And what generation is leading the charge.
You’re far from alone if you woke up on New Year’s Day cursing that midnight toast with a glass of champagne (and the multiple drinks that probably came before that). Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s can be heavy drinking holidays, so it’s no surprise that after feeling tired, bloated, and yes, hungover, some Americans set out to curb — or completely eliminate — their drinking come January. You probably know someone who’s participating in what’s called Dry January, where someone abstains from drinking alcohol for the entire month of January. But going completely cold turkey for 31 days might not be ideal for everyone — maybe you have a wedding in January, or you just enjoy the occasional glass of wine. Enter Damp January, a new trend where you pledge to drink less, but not zero, alcohol.
There are plenty of reasons to moderate your drinking. The benefits of giving up drinking for a full month include things like weight loss, lower blood pressure, and improved sleep, and Time reported that 15 percent of Americans pledged to do Dry January in 2023 (though whether they succeeded is another question). In January 2023, the World Health Organization shattered previously held notions by declaring that no amount of alcohol is safe for our health — not even a nightly glass of red wine. And research has been indicating for years that drinking may be on the decline, particularly among younger generations. A January 2023 report by European firm Berenberg Research found that Gen Zers on average were drinking 20 percent less per capita than millennials, and millennials were also drinking less than Gen X and baby boomers at their age. At the same time, demand for nonalcoholic beer, wine, cider, and liquor has increased, surpassing $11 billion in market value in 2022 — up from $8 billion in 2018. The idea of a Damp January has become more popular in recent years, and it seems like that’s only going to grow. So to understand this trend, we spoke to Hilary Sheinbaum, dry month expert and author of The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January.
Katie Couric Media: What is Dry January versus Damp January?
Hilary Sheinbaum: Dry January is the act of giving up all alcohol, meaning wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails, for 31 days of the first year of the month. Damp January, on the other hand, is not exactly going dry. I usually say that if people have a major event, like a wedding, a birthday, or something that they have on the calendar that involves drinks, and they want to drink for that occasion, to call it a one-drink January. Or if there’s more than one big event, a Damp January. Damp January is a little bit more lenient than Dry January, but it still involves the act of consuming fewer units of alcohol than you do in all other months.
You’ve been doing Dry January for the past eight years. How have attitudes changed since then?
My first dry January was in 2017, and back then, when I told people I wasn’t drinking, they looked at me like I had three heads. Often they would ask inappropriate questions, or they would ask me what the point was, especially if I was planning to drink again in the future. But over time, and especially within the past three years, people have embraced Dry January. It’s part of advertising campaigns; it’s gone commercial. The positive of all this is that more people are aware of their relationship with alcohol, and more people are attempting to consume less alcoholic beverages, and they’re opting for non-alcoholic options instead of alcoholic drink after drink after drink. There’s been an increase in the popularity of Dry January and therefore Damp January.
Why do you think Damp January has become a bigger trend?
I think there’s just been more interest in wellness than ever before, and I think it’s really hard to ignore the detrimental effects of alcohol. I think that especially coming out of a pandemic, people are more focused on their longevity and their wellness and their health and their immunity that they’re just so much more aware and tuned into what they’re consuming regularly.
I also think that there has been an explosion of non-alcoholic wines, beers, and spirits, and they’re served in a sophisticated way so people don’t feel like they’re drinking a Shirley Temple off the kids’ menu. Instead, they’re having replicas of their favorite cocktails and being able to enjoy that with dinner instead of opting for a Diet Coke or a water. So they’re having the same sophisticated experience, and they can still go out with their friends in the same environment and socialize.
Are certain demographics embracing Damp January more than others?
I think that women are more aware of what they’re consuming. And I think that Gen Z is definitely at the forefront; millennials come in a close second. As a millennial myself, we went into college with the stereotypical movie attitude of thinking college is all about partying and going out, and I think Gen Z has turned that on its head. But they still do congregate, and they want to be social. So I think they’re pushing not drinking as an activity.
What advice would you give to someone looking to do Damp January?
It’s kind of the same advice as Dry January: I always say recruit a friend to help you navigate this period together. This can be the person that you vent to if you’re having a hard time but it’s also the person who you can make plans with. There’s strength in numbers.
Also, it’s so important to be kind to yourself. I think that a lot of people who go into Dry January, especially in the first week, are very motivated and ready to take on the world. And then as time goes on it can start to become a little bit more difficult as plans start to formalize with friends and family. But I think that the reality is that alcohol is everywhere, and it’s OK if you have a drink! I think the point is just to be aware of the alcohol that you’re consuming and why.
My other advice when it comes to making plans is to be the person to take the lead. Instead of making plans to go to a bar, go bowling, ice skating, or on a hike — things that you’ve been looking to try or experience but haven’t found the time for. Dry January is a good opportunity for that.
