The radical Dry January approach we should all take
With so many Millennials growing up and moving to the suburbs, and Gen Z famously not drinking as much, has Dry January lost its fizz?
A recent YouGov survey from December 2025 revealed that just over half of British adults said they would not be avoiding alcohol in January 2026, and the vibe certainly matches that in the City PM offices, where reporters have been boasting about going to the pub this first week back.
How are others feeling? It’s hard to know, although Alcohol Change UK, the organisation behind the idea, says it polled a higher number of Brits than ever planning to take the month off from booze.
But this debate is missing the real point. Science suggests that extremes aren’t the way forward, and that one of the worst things we could do is roll into February with a massive bender to earmark the end of Dry January. Bingeing does far more damage, as many Londoners are learning this month at the range of events taking place in the capital on the topic, ranging from sober comedy nights to gigs and fancy dinners.
Dry January 2026: the radical approach
So here’s a radical idea: why don’t we abide by the Government’s drinking guidelines for a month? For a man that’s a medium-sized glass of wine a night for six nights of the week, which is actually a generous amount if you think about it. It means one night off, or smaller glasses every night. Save the drink until after dinner and savour the sips on the sofa. Plus it would just be fascinating to work out per week what the recommended allowance actually looks like. How many pints can I sink on a Thirsty Thursday after-work drinks, and if I go to dinner twice, can I get away with a cocktail on one of those evenings?
As a nation, we may be sliding towards this narrative anyway, with a broad reduction of drinking among young people. If moderation is our future, wouldn’t drinking what’s recommended be the most beneficial approach, rather than shooting in the dark with “damp” or “wet” Januaries that are hard to define by units or amount?
Insiders working on the push for change acknowledge that reduction year-round, rather than for one month, is the ultimate goal, rather than one dry month per year – for this reason we may see Alcohol Change UK slowly pivot away from Dry January. As Joe Marley, executive director at the charity tells City PM: “making our relationship with alcohol a conscious choice and not a default is the ultimate aim of the Dry January challenge.”
Let’s be honest: turning down the third, fourth and fifth drink of the night in February, March, April and beyond is the work we all need to do. And boring as it sounds, I reckon this is the best way to get there.
