If ‘Dry January’ of alcohol is too much, how about trying an alternative? Get to know

A new year arrives and several people come together to give sobriety a chance – that is, for the month of January. “Dry January,” the month in which some people abstain from drinking as part of a New Year’s ritual, has grown in popularity since the term was first coined about a decade ago.

About a quarter of legal-age adults in the U.S. have participated in 2024, an increase from previous years, according to CivicScience, a consumer data analytics company.

Last year, younger adults were more likely to participate in the challenge of the month, as 35% of 21-24 year olds committed to it. This occurs when the Gen Z appears to be more likely to grab a sparkling water and adopt a sober lifestyle or sober compared to previous generations at their age for numerous reasons, including avoiding social pressures.

What was once a simple New Year’s resolution has become fashionable and even glorified on social media as something to be tried, whether for health reasons or pure curiosity. The world has caught on too, as many restaurants and bars increasingly offer non-alcoholic drink options for those who want to participate in after-work without feeling uncomfortable or being left out.

But because overly ambitious New Year’s resolutions are often broken, some have opted for “Dry January’s” milder cousin: Wet January.

Wet vs dry January

Similar to dry January, Wet January offers participants the chance to reflect on their relationship with alcohol.

“It can become a very reflective time,” Dr. Akhil Anand, a psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Drugs and Recovery, told . “Any alcohol reduction is really important.”adding that many people who make an effort to limit or give up alcohol tend to discover that they don’t need it to enjoy life as they thought they would.

As its name implies, the wet option doesn’t require you to stop drinking completely. You decide what limits to set. With the wet January, people establish rules on alcohol consumption, limiting its intake to 31 days.

For example, if you normally have 15 drinks a week, you could try cutting out a handful of them each week for the month and slowly reduce your alcohol consumption. Alternatively, you can choose drinks with a lower alcohol content. Someone might keep their glass of wine at dinner but forgo alcohol in social settings. Others may set drinking limits for certain days or times of the week.

It’s a personal decision, Vedant Pradeep, CEO and co-founder of Reframe, an alcohol reduction app, told Fortune, which can be empowering. “You are making the choice to downsize and prioritize your health,” he says. “This is a really good step in the right direction.”

Does dry or wet January improve health?

Excessive alcohol consumption, which has increased during the pandemic, has long-term health consequences, including increasing the risk of developing alcohol dependence, heart problems, developing certain types of cancer, memory problems, depression and anxiety, and social problems, such as family and work-related problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Drinking in moderation for those of legal age, defined as two or fewer drinks per day for men and one or fewer drinks per day for womencan help curb these health problems in the long term.

It’s no surprise that giving up alcohol completely also has its benefits. One study found that for moderate to heavy drinkers who abstained from alcohol for a month, long-term health benefits followed, such as improved insulin resistance, weight, blood pressure, and “a decrease in circulating concentrations of growth rates related to cancer.”

The people psychiatrist Anand works with have also reported better overall well-being, sleep, and mood.

While some may form better habits around alcohol and feel more confident about turning down a drink after January after completing a month of sobriety, Maintaining this habit is not easy for everyone.

A UK study found that following the conclusion of Dry January, many experienced “feeling freer to binge drink at other times of the year, with binge drinking having a greater detrimental effect”. Study calls for more research into how to measure the success of alcohol reduction and elimination campaigns.

Still, research doesn’t suggest any health benefits from any amount of alcohol, and Anand says reflecting on the month you cut back on alcohol can help people get “back on track” and feel better about their lives.

Is a wet January right for you?

An intention and a why are important when evaluating whether you should choose a wet January (and can help increase your chances of success). Start by noticing when you tend to drink alcohol and how it makes you feel – not just in the moment, but afterwards.

Some people struggle with anxiety and find that alcohol exacerbates their symptoms, says Anand. Others may have trouble sleeping or want to improve productivity, which serves as an intention to limit consumption, especially when people are constantly involved in environments where alcohol is always present.

“We live in the culture we are involved in, whether at work or socially with friends, (and) alcohol is everywhere,” says Anand. Having an intention helps you feel motivated to commit and find ways to replace alcohol with other activities and even new hobbies.

When Anne Mahlum, a fitness entrepreneur and founder of Solidcore, reflected on her drinking, she realized she had formed a bad habit with alcohol. She drank every day and regularly alone.

“If you’re starting to think about this, and even question whether you have a healthy relationship with alcohol, it’s probably telling you something,” she says. “I felt a little guilty. I felt embarrassed. I didn’t like waking up with a headache. I was like, This just isn’t in line with who I want to be.”

As you identify how alcohol fits into your life, consider finding places where drinking can be swapped for something else, like exercise, and monitor how you feel as you create new situations where alcohol doesn’t need to be at the center of the table. All of this can help determine your intention to choose a wet or dry January.

For Mahlum, wet January was not the answer, as guidelines can be ambiguous. Abstention was necessary in her case to evaluate her consumption. Still, everyone is different, she says.

Some people may experience some discomfort that makes it difficult to stay true to the abstinence goal until the 31-day mark. Wet January could be the alternative.

“You can slowly reduce (alcohol consumption) over time,” says Pradeep. “Your body can adapt much better.”

But for others who experience withdrawal beyond an uncomfortable sensation, including shakiness (the shakes), anxiety, stomach pain, or changes in heart rate, a more serious relationship with alcohol is in play, says Anand. For someone with alcohol dependence, both wet and dry January are unlikely to be beneficial, he says. Instead, consider talking to a family doctor, who can point you toward appropriate resources or more serious care.

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