2016 appears to have been another strong year for Dry January with figures released by Alcohol Concern claiming nearly 1 in 6 Brits (16%) attempted the month off. However the campaign has continued to have a number of questions raised over the impact, who signs up, and the effect on the pub sector.
Alcohol Concern say this year the campaign has been 'even bigger' and has generated 1,549 UK media mentions alongside a significant social media activity. The Dry January Facebook page now has over 43,000 likes, whilst its Just Giving page says nearly £30,000 has been raised for the Charity which no longer receives core Government funding.
Cancer Research UK have also continued to run its 'Dryathlon' which as a direct fund-raising campaign has raised millions of pounds, although this year's 26,000 official sign ups appears to be around only half as many as last year. This could mean that Dry January 'brand' has been winning over potential 'dryathletes', but 'month off' campaigns have again come under scrutiny over the true impact on participant's health and subsequent drinking patterns.
Evaluation of outcomes from previous participants seemed to have only partly quashed questions over whether it might lead to increased consumption after January, in part due to research method. 72% of participants reported having sustained reduced levels of harmful drinking six months after completing Dry January, whilst 4% of participants were still dry six months on (although Alcohol Concern now seem to be reporting figures of 67% and 8% respectively). Indications of the likely health benefits have also been reported from research still underway.
One size fits all?
However recent research also appeared to find that the chances of successfully completing Dry January were higher amongst those with more moderate levels of alcohol use, lower frequency of drunkenness and greater drink refusal skills before taking part. This may raise some questions over whether such campaigns are as effective for those with higher levels of alcohol misuse, and previously questions have been raised about the impact on dependent drinkers.
Whilst the campaign states it is for 'social drinkers' and 'should not be attempted by people with an alcohol dependency problem', it is likely that some participants will have some signs of dependency and as such may use a month off to try and assess or re-establish a level of control over their drinking. One interesting blog post in fact asserted that 'moderate drinking will be harder than Dry Jan', whilst this year's campaign coincided with a lowering of the recommended guidelines. Whilst the majority of coverage seemed generally positive, there was of course various anti-Dry Jan messages and further questioning of the impact.
Despite these more nuanced issues, the majority of participants (71%) taking part in the research appear to 'succeed' at the whole month off, and even those who didn't may well experience a range of benefits. Alcohol Concern say the main motivations for people taking part were losing weight, having more energy and saving money. Indeed a Mental Elf post assessed a BMJ debate on whether Dry January campaigns could be doing more harm than good. Whilst it accepts the evidence is as yet limited, it still agreed that there are at least some short term benefits... but of course 'more research needed' - 2016 participants can take part here.
Pubs and the industry?
Pubs are another area where the real impact may be hard to assess, but the need to fight to keep visitors up may be evidenced by the Morning Advertiser's TryJanuary campaign, intended to promote a month of food and drink 'experimentation'. One licensee though described it as a 'fightback' against Dry January as a 'neo-prohibitionist ploy', although another licensee speaking to Vice said that 'January has always been a quiet month - but now, it has a new name'. JD Wetherspoon pubs have held a January Sale over the last 15 years covering alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Supermarket alcohol sales though reportedly took a big hit this January, although increases in non-alcoholic drinks have lifted total drink sales by around 10% on last year's average. However whilst there may be sympathy for the challenges facing pubs from some health groups, they may be mindful that whatever happens, most alcohol is still consumed by the heaviest drinkers. But for now, demand for Dry January looks set to have some staying power.
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