The History of Dry January: From 1942 to today
From a marathon runner’s decision to quit booze to a campaign that impacts millions, here’s how Dry January got its start.
Dry January began in 1942. The Finnish government launched a campaign to improve the health of their nation and protest war efforts during World War II, according to ProCom. With a desire to empower people to choose a healthier lifestyle through a little bit of wartime propaganda, the Finnish government launched the first recorded Dry January campaign.
Not many of us are giving up alcohol in protest of war. But, the benefits of giving up booze for a month remain. Since 1942, non-profits, activists and marathoners have echoed the health benefits of an alcohol-free month. One of these voices was runner Emily Robinson.
While geering up for a marathon in February 2011, Robinson swore off booze for the month of January to ease her training. What did she find? She lost weight, slept better and had more energy to run. And, people started to take notice.
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THE FIRST OFFICIAL DRY JAN
Robinson became more outspoken about her choice to give up alcohol in January, and decided to make it a habit — repeating Dry January in 2012. She joined Alcohol Change UK and worked alongside the non-profit to launch a Dry January campaign in 2013.
The 2013 campaign marked the first official Dry January for Alcohol Change UK. As part of the campaign, writer and politician Alastair Campbell opened up about getting drunk for the first time in his early teens and using local pubs as a metaphorical office during his early career as a journalist. In an interview with The Telegraph, Campbell shared his support for the first-ever Dry January.
“I like the campaign because it is not preachy,” Campbell stated in The Telegraph. “Instead it will shine a spotlight on an individual’s drinking, and anything that makes people think about how much they drink is a good thing. I will definitely do it and like the idea of getting sponsored not to drink.”
Alcohol behavioral change expert, Dr. Richard de Visser, volunteered to survey those who took part in the 2013 campaign to observe the long-term effects of Dry January. According to Alcohol Change UK, He found that six months after the campaign finished, seven out of 10 people drank less than before. Additionally, almost a quarter of the people who drank at “harmful” levels before the campaign, were now considered part of the “low risk” category.
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THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
As the Dry January campaign received more attention, the 2014 campaign kicked off at the Hoxton Pony in London. Volunteers with ‘dry January’ written on t-shirts, hosted testimonials and tended a dry bar. In true 2014-style, the launch event can still be found via Dry January’s YouTube videos. By 2015, 14,000 people around the world participated in the campaign.
In the following years, Alcohol Change UK partnered with Public Health England to spread the word via radio. They also developed an app with resources, daily emails and motivational tools for people joining in on the campaign.
In 2019, the non-profit published Try Dry: The Official Guide to a Month off Booze — a guidebook with essential info for navigating the ups and downs of Dry January. In the same year, the University of Sussex published research findings that affirmed Visser’s observations in 2013 — quitting booze in January meant health benefits even months later.
10 YEARS OF DRY JANUARY
So, that brings us to now. Dry January 2023. It’s been a long time since the Finnish government launched their campaign in the 1940’s, and this year marks 10 years of Dry January for Alcohol Change UK. This year, millions of people will be taking part in the campaign, and so can you.
