January webinar: Dry January - The EFPSA Research Pulse

Dear RP friends,

The Research Office has started the year strong with a new webinar on the 22nd of January, which revolved around the topic of Dry January with our speaker Richard Visser.

Richard Visser, is the professor of Health Psychology at Brighton & Sussex Medical School (UK). With over 30 years of experience in health psychology and public health research, his work focuses on topics such as alcohol use, gender and health, sexuality and relationships, and health service use. He is co-author of Psychology for Medicine and Healthcare (4th ed., Sage, 2025) and has extensive expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research. He was first involved in the Dry January project in 2013, when it was first introduced in the United Kingdom, where he conducted longitudinal studies to examine the efficiency of the programme.

The webinar first introduces the concept of Dry January, which is one of many campaigns designed to help people with their journey to contain their alcohol intake. It poses the challenges of temporary abstinence throughout the month of January, with the ultimate goal of aiding its beneficiaries to minimize alcohol consumption. The challenge is supported through an application, where users have to register to receive additional support.

How is the success of the programme measured?

As the programme was designed and implemented, research interest was raised regarding its benefits. For this reason, at the end of December, baseline measures are collected on scales concerning physical and mental well-being. Then, the participants are contacted again during the first week of February, when they report their success rate as well as repeat measures for psychological wellbeing, physical health, and sense of control. Regarding the latter, the term “drink refusal self-efficacy” is used to describe the feeling of self-control over one’s drinking habits. At last, there is a final follow-up measure months later for long-term findings. The results of the surveys are then used for the promotion of the project in the following year and the recruitment of participants.

Up until 2019, the surveys included only the participants of the challenge, but not a control group. However, this exclusion could not account for seasonal variations (such as people tending to drink less during the winter anyway), and Hawthorne effects (participants wanting to appear successful to the researchers). However, the 2019 study included a sample of 3000 drinkers in order to observe the differences with the people who participated and completed or not the challenge (de Visser & Piper, 2020).

But what are the benefits of Dry January?

Based on the results of previous studies, the challenge has a positive impact on well-being, as self-reports mention positive findings in terms of general health, sleep quality, and energy levels (de Visser et al., 2016; de Visser et al., 2017). The longer the participants “stayed dry” (meaning avoiding the consumption of alcohol), the more likely they were to experience the benefits. At the same time, they report a stronger sense of self-efficacy, which predicts likelihood to stay sober in the future. Specifically, before the start of the challenge participants reported feeling significantly worse regarding their control over their drinking compared to the end of the challenge for those who managed to complete it. Regarding their drinking habits, the relevant data showcase a significant decrease, moving from a potentially hazardous or harmful alcohol use to below the danger zone.

Which factors contribute to completing the challenge?

In order to increase participation, an application was developed as well as a Facebook page with a supporting role. Based on the surveys’ findings, people who make more use of the provided resources are more likely to complete Dry January and enjoy both short-term and long-term benefits. In fact, just registering doubles the likelihood of completing the challenge! This finding highlights the importance of active engagement as people who read every e-mail, for example, were more likely to finish the challenge. Communicating with peers and taking advantage of the support provided by online and offline communities is crucial. For example, even on Facebook, people suggest alternative recipes to make non-alcoholic drinks, which helps people feel included when they are surrounded by drinkers.

At the same time, social interaction acts as (de)motivator, since the habits of one’s circle affect the likelihood to successfully minimize drinking. For example, if one’s friend group always suggests meeting at bars, then it is harder to not drink as they might feel left out. Engaging with non-drinkers may be more helpful to avoid cravings. In addition, people who are more determined to quit, display better success rates. This is in line with Self-determination Theory, which posits that intrinsic motivation and a sense of autonomy are crucial factors for achieving a goal (Deci & Ryan, 2012).

Although the ideal scenario would be for each participant to receive individualized support, the app does have tailored settings based on the goals of each user. However, it is important to mention that the challenge is not designed for dependent or addicted drinkers, but it is most successful for those who are motivated to change their drinking habits. If one struggles to commit, then other approaches are also possible such as having dry days or consuming low alcohol drinks only.

EFPSA Research Office webinars continue – follow our pages and join us for our next webinar!

References

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. Handbook of theories of social psychology, 1(20), 416-436.

de Visser, R. O., & Piper, R. (2020). Short-and longer-term benefits of temporary alcohol abstinence during ‘Dry January’are not also observed among adult drinkers in the general population: prospective cohort study. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 55(4), 433-438.

de Visser, R. O., Robinson, E., & Bond, R. (2016). Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during “Dry January” and subsequent alcohol use. Health Psychology, 35(3), 281.

de Visser, R. O., Robinson, E., Smith, T., Cass, G., & Walmsley, M. (2017). The growth of ‘Dry January’: promoting participation and the benefits of participation. The European Journal of Public Health, 27(5), 929-931.