Dry January started with 1 person years ago — now it's a phenomenon

The start of January often feels like an opportunity for a clean slate, and for many people, that means cutting out alcohol for the month, a challenge widely known as Dry January.

What started as a personal experiment for one person in the U.K. has now grown into a global phenomenon. And it's one that researchers say can offer real health benefits. For others, it's the turning point to life-altering change that lasts beyond 31 days.

For Amanda Kuda, that change began nine years ago. She had gone out Dec. 30, and woke up the next day with a ferocious hangover.

"I said to myself, 'This is not the life that I want to live,'" she tells NPR.

So the next day, she committed to not drinking alcohol for the entire month. When the month was up, Kuda said she felt some big health benefits.

"Because I wasn't dragging myself down with hangovers and alcohol, I was able to, all of a sudden, workout every day," she says. "And then I was recovering so much more quickly because my body was in its most vibrant state."

Studies have shown that abstaining from alcohol for even moderate drinkers can contribute to better sleep, weight loss and clearer skin.

The 'official' Dry January

People use the term 'Dry January' to refer to their effort to cut alcohol out for the entire month, just like Kuda.

But the "official" challenge began across the pond in the U.K., according to Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, the organization that started the official (and trademarked) version. 

Alcohol Change UK's mission is to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.

"We never tell people how much or how little to drink. We want to empower people to make that choice themselves," Piper says. "We do that by our behavior change programs like the Dry January program."

Dry January started with the group's former deputy CEO, Emily Robinson, in 2011. At the time, she was reading more about the harms of alcohol consumption — at the same time as her half-marathon training.

Piper says Robinson "wondered what would happen if she had a whole month not drinking" and how it could benefit her running.

"Spoiler alert: It really improved her running performance, but she gained other benefits as well," Piper says.

In 2013 Alcohol Change UK made its Dry January challenge official and trademarked the name. This official challenge includes an app, daily email and online peer support groups — all with the goal of supporting participants in this challenge, Piper said.

It's now in its 13th year and has grown with more than 1 million downloads on their app, according to Piper.

A global phenomenon

Some research indicates that younger Americans are generally drinking less than prior generations. A Gallup poll released last summer reveals that the percentage of Americans who say they drink alcohol fell to a record low. Only 54% of Americans said they drink alcohol, according to the analytics company, which has tracked Americans' drinking habits since 1939. That's one percentage point under the previous record low in 1958.

Along this general move away from a glass of wine or beer, the unofficial Dry January trend has exploded as well.

Piper says he'd prefer if everyone took part in the official challenge put on by Alcohol Change UK to get the most support and benefit, but he says he supports anyone's effort to stop drinking, regardless of the length of time.

"One of the things I love about the Dry January phenomenon is that cultural feeling of, 'Hey, we're in this together,'" he says. He adds that taking 31 days off from alcohol can be beneficial.

"We think of it sometimes like a fire break, like you have a gap between the trees in a forest in order that the fire can't spread. It stops your alcohol [use] getting worse and worse over time."

And for Kuda, that break nine years ago helped launch her into a new life without alcohol: She's now a sober coach and author.

She says her first Dry January "kind of just snowballed into three months, into six months and a year. I decided to keep going. I was living a pretty miraculous life, and I didn't want to go back."

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