At the start of the new year, everyone makes resolutions, such as abstaining from alcohol, quitting smoking, and dieting. Of course, it is common for these resolutions to fizzle out within a few days. According to the American survey organization SBRI, only 8% of those who make New Year's resolutions keep them until the end. In other words, 9 out of 10 people give up midway.
In particular, plans to quit alcohol or smoking abruptly starting January 1 have a lower success rate. Experts recommend gradually reducing the frequency of drinking or smoking over a set period instead.
"Dry January" is an alcohol abstinence campaign that began in the United Kingdom in 2013. A UK charity proposed the initiative with the aim of encouraging those who struggle to keep their New Year's resolution to abstain from alcohol for at least a month.
Twelve years ago, 4,000 people participated in the initial campaign. This year, the number of participants in the United States has reached 75 million. This is about 30% of the total adult population of 260 million in the United States, making it popular enough that one-third of the legal drinking age population is participating.
According to CHOSUNBIZ on the 3rd, the Dry January campaign has also begun to take root in South Korea. The app "Clear Mind," which assists in a sober January, has surpassed 5 million cumulative downloads. Since the end of last year, many posts calling for participants have appeared on major alcohol-related communities and social networking services, stating "We will start Dry January. Looking for people to join us." On the 1st, a flood of certification posts attesting to the first day of sobriety this year appeared.
Adults who have attempted to abstain from alcohol cite social activities as the main reason it is difficult to quit drinking. They noted that when meeting friends or engaging in social life, there is a pressure to drink to build relationships. Among British adults, 43% reported canceling plans altogether to avoid drinking pressure.
Participants in the Dry January campaign often share their sobriety plans and post certification messages to gather support from those around them. Experts noted that participants who post their resolution to abstain for a month and receive encouragement from those around them have a higher likelihood of successfully abstaining.
Medical experts emphasized that even participating briefly in such campaigns can lead to significant health differences.
According to research from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, when a person who drinks three or more times a week based on two 330-milliliter beers abstained for a month, specific chemical markers associated with cancer progression in the blood decreased rapidly. Participants also experienced improvements in insulin resistance, weight, and blood pressure. Additionally, 8 out of 10 participants in the Dry January campaign reported that they developed "self-control over alcohol."
Recently, a campaign called "Damp January" has emerged to recommend moderation to those for whom total abstinence is difficult for various reasons. Similar to its name, Damp January encourages participants to reduce their consumption or limit their drinking to specific days instead of complete abstinence.
Medical experts stated that those who find total abstinence challenging or are excessively stressed due to reverse effects from failure can still see long-term benefits by focusing on reducing their drinking.
The global alcohol industry is concerned about the growing number of participants in the Dry January campaign each year. At the same time, they are reinforcing the non-alcoholic beverage category to alleviate the guilt associated with drinking.
In 2020, the major alcohol company Diageo acquired Seedlip, the world's first non-alcoholic distilled beverage manufacturer. Immediately after the acquisition, Diageo promoted the company's non-alcoholic beverages as "drinks for the future" in major cities in the United Kingdom during Dry January. Pernod Ricard is conducting a campaign that encourages "drink more water while consuming alcohol" to promote responsible drinking.
Ian Anderson, a developer of the sobriety app SunnySide, stated in an analysis report of Dry January participants that "Dry January is not simply a campaign telling people to quit drinking for health reasons; it is a campaign that teaches healthy drinking practices in an environment saturated with alcohol."
He added that "83% of participants experienced fewer days of excessive drinking, while 78% were able to control their drinking better," and "63% reported improved sleep quality, and 92% plan to reduce their alcohol consumption in the future."