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The benefits of Dry January: what the research actually shows

Better sleep, lower blood pressure, money saved: we went back to the studies behind the claims. Some have been measured, more are self-reported, and a couple have no study behind them at all.

By Rich, founder of Unhopped · Published 3 November 2026 · Sources checked 3 November 2026

The short answer

The strongest evidence comes from a 2018 study in the journal BMJ Open. After a month without alcohol, 94 moderate-to-heavy drinkers had lower insulin resistance (a median fall of 25.9%), lower blood pressure (about 6%) and slightly lower weight (1.5%), while 47 people who kept drinking showed no significant change.[1]

Surveys of people who sign up to Dry January add better sleep, more energy and money saved to the list. Those benefits are self-reported, though, and the figures vary a lot depending on which survey you read. The benefit that shows up most consistently is a change in drinking itself: participants tend to drink less, and feel more confident turning drinks down, six to nine months later.[2][3]

How we wrote this. We read the studies ourselves: in full where the paper is open, and from the published abstract where it isn’t. Every figure has a numbered source, listed at the bottom. This page summarises published research and NHS guidance; it isn’t medical advice. Unhopped is an alcohol-free beer site. Some links at the end are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we say about the evidence (how we make money).

Dry January® is the month-off-alcohol challenge run by the UK charity Alcohol Change UK. Its polling found that 17.5 million people in the UK, almost one in three, planned to take a month off alcohol in January 2026: that’s how many intended to, not how many did.[7]

This page is about what a month off does. For the practical side, start with how to do Dry January, and for the month day by day, the planner and calendar. For what to drink, see the best alcohol-free beers for Dry January.

The health benefits of Dry January, one by one

The benefits claimed for Dry January rest on very different kinds of evidence. Some have been measured in a clinic or a blood test. Others are what participants told a survey. And a couple, as far as we can find, haven’t been studied in Dry January participants at all. Here’s which is which.

Sixteen benefits claimed for Dry January, by the evidence behind themOur count from the table below. Weight has been measured and self-reported; it counts once, as measured.

Measured in a clinic or blood testSelf-reported in surveys onlyNo study found

Measured: taken in a clinic or a blood test. Self-reported: from participants’ own answers to surveys. Percentages are medians or shares of respondents, as each source gives them.
BenefitWhat the evidence saysEvidence
Insulin resistanceHow well the body responds to insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar; higher is worse. A median fall of 25.9% after a month, against no significant change in people who kept drinking.[1]Measured
Blood pressureSystolic down 6.6% and diastolic down 6.3% (medians), in the same study.[1]Measured
WeightDown 1.5% (median) in the same study.[1] Separately, 52.0% of 2019 Dry January registrants said they had lost weight.[8]Measured Self-reported
Liver blood testsTwo liver enzymes, GGT and ALT, fell by medians of 28.6% and 14.5%.[1] A small Dutch study also found GGT fell after a month off.[9] The BMJ Open study didn’t measure liver fat; the Dutch study did, and a 2025 review reports no significant change in it.[10]Measured
CholesterolTotal cholesterol fell 13.4%, but so did HDL, the ‘good’ kind, by 16.7%.[1]Measured
Cancer-related growth factorsTwo growth factors, VEGF and EGF, fell by 41.8% and 73.9%. The authors link them to cancer; the study didn’t measure cancer risk itself.[1]Measured
Sleep71.9% of 2019 registrants said their sleep quality had improved.[8] In France, sleep quality improved over the month even among people who didn’t manage all of it.[11]Self-reported
Energy65.6% of 2019 registrants said they had more energy.[8]Self-reported
Money84.4% of 2019 registrants said they had saved money.[8] Our Switch Calculator works out your own figure.Self-reported
Concentration64.3% of 2019 registrants said their concentration was better.[8]Self-reported
WellbeingWellbeing scores rose among people who completed the month; a comparison group of other drinkers didn’t see the same change.[12]Self-reported
Control over drinking80.4% of 2019 registrants said they had more control over their drinking.[8]Self-reported
A sense of achievement86.6% of 2019 registrants agreed “I proved to myself that I could do it”.[8]Self-reported
Skin54% of 2018 participants said their skin was better.[13] The NHS lists “better-looking skin” among the benefits people may notice when they cut down.[14] We found no study that measured it.Self-reported
The immune systemOften claimed, but we found no study of the immune system in Dry January participants.No study found
Cancer riskThe Chief Medical Officers say “there is no level of regular drinking that can be considered as completely safe in relation to some cancers”.[15] We found no study showing that a month off changes cancer risk; the growth-factor result above is the closest anyone has come.No study found

The 2019 figures come from online surveys of people who had signed up, written up in a University of Sussex evaluation report rather than a peer-reviewed paper. Only 1,158 of the 3,171 registrants who filled in the first survey (about 37%) also filled in the one six months later.[8]

The BMJ Open study, in detail

It’s the study behind most of the measured benefits on this page, so it’s worth knowing how it was done. Researchers at the Royal Free Hospital in London recruited healthy moderate-to-heavy drinkers through UCL, Queen Mary University of London and New Scientist magazine. Of the volunteers, 97 chose to stop drinking for a month and 48 chose to carry on. Everyone had blood tests and measurements at the start, and 94 and 47 came back for the second round at the end of the month.[1] They weren’t Dry January sign-ups, but they did the same thing: a month with no alcohol.

