Expect dry January to be bigger than ever in 2021

2020 had everyone looking for a drink. As the new year dawns, millions are reexamining those options.

More than 6.5 million people are expected to take part in dry January in 2021, up from an estimated 3.9 million in 2020, according to new data from Alcohol Change UK, the British nonprofit that popularized the trend ago. some years. One in five British adults who drink alcohol (20%) plan to do Dry January this year, accounting for 12.4% of the entire UK adult population.

Those numbers are impressive, especially when compared to the trend’s humble start. When Dry January was first officially launched in 2013, only 4,000 people signed up for the pledge to abstain. Since then, the trend has shown no signs of stopping, and the pandemic could have something to do with giving it more momentum. These numbers only take into account the people who sign up for the month through the organization; there is reason to believe that millions more participate unofficially and are not counted.

What appeared to be colloquial knowledge has grown out of new research: More people are drinking more now since the start of the pandemic last spring. Almost a third (29%) of the adults surveyed said they drank more in 2020 than before. People reported drinking earlier in the day (26%) and drinking more frequently (31%), according to Alcohol Change UK. People also report that they “drink to cope” and express concern about how much they drink.

Which means that the time is ideal for millions of people to avoid liquor and find a way to improve their habits, even if they drink again later in the year.

For those who participate in the challenge, research has shown that the health effects are long-lasting. Research has shown that stopping drinking for just a month can help reestablish bad habits, even if people drink again. Six months after completing dry January, people reduced their drinking days from an average of 4.3 to 3.3, while the amount of liquor drunk fell from 8.6 units to 7.1. The frequency of drunkenness decreased on average from 3.4 per month to 2.1 months, according to a 2020 study published in Psychology & Health. In 2018, the Royal Free Hospital found that eliminating just one month of alcohol lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, lowered diabetes risks, and lowered levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood.

Participating in dry January for the first time? Having structure helps. Alcohol Change’s free Try Dry app lets people keep track of the calories and money they are saving by not drinking, as well as the units of liquor they would normally drink. The app helps you set goals and offers tips for staying dry. According to the nonprofit, people who commit to signing up for abstinence month, either online or through an app, are twice as likely to complete the challenge, even if they were heavy drinkers to begin with.