframed as a positive experience."
"There is so much more support for living an alcohol-free lifestyle now," she said in her statement.
"It is more socially acceptable than ever to be ‘sober curious’ or alcohol free. Social norms have shifted, in part with the help of influencers on social media sharing the benefits of sobriety and reducing the stigma of not drinking."
Strowger told Newsweek that the team's next steps will be to "focus on refining and tailoring these alcohol reduction strategies specifically for young adults, who remain an at-risk group for heavier drinking."
This will be done by "analyzing existing data on young people’s motives for cutting back and what helps or harms their chances of maintaining those changes."
"Additionally, we plan to conduct randomized controlled experiments to directly compare the effectiveness of full abstinence ('Dry') versus moderate reduction ('Damp') programs with US samples, as most research to date is based in the UK, where Dry January started."
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Update 12/09/2025, 10:27 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from Megan Strowger.
Reference
Strowger, M., Meisel, M. K., Uriarte, S., & Colby, S. M. (2025). A scoping review of Dry January: Evidence and future directions. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 60(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agaf057
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