All but one of the people who stopped stayed alcohol-free for the month. Their results:

What changed after a month without alcoholMedian fall after one month, 94 moderate-to-heavy drinkers who stopped. The 47 who kept drinking showed no significant changes, apart from one liver enzyme (AST), which rose.
EGF (growth factor)
VEGF (growth factor)
GGT (liver enzyme)
Insulin resistance
HDL (‘good’) cholesterol †
ALT (liver enzyme)
Total cholesterol
Systolic blood pressure
Diastolic blood pressure
Weight

† HDL is the ‘good’ cholesterol, so this fall isn’t a benefit.

Source: Mehta et al., BMJ Open, 2018.[1]

Show as a table
What changed after a month without alcohol
MeasureMedian change
EGF (growth factor)−73.9%
VEGF (growth factor)−41.8%
GGT (liver enzyme)−28.6%
Insulin resistance−25.9%
HDL (‘good’) cholesterol †−16.7%
ALT (liver enzyme)−14.5%
Total cholesterol−13.4%
Systolic blood pressure−6.6%
Diastolic blood pressure−6.3%
Weight−1.5%

The authors are open about the limits. People chose their own group; the authors say assigning people to drink or not would have been inappropriate for ethical reasons. They also note that the volunteers were “all from university teaching hospital or science magazine”, and probably had “higher educational attainment and health-related motivation than the average population”. Among those who stopped, diet scores rose slightly during the month, though not by enough to count as significant under the study’s own threshold. The authors’ analysis found that stopping alcohol, not changes in diet or exercise, predicted the improvements. As they put it, “the durability of the observed biological effects remains to be established”.[1]

Six to eight months later, the people who had stopped for a month were drinking less. Their median score on a standard drinking questionnaire (the AUDIT) fell from 10 to 7, and the share scoring above 8, which the study counts as harmful use, fell from 61.0% to 28.5%.[1]

What people who do Dry January report

Figures such as “88% saved money” and “71% slept better” come from University of Sussex surveys of people who signed up to Dry January. They’re useful, but they’re self-reported, only one of the five sources below is a peer-reviewed paper, and the same research turns up with different numbers depending on where you read it.

The same research, five sets of numbersShare of Dry January participants who said they saved money or slept better, as each source reports it.

Saved moneySlept better

Sussex press release, Jan 201988%
Sussex evaluation report, Dec 2019
Sussex press release, Dec 201972%
Alcohol Change UK evidence page
de Visser and Nicholls, 2020 (peer-reviewed)63%56%

The lowest and highest figures for each measure are labelled; hover over or tab to a dot for the rest, or see the table below.

Each figure as its source gives it. Alcohol Change UK’s 86% and 70% don’t appear in the report it cites, which gives 84.4% and 71.9%.
SourceWho was askedSaved moneySlept better
University of Sussex press release, January 2019[13]2018 participants; 816 answered the final survey88%71%
University of Sussex evaluation report, December 2019[8]2019 registrants, all respondents84.4%71.9%
University of Sussex press release, December 2019[16]The same 2019 participants84%72%
Alcohol Change UK’s evidence page[17]Cites the 2019 evaluation86%70%
de Visser and Nicholls, Psychology & Health, 2020 (peer-reviewed)[18][19]4,232 participants, surveyed in the first week of February63%56%

Our reading: depending on the survey, between 56% and 72% of participants said they slept better, and between 63% and 88% said they had saved money. Every respondent had chosen to take part and replied online, and many didn’t answer the later surveys.

Do the benefits last?

Little is known about how long the changes in the body hold. The BMJ Open authors say it “remains to be established”,[1] and in the small Dutch study the fall in GGT reversed once people started drinking again.[9] What researchers have followed for longer is drinking itself.

There are two cautions. The lead UK researcher has written that “around half of the people who undertake Dry January return to their previous drinking levels”, though they feel more in control of it.[19] And across England as a whole, the growth of Dry January between 2015 and 2018 “was not associated with large corresponding changes” in how much people drank.[22] We go through the downsides in is Dry January good for you?

