Dry January tracker: 31 days, a daily tip and money saved

The short answer

Dry January is a month without alcohol, from January 1 to 31, started by the UK charity Alcohol Change UK in 2013. Tick each alcohol-free day, keep a drink you like at home and have a short line ready for offers. If you drink heavily every day, talk to a doctor first: stopping suddenly can be dangerous.

What is Dry January?

Dry January is a challenge to drink no alcohol for the 31 days of January. The UK charity Alcohol Change UK launched it in 2013 with 4,000 people, after one of its staff, Emily Robinson, gave up alcohol for January 2011 while training for a half marathon. By 2024 the charity counted 215,000 participants (Alcohol Change UK). Dry January is a registered trademark of Alcohol Change UK; this tracker is free and independent.

How to use this Dry January tracker

1. Pick your start. January 1 is the usual day. When it is more than 90 days away the tracker starts today, so any alcohol-free month works.
2. Enter your usual week. Drinks and spend in a typical week turn each alcohol-free day into drinks skipped and money saved.
3. Read the tip, tick the day. Every day has one tip: a drink swap, something to say, a sleep or mood note, a money step or a plan for a tricky moment.
4. Print it or save the image. One page for the fridge in classic, fresh or ink-saver designs, or a phone-sized picture of your month.

31 Dry January tips, one a day

Week 1: Set it up

Write your reason, stock a drink you like and get your line ready before the first weekend.

1. Write your reason. Write one line on why you are doing this, like better sleep or saving for a trip, and put it where you will see it at 6 p.m.
2. Stock a drink you like. Before the weekend, buy one alcohol-free drink you actually enjoy: sparkling water with lime, ginger beer, iced tea or an alcohol-free beer.
3. Set your number. Enter what you usually spend on drinks in a week. Every alcohol-free day you tick adds one seventh of it to your money saved.
4. Have your line ready. Pick one short answer for drink offers: "I'm doing Dry January, I'll have a soda with lime." Short beats a long explanation.
5. Sleep check. Tonight, rate how easily you fell asleep and how you felt on waking, from 1 to 5. You will compare on day 15 and day 30.
6. Keep the 6 p.m. moment. If a drink marked the end of work, keep the moment and change what is in the glass: tonic with cucumber over ice, in your usual glass.
7. Plan the first weekend. Look at Friday and Saturday now. Pick one plan that does not center on a bar: a film, a long walk or a dinner you cook.

Week 2: Social life

Bars, dinners and people who push: order first, repeat your line and plan the tricky moment.

8. Order first. At a bar or restaurant, order before the round is decided: a lime and soda, a virgin mojito or an alcohol-free beer.
9. Make a virgin mojito. Crush mint and lime with a spoon of sugar syrup, add ice and top with soda water. It still feels like a treat.
10. Mood line. Write one line: how was your mood today, from 1 to 5, and what helped? Patterns show up after a week or two.
11. When someone pushes. Repeat, don't debate: "No thanks, I'm good." Say it a second time in the same words, then change the subject.
12. Name your tricky moment. Which moment pulls hardest? Write an if-then plan for it: "If it is Friday at 6, then I pour a ginger beer and call a friend."
13. Count the extras. Drinks bring extras: rides home, late-night food, rounds. If they added to your spending, raise your weekly number in the tracker.
14. Warm drinks for cold nights. Hot chocolate, chai or a caffeine-free herbal tea can fill the nightcap slot on a January evening.

Week 3: Notice the changes

Compare your sleep and mood notes, give the money a job and treat a slip as one day, not a reset.

15. Halfway check. Rate sleep, mood and energy from 1 to 5 again and compare them with day 5. Write down one change you noticed, however small.
16. Keep the cue, change the drink. Same sofa, same show, same favorite glass, different drink. Keeping the moment makes the swap easier than skipping it.
17. Ask for one specific favor. Ask a friend to text you on your hardest evening this week. A specific request is easier to say yes to than "support me."
18. Try a spritz. Mix a splash of cranberry or pomegranate juice with sparkling water, lots of ice and a strip of orange peel.
19. Give the money a job. Look at your money saved. Move it to savings or decide what it pays for: a dinner out, a new book or part of a trip.
20. If you slip. Had a drink? It is one day, not a reset. Leave that box empty, note what led to it and tick the next alcohol-free day.
21. Weekend mornings. Write how this Saturday or Sunday morning felt compared with a usual one. What did you do with the extra time?

Week 4 and beyond: Keep what works

Pick your house favorite, fill the Friday gap and decide how you want to drink after January.

22. Pick your house favorite. Which alcohol-free drink did you like most so far? Keep a few at home so it is always the easy choice.
23. The group dinner. Before a group meal, tell the host or one friend you are not drinking. You will have an ally when the wine comes round.
24. Fill the Friday gap. Book something for Friday evening that you look forward to: a class, a game night or a cinema ticket.
25. What surprised you. Write down one thing about this month that surprised you, good or hard. It helps you decide what comes next.
26. Tally the month. Check your drinks skipped and money saved. Save the tracker as an image so you can look back at it later.
27. Bring your own. Going to a party? Bring a bottle of something alcohol-free you like, so you are never stuck with tap water.
28. Plan February. Decide how you want to drink after January: a few dry weekdays, a weekly limit or keep going. Write it down while it is clear.
29. Your after-January line. If you plan to drink less from now on, prepare a line for that too: "I'm keeping weekdays dry."
30. Final check. Rate sleep, mood and energy from 1 to 5 one last time and compare with day 5 and day 15.
31. Celebrate the finish. Mark day 31 with something you enjoy: a meal out, a morning hike or a treat you saved for. Then tick the last box.

