Dry January, Damp January or sober curious? What you need to know about reducing alcohol intake

As opinions about drinking alcohol, even in moderation, are shifting negatively, perhaps it’s no surprise that Dry January has gained in popularity.

But is Dry January — quitting alcohol for the entire month — for you? And what exactly is Damp January? Or even sober curious?

Here’s what you need to know.

How it started

Dry January began in 2013 as a campaign for a total mind and body reset launched by the charity Alcohol Change UK. However, the roots go back to 1942 in Finland, where the sober month was called “Tipaton Tammikuu” in solidarity with Finnish soldiers serving in World War II.

In 2023, more than 175,000 people registered to participate in Dry January with Alcohol Change UK — up from 4,000 during its inaugural year.

Health benefits

Taking the month off from drinking can improve sleep, increase energy, decrease fatigue and reduce gastrointestinal problems, said George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It also can help people cope better with stress and get back into a regular exercise routine.

Quitting alcohol can improve mood, energy levels, cholesterol and blood pressure, according to Dr. Akhil Anand, an addiction psychiatrist for Cleveland Clinic. And you might lose weight, too.

It’s also good for your immune system, said Taralee Loveridge, a registered dietician in the Well-Being Center at Independence Health in Greensburg.

It’s normal to want to reduce alcohol intake, but doing so requires requires a behavioral and lifestyle shift, Loveridge said. So be aware before jumping in.

Health risks of alcohol

Alcohol consumption is associated with 200 medical diseases, from liver disease to heart disease to cancers to mental health issues, according to Anand.

About 6% of cancers and 4% of cancer deaths are attributed to alcohol use, according to the American Cancer Society. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol is a leading risk factor for preventable cancer.

Alcohol use also can increase the probability of breast cancer, Koob said.

Although some studies cite possible health benefits of drinking — such as having a glass of red wine for its anti-inflammatory properties — Loveridge said it’s important to look at all the factors.

Alternatives

More young people than ever — 52% — between the ages of 18 and 34 believe drinking in moderation is detrimental to one’s health, according to Gallup’s Consumption Habits Survey conducted in July. The data for that age group has risen 18 percentage points since 2018.

Overall, 39% of Americans believe consuming one to two drinks per day is bad for one’s health — a record high, according to Gallup.

Beer shipments in the United States were expected to hit their lowest level in 25 years in 2023, according to industry tracker Beer Marketer’s Insights, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Dry bars, mocktails and nonalcoholic drinks are becoming popular, especially among young people, Koob said. He said he believes there’s a shift going on where the conversation surrounding alcohol is changing.

Although alcohol is used as a social lubricant and to cope with stress, it often backfires, Koob said.

“When it wears off, it can trigger increases in anxiety and make depression worse,” he said.

Said Anand: “It’s a really nice experiment to understand that you don’t have to have alcohol to interact with people.”

Damp January

Instead of cutting alcohol altogether, some people choose to participate in Damp January, which is decreasing alcohol intake, Koob said.

Others are choosing to be “sober curious,” a term coined by writer Ruby Warrington in her book “Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol.”

Sober curious is a middle-ground approach to drinking, as reported by the New York Times. People evaluate their relationships with alcohol but don’t entirely end them.

Dennis Regan, director of the Onala Recovery Center on West Carson Street in Pittsburgh, said experimenting with Dry January could be a good idea to see if an individual has a problem with alcohol.

Once drinking starts to affect one’s health, family, job, mood or surroundings, he said, that’s usually a sign there’s a problem.

Damp January could allow someone to demonstrate they are capable of limiting or having more control over their alcohol intake, Loveridge said.

What’s best varies based on the person and their behaviors, she said.

“I think people should make sure they have a good support system around them,” Loveridge said. “A journey is a journey for a reason. There’s going to be highs. There’s going to be lows.”