As an employer, you might think that promoting Dry January is going to be a bit of a challenge. Isn’t it likely to be met with a groan, or come across like you are preaching to your workforce? Not so. Each year more of us embrace Dry January as part of our new year resolutions after a boozy festive break. And, when you start to realise the benefits – both to our personal health as well as the business advantages, it’s really worth getting behind the drive for greater alcohol awareness.
About Dry January
Dry January was created by the organisation Alcohol Change UK. As the name suggests, it’s all about going a whole month without drinking any alcohol, and to try and change alcohol habits. This practice also benefits physical health and wellbeing, mental health, and sleep quality, alongside other habits. In 2019 there were 4.2 million people participating in Dry January and this has since risen to 15.5 million by 2025 – nearly 30% of the UK population. Doing Dry January in the workplace can help to foster positive relationships and camaraderie, as well as promote a culture of wellbeing.
Benefits of Dry January
Of those that took part in Dry January, research found that 70% of people found their sleep improved, 86% found they saved money and 65% saw they had improved their overall health after not drinking for a month. Even making small changes to alcohol consumption can make a big difference. The benefits of doing this challenge are:
- Improved stress management: Reduced alcohol intake can help to lower daily anxiety levels, which in turn can help to improve mental resilience.
- Greater emotional stability: Having a clearer mind helps to maintain relationships more easily in and out of the work environment.
- Better sleep patterns: Alcohol can affect your sleep so reducing alcohol intake will help you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.
- More energy: Drinking less or not at all can boost energy levels and make you feel more alert.
- Weight loss: Due to alcohol having lots of hidden calories, cutting back or stopping can help you lose some weight with little effort.
- A healthier body: In a British medical journal published in 2018 doing a month without alcohol was found to reduce the risk of diabetes, lower blood pressure and reduce levels of cancer related proteins in the body as well as lowering cholesterol.
The benefits to employers
With your workforce participating in the challenge, the changes will also benefit your organisation overall through:
- Reduced absence: Healthier employees are less likely to take sick days thus leading to reduced absenteeism and the related costs.
- Increased concentration and efficiency: Less alcohol after-effects in the workforce can help boost performance and productivity at work.
- Positive workplace culture: Promoting employee health and wellbeing can also help attract new hirings to your organisation and improve overall employee satisfaction.
- Improved employee engagement: Employees who feel supported at work, through wellbeing initiatives, are more likely to stay committed and loyal to the organisation.
How can you help as an employer?
There are many ways that you can help as an employer, such as getting your HR department to:
- Promote awareness campaigns: This can be done through sharing educational material surrounding the benefits of lowering alcohol intake.
- Organise a workplace challenge: Create a friendly workplace competition to help motivate employees, such as team-based abstinence goals with small incentives.
- Offer support networks: Whether it be peer support groups or professional services.
- Promote alcohol-free options: Support the challenge by also offering alcohol free options at work events
By creating a supportive working environment, organisations can demonstrate the organisation’s drive to look after employee wellbeing, thereby increasing retention rates.
Tips for a successful Dry January
Wanting to commit to the change is half the job, but you can’t always do it by yourself. So here are some tips you can use to help complete the challenge more easily:
- Set goals: Set a clear goal you wish to achieve and tell everyone around you what you are doing so they can help provide support for you.
- Choose alcohol free alternatives: Doing Dry January doesn’t mean you have to stop going out and seeing people, it just means you need to change the choices you make when in that environment.
- Shift your perspective: By saying ‘I choose not to drink’ rather than thinking of it as a negative thing. It helps to empower you and gives you more control.
- Celebrate: Every win you have, no matter how small.
- Track your progress: Either through journaling or apps such as the Try Dry App on your phone which tracks your progress, as well as how much money you have saved from not drinking.
- Plan booze free fun: This helps you to avoid temptation whilst also being able to participate in events with your friends or colleagues, such as game nights, coffee dates etc instead of always going to pubs or bars.
Conclusion
For employers, Dry January represents far more than a short-term wellbeing trend; it is a practical opportunity to invest in a healthier, more engaged and productive workforce. By supporting employees to reassess their relationship with alcohol, organisations can see tangible benefits such as reduced absence, sharper focus, improved morale and stronger team connections, all of which contribute to better performance and lower long-term costs. If you can gain the commitment to embrace Dry January, the benefits really can go further than you think.
Additional reading:
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/managing-your-drinking/dry-january
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/drink-less/
https://mentalhealthatwork.com/dry-january/
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/drinking-trends-in-the-uk