What to drink instead of alcohol

The easiest swap keeps the moment and changes what is in the glass. Some alcohol-free beers and wines contain a trace of alcohol, so check the label if you need none at all.

What does research say about Dry January?

A study of 857 UK adults who signed up for Dry January found that six months later they reported drinking less often, drinking less per occasion and feeling more confident turning drinks down. The changes were larger in people who completed the month, but also showed up in those who did not, and very few said they drank more afterwards (de Visser, Robinson and Bond, 2016). A later study compared 1,192 participants with 1,549 other adult drinkers: participants started out drinking more, and the improvements seen in those who completed the month did not appear in the comparison group (de Visser and Piper, 2020).

The limits matter. A 2025 review of 16 studies found most had no control group, relied on people's own reports, followed them for six months or less and came from the UK, and participants were more often women, younger and better off than drinkers in general (Strowger et al., 2025). So Dry January looks like a useful reset for many people, not a proven treatment, and this page makes no health claims. Tracking helps in general: across 138 studies, recording progress made people more likely to reach their goals (Harkin et al., 2016).

Is it safe to stop drinking suddenly?

For most people who drink moderately, a month off is fine. But if you have been drinking heavily for a long time, stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal that is painful or even life-threatening, and a doctor can make it safer (NIAAA; NHS). Warning signs include shaking, sweating, nausea or anxiety a few hours after your last drink. Symptoms usually start within 8 hours and peak in the first three days; confusion, hallucinations or seizures are an emergency (MedlinePlus). In the US, the free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357, and the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator helps you find care.

After January: keep what worked

Decide before February 1 how you want to drink from now on, such as dry weekdays or a weekly limit, and keep tracking that one rule on the 30-day habit tracker. For the other health basics, from sleep to movement, read healthy lifestyle habits. Want another month-long challenge? Try the 30-day challenge generator, the 30-day gratitude challenge or the winter arc challenge, and see how to break a bad habit for the method behind the swaps.

Frequently asked questions

When does Dry January start and end?

It runs from January 1 to January 31, so it is 31 days. This tracker suggests January 1 when it is less than 90 days away and otherwise starts today, so you can also use it for a dry month at any time of year, such as Sober October.

What if I have a drink during Dry January?

Leave that day empty and tick the next alcohol-free day. One drink does not reset the month. Note what led to it, such as a party or a hard day, and plan a swap for next time. In one study, people who did not finish the month still drank less six months later.

Is Dry January good for you?

Studies of UK participants found they drank less and felt more confident saying no six months later, especially those who completed the month. But most studies had no control group and relied on self-reports, so results are promising, not proof. This page makes no health claims.

Is it safe to stop drinking suddenly?

For most people who drink moderately, yes. If you drink heavily every day, or get shaky, sweaty, sick or anxious when you go without a drink, talk to a doctor before you stop: alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous and needs medical help.

What can I drink instead of alcohol?

Sparkling water with lime or juice, ginger beer, iced tea, tonic with cucumber, a virgin mojito, alcohol-free beer or wine, and herbal tea or hot chocolate in the evening. Some alcohol-free beers and wines contain a trace of alcohol, so check the label if you need zero.

How is money saved worked out?

Enter what you usually spend on alcohol in a week. Each alcohol-free day you tick adds one seventh of that. Drinks skipped works the same way from your usual drinks per week. Both are estimates, and only ticked days count.

Is this the official Dry January app?

No. Dry January is a registered trademark of Alcohol Change UK, which runs the official campaign and its Try Dry app. This is a free, independent tracker with nothing to sign up for.

Where are my ticks saved?

Only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to our server. Print the tracker for the fridge, or save it as an image for your phone.

Sources and evidence

1. Alcohol Change UK: The Dry January story — Dry January began in 2013 with 4,000 people, inspired by Emily Robinson's alcohol-free January in 2011; Alcohol Change UK reports 215,000 participants in 2024 and 200,000 in 2025.
2. de Visser, Robinson and Bond (2016): Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during Dry January and subsequent alcohol use — 857 UK adults who signed up for Dry January reported drinking less and refusing drinks more confidently six months later, more so if they completed the month; very few reported drinking more afterwards. There was no control group.
3. de Visser and Piper (2020): Short- and longer-term benefits of temporary alcohol abstinence during Dry January are not also observed among adult drinkers in the general population — 1,192 Dry January participants were compared with 1,549 other adult drinkers; participants started out drinking more, and the improvements seen in those who completed the month were not seen in the comparison group.
4. Strowger et al. (2025): A scoping review of Dry January, evidence and future directions — Reviews 16 studies: most were uncontrolled, UK-based, self-reported and followed people for six months or less, and participants were more often women, younger and better off than drinkers in general.
5. NIAAA: Treatment for alcohol problems, finding and getting help — Stopping suddenly after heavy, prolonged drinking can cause painful or life-threatening withdrawal; doctors can make stopping safer. Links to the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator.
6. NHS: Alcohol-use disorder — It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you are dependent on alcohol; people with withdrawal symptoms should get medical help before they stop.
7. MedlinePlus: Alcohol withdrawal — Withdrawal symptoms usually start within 8 hours of the last drink and peak at 24 to 72 hours; delirium tremens is a medical emergency.
8. SAMHSA National Helpline — A free, confidential, 24/7 US treatment referral and information line for alcohol and drug problems: 1-800-662-4357.
9. NIAAA: What is a standard drink? — In the US a standard drink holds about 14 grams of pure alcohol: 12 oz of regular beer, 5 oz of wine or 1.5 oz of distilled spirits. Used for the drinks count.
10. Harkin et al. (2016): Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? — Across 138 studies, monitoring progress improved goal attainment, more so when progress was physically recorded, as with a calendar you tick.