Once a Niche Trend, Dry January Has Gone Fully Mainstream
Key Takeaways
22% of U.S. adults ages 21 and over say they’re participating in Dry January this year, 5 points higher than the share who said they have done so in the past.
Most participants are completely abstaining rather than simply cutting back — 70% said they will consume no alcohol during the month.
69% of Dry January participants cite health as a reason for taking part, reflecting heightened concerns related to the recent advisory about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.
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Dry January, once a niche concept, has now firmly entrenched itself in the new year culture. And on the heels of the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning that even small amounts of alcohol can cause cancer, people seem to have more reason than ever to abstain from drinking.
Dry January participation is up across all demographic groups compared to past years
The idea of giving up alcohol for the month of January is not new. Some trace the origins back to World War II, though the modern movement began in earnest just over 10 years ago. In recent years it’s been gaining steam, and 2025 is no exception. Overall participation among U.S. adults of drinking age is up 5 points this year — 17% self-reported that they had participated in Dry January in previous years, and 22% say they’re doing so in 2025. But more notable than the growth among the broader population are the demographic groups for whom participation has increased the most.
Dry January participation has grown most amongst Gen Xers and low earners
While younger consumers (Gen Zers and Millennials) are still more likely to participate overall, the share of Gen Xers who are going dry this year is up 7 points — the biggest increase of any generation. There are also upticks amongst urban and rural consumers (less so for suburbanites), and those living in the Midwest and South.
Most notably though, the share of low-income consumers who say they are participating has grown 8 points, leapfrogging middle-income and high-income consumers to make this group the most likely income bracket to be taking part.
What all of this reflects is the true mainstreaming of the Dry January trend, which, as many trends do, originated amongst younger, higher-earning, urban and coastal consumers. It has now been fully embraced across all demographics, suggesting new year teetotaling isn’t going away any time soon.
Most Dry January participants are eschewing damp alternatives
Dry January doesn’t always mean avoiding even a drop of alcohol, and in past years, consumers have embraced “damp” alternatives in the name of balance and moderation. That’s not true in 2025. This year, most participants are cutting out the booze completely: 7 in 10 say they will not drink at all during Dry January. And of those who will cut back without completely abstaining, a majority say they will only imbibe on a few days during the month.
Most Dry January participants are cutting out alcohol completely and not seeking non-alcoholic alternatives
For some participants who want to enjoy the taste of alcoholic beverages while still participating in Dry January, a plethora of non-alcoholic options are on the market. Amongst drinkers in general, non-alcoholic beer is the most popular option, with 11% saying they will purchase some in January. Still, these alternatives are not enticing the majority of drinkers — nearly 4 in 5 drinkers say they don’t plan to purchase any of these alternatives in January.
Cutting back on alcohol for health is newly urgent for many consumers
Among the many reasons Dry January participants may have to cut back on their consumption, health has always topped the list. But it takes on a newly urgent meaning in the wake of a high-profile announcement from the Surgeon General on January 3, warning of the link between alcohol consumption at any level and cancer.
Perhaps this explains the movement from “damp” to “dry” with most participants cutting out alcohol completely, and shifts the definition of cutting back for health to be less about the short-term — for example, hoping for weight loss, better sleep and the like — to long-term and arguably more serious implications.
Health remains the primary reason to participate in Dry January
Crucially for adult beverage brands, this stands to have lasting implications in the way consumers think about alcohol consumption. To that end, behaviors around moderating and abstaining from alcohol stand to persist beyond Dry January this year.
Around two-thirds of drinkers, regardless of participation in Dry January, say they’ll stop consuming alcohol for at least some time in 2025. What’s more, 3 in 10 say they’ll stop for a whole month or more, compared with just under one-quarter who will stop for at least a week, but less than a month. Brands must pay particular attention to this behavior amongst adult Gen Zers, who are more likely than any other group to plan on cutting back. Given the importance of this audience to the industry, their behavior will impact the success of brands for a long time to come.
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