Dry January is celebrating its tenth birthday. Since the challenge began in 2013, it has become a fixture of many people’s new year calendar.
Alcohol Change UK, the charity which started the initiative, predicts almost nine million people are taking part this year.
But for some pubs, Dry January is another hit in what is already their quietest month.
Research by real estate consultants Altus UK revealed 400 pubs closed in England and Wales in 2022 due to factors such as lower demand due to the cost of living crisis, soaring costs and energy bills.
Various groups, such as the British Beer and Pub Association, are encouraging punters who are shunning alcohol to carry on going to the pub.
Laura Hadland, a beer correspondent for the Campaign for Real Ale, said: ”For me, a visit to the pub is about so much more than alcohol anyway.
“It’s about sharing social spaces and finding a sense of community that is otherwise desperately hard to discover in other areas of life. The people make the experience, whichever side of the bar they are on.”
Medical advice is that Dry January is good for your health in a variety of ways, from better skin to lower blood pressure.
Dr Niall Campbell, addictions expert from the Priory Group, said: “Removing alcohol from your diet for four weeks can also help to improve your liver function, as your liver will start to shed excess fat. If your liver function is not too badly affected by alcohol, it can recover within four to eight weeks.
“By the end of Dry January, you are likely to have reduced your calorie intake by 3,840 for the month if you used to drink six glasses of 175ml wine a week, or 4,320 calories over the month if you used to drink six pints of lager a week.”
Chances are your liver could do with a break too: 48% of people drink at least once a week in the UK, and an estimated 21% do so at levels damaging to health.
Figures from Alcohol Change UK show 24% of adults drink more than the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guideline of 14 units per week. One unit is a 25ml measure of 40% spirits or a pint of average strength lager.
Alcohol deaths also skyrocketed in lockdown – in 2021 9,641 people died from alcohol-related causes, compared to 7,565 in 2019 – an increase of 27% This is thought to be due to problem drinkers increasing their intake at home as lockdowns lingered on.
For many, the local pub is an important fixture of the community – not just about alcohol.
And pubs and bars are keen to keep drawing in customers during Dry January, which is reflected in the increase in low and no alcohol alternatives..
Harrison Boase, manager of Seven Brothers Brewhouse in Ancoats, says customers are taking to their alcohol free options.
He said: “Dry January is not as big a factor as people think. There’s a lot more alcohol free options available for people now.
“We’ve got six options: five different styles of beer and a gin.
“I think when I was younger, alcohol-free was never really an option; it was just a lime and soda or a coke, whereas now I think a lot more people are realising there is a market for it.”
Darren, barman at the Old Monkey in Manchester, feels Dry January does have an effect on business – but said it is just one of many factors currently hitting pubs.
He said: “The cost-of-living crisis doesn’t help, but January is always quiet after Christmas. At the end of the month people get paid and then things get back to normal.
“Dry January certainly has an impact. Rather than people coming in but not drinking, people generally just don’t come in at all.
“I’ve never understood the idea of doing a dry month myself. Curb your drinking in the long term if you have a problem. I totally get it if it’s a cost thing.”
While Dry January is certainly good for your health, it may not be so great for your local. However, the rise of low and alcohol-free options mean giving up alcohol for a month doesn’t have to mean staying out of the pub.
More information and help if you are struggling with drinking can be found here. If you think you may be addicted to alcohol, then Dry January is not appropriate for you: contact your GP.