Beyond January: what the guidelines ask

Health guidance isn’t about a month off; it’s about how you drink the rest of the year. The UK’s Chief Medical Officers say “it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis”, to spread it over three or more days if you drink that much, and that if you want to cut down, “a good way to help achieve this is to have several drink-free days each week”.[15] The British Liver Trust (now Liver UK) has recommended “two to three consecutive alcohol-free days every week”, and warned in 2017 that “stopping for a month and then bingeing on alcohol is not the answer”.[23]

Dry January can be a good first step towards those guidelines. It isn’t a substitute for them. If alcohol-free beer is how you’d fill those drink-free days, here’s how to switch without missing a thing.

Alcohol-free beer for the month

Some people get through January by keeping the ritual and changing what’s in the glass. Whether alcohol-free drinks help people cut down in the long run is still an open question: a 2026 study of household shopping in England found no significant link between buying them and attempts to cut down.[24] Alcohol Change UK says drinks at 0.5% or 0.05% are fine for the month, and that the rules are yours to set[25] (more in can you drink alcohol-free beer during Dry January?, and on what 0.5% means on a label in the 0.5% debate). If you want beer in the fridge, these three score well in our directory and were in stock when we checked:

Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager · 0.5% ABV · Unhopped score 8.7 out of 10 · from £2.93 a can at Dry Drinker (1 November 2026)

Buy at The Alcohol Free Co →Also at Dry Drinker →Our page on it →

Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA · <0.5% ABV · Unhopped score 8.8 out of 10 · from £2.52 a can at The Alcohol Free Co (1 November 2026)

Buy at The Alcohol Free Co →Also at Dry Drinker →Our page on it →

Guinness 0.0 · 0.0% ABV · Unhopped score 8.1 out of 10 · from £2.06 a can at The Alcohol Free Co (1 November 2026)

Buy at The Alcohol Free Co →Also at Dry Drinker →Our page on it →

Want the whole month sorted? Our twelve best beers for Dry January has the price per can at three shops, the best 0.0% beers covers the fully alcohol-free end, the Dry January kit compares the monthly boxes (our pick, The Alcohol Free Co’s 12 Beers Every Month, was £25.61 on 3 November 2026), and the planner and calendar lays out all 31 days.

Questions people ask

What are the benefits of Dry January?

In a BMJ Open study, moderate-to-heavy drinkers who stopped for a month had lower insulin resistance, blood pressure and weight at the end of it. People who take part in Dry January also report better sleep, more energy and money saved, and many are drinking less six months later. The clinic results were measured; the rest are self-reported. See the evidence benefit by benefit.

How long does it take to feel the benefits of Dry January?

We found no study that has measured it week by week. The clinic study measured people after one month, and surveys ask at the end of January. Alcohol Change UK’s guide says you’re “hopefully feeling much better by days 4-7”, but it cites no studies. We go through what is and isn’t known in Dry January week by week.

Is Dry January good for your liver?

In the BMJ Open study, a month off lowered two liver enzymes, GGT and ALT, measured in blood tests. A smaller Dutch study also found GGT fell. The BMJ Open study didn’t measure liver fat, and the Dutch study found no significant change in it, according to a 2025 review. For people with alcohol-related liver disease, the NHS website says “if you stop drinking, your liver can often recover”, but its page gives no timescale. The British Liver Trust (now Liver UK) has recommended two to three alcohol-free days in a row every week.

Will you lose weight doing Dry January?

In the BMJ Open study, people who stopped for a month lost a median 1.5% of their body weight, and 52% of 2019 Dry January registrants said they had lost weight. For scale, the NHS says a pint of 5% beer has up to 222 kcal (its page was last reviewed in June 2023). Alcohol-free beers vary: each beer page on Unhopped gives the calories where the brewer publishes them, and our calorie calculator compares them.

Do the benefits of Dry January last?

Changes in drinking can. Studies in the UK, France and the Netherlands found participants drinking less six to nine months later, with a modest rebound in France. Little is known about the blood-test changes: the BMJ Open authors say their durability “remains to be established”, and in a small Dutch study the fall in GGT reversed once people drank again.

Is Dry January safe for everyone?

No. The NHS says it can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you’re dependent on alcohol, and Alcohol Change UK says the challenge isn’t suitable for people who are clinically alcohol dependent. The NHS also says to get medical advice before you stop if you have physical withdrawal symptoms, “like shaking, sweating or feeling anxious until you have your first drink of the day”.

The verdict

A month off has real evidence behind it. In one clinic study, people who stopped had measurably lower insulin resistance, blood pressure and weight a month later, and people who take part tend to drink less for months afterwards. The self-reported benefits are softer than the headline numbers suggest, nobody yet knows how long the changes in the body last, and what the guidelines really ask for is staying under 14 units a week all year, with drink-free days as one way to get there. Treat January as a start, not a fix.

