Dry January a hit with one-in-four UK drinkers

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 03 February, 2020

More than a quarter of UK drinkers (27%) cut their alcohol consumption entirely or in part during January, new research has revealed.

Among those who did so, 72% intend to maintain a lower level of consumption, with 12% planning never to drink again.

The most popular way of reducing consumption at 38% is to commit to drink-free days during the week.

Some 33% prefer to cut out alcohol on evenings followed by work days, while 26% choose simply to set themselves a limit on consumption.

For 20% of drinkers, the key is not to have alcohol available in the home.

The online survey of 2,219 UK adults was carried out by YouGov on behalf of alcohol-education charity Drinkaware.

Elaine Hindal, Drinkaware's chief executive, said: "It's good to see such a high proportion of people who reduced or stopped their drinking in January planning to continue to do so in the long term.

"With a growing number of people cutting down on their drinking or cutting it out completely, operators will need to continue to adapt their drinks offer.

“With the wide range of high-quality no- and low-alcohol drinks now available, it's never been easier to put together an appealing selection and make sure that people who choose to avoid alcohol don't also avoid the pub."

Drinkaware is launching a new campaign around drink-free days aimed at drinkers aged 45-to-64, which is expected to run through to March across a range of media platforms.

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