More on Dry January and your health

More for an alcohol-free January

Sources

Opened and checked on 3 November 2026. Journal articles first, then reports, charity pages and official guidance.

  1. Mehta G, Macdonald S, Cronberg A, et al. Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study. BMJ Open. 2018;8(5):e020673. BMJ Open (open access)
  2. de Visser RO, Robinson E, Bond R. Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during “Dry January” and subsequent alcohol use. Health Psychology. 2016;35(3):281–289. doi:10.1037/hea0000297
  3. Rolland B, François D, Haesebaert J, et al. Change in alcohol consumption among French adults participating in Dry January: a 9-month prospective cohort study. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2026;156:105436. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105436
  4. NHS. Alcohol-use disorder. Page last reviewed 24 April 2026. nhs.uk
  5. Alcohol Change UK. The Dry January® challenge: frequently asked questions. Undated; checked 3 November 2026. Alcohol Change UK
  6. NHS. Alcohol support. Page last reviewed 17 August 2026. nhs.uk
  7. Alcohol Change UK. UK brings a Jan-do attitude to better health and wellbeing in 2026. Press release, December 2025 (polling by Censuswide, November 2025). Alcohol Change UK
  8. de Visser R. Evaluation of Dry January 2019. School of Psychology, University of Sussex; December 2019. An evaluation report, not a peer-reviewed paper. PDF
  9. Munsterman ID, Groefsema MM, Weijers G, et al. Biochemical effects on the liver of 1 month of alcohol abstinence in moderate alcohol consumers. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2018;53(4):435–438. Alcohol and Alcoholism
  10. Strowger M, Meisel MK, Uriarte S, Colby SM. A scoping review of Dry January: evidence and future directions. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2025;60(5):agaf057. Alcohol and Alcoholism
  11. Lespine L-F, et al. Determinants of successful completion and short-term benefits associated with temporary alcohol abstinence during Dry January in France: a prospective cohort study. Preventive Medicine. 2026;202:108428. Preventive Medicine (open access)
  12. de Visser RO, Piper R. 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 study. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2020;55(4):433–438 (corrigendum 2022;57(2):272). Alcohol and Alcoholism
  13. University of Sussex. How ‘Dry January’ is the secret to better sleep, saving money and losing weight. Press release, 2 January 2019 (the 2018 participants). University of Sussex
  14. NHS Better Health. Drink less. Undated; checked 3 November 2026. nhs.uk
  15. UK Chief Medical Officers. UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines. Department of Health; August 2016. GOV.UK (PDF)
  16. University of Sussex. Take part in Dry January and you’ll reap the benefits for months, Sussex research shows. Press release, 27 December 2019. University of Sussex
  17. Alcohol Change UK. The evidence behind the Dry January® challenge: benefits and long-term impact. Undated; checked 3 November 2026. Alcohol Change UK
  18. de Visser RO, Nicholls J. Temporary abstinence during Dry January: predictors of success; impact on well-being and self-efficacy. Psychology & Health. 2020;35(11):1293–1305. doi:10.1080/08870446.2020.1743840
  19. de Visser R. Better sleep, more energy and feeling in control: the reported benefits of Dry January. The Conversation, republished by Sleep Review, 8 January 2025. Sleep Review
  20. de Visser RO, Robinson E, Smith T, Cass G, Walmsley M. The growth of ‘Dry January’: promoting participation and the benefits of participation. European Journal of Public Health. 2017;27(5):929–931. European Journal of Public Health
  21. Kools N, et al. The predictive value of participant subgroups in a temporary alcohol abstinence challenge: compliance with abstinence and changes in drinking behaviour. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2025;60(4):agaf026. Alcohol and Alcoholism
  22. Case P, Angus C, De Vocht F, Holmes J, Michie S, Brown J. Has the increased participation in the national campaign ‘Dry January’ been associated with cutting down alcohol consumption in England? Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2021;227:108938. PubMed Central (open access)
  23. British Liver Trust (now Liver UK). Office party revellers urged to do Dry January. 15 December 2017. British Liver Trust
  24. Stevely AK, Kersbergen I, Brown J, et al. Are increases in purchasing alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks associated with attempts to cut down on alcohol consumption in England? A time series analysis. Drug and Alcohol Review. 2026;45(7):e70278. PubMed Central (open access)
  25. Alcohol Change UK. Top alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks for the Dry January® challenge and beyond. Blog, January 2026. Alcohol Change UK
  26. NHS. Calories in alcohol. Page last reviewed 12 June 2023. nhs.uk
  27. NHS. Alcohol-related liver disease. Page last reviewed 15 July 2026. nhs.uk
  28. Booker L. 1 week alcohol-free - what’s happening in your body? Alcohol Change UK blog, March 2026 (adapted from the book Try Dry; the post cites no studies). Alcohol Change UK