Dry January
/draɪ dʒænjuˈɛri/
Very CommonA month-long challenge to stop drinking alcohol for the entire month of January.
What started as a UK public health campaign has become a global social ritual. Doing it with friends or posting about it is very common.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | day 18 of dry january and i feel like a completely different person | The person is far enough into the challenge to notice physical or mental changes. | instagram, 2024 |
| 02 | failed dry january on the 4th. see you next year | The person broke their no-drinking commitment very early in the month. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | dry january really hit different now that i know what hangxiety feels like | After experiencing anxiety from hangovers, the person has more motivation to stay dry. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | my whole friend group is doing dry january so going out is actually fine this year | Having friends in the same challenge removes the social pressure to drink. | tiktok, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone is abstaining from alcohol for the month of January.
- Someone is declining drinks and references it as a challenge.
- Talking about post-holiday detox or resolutions around drinking.
Do not use it when
- Someone is quitting alcohol permanently.Use “sober” instead.
- The month in question is not January.
Origin and context
Originated as a public health campaign by Alcohol Change UK in 2013. The concept spread globally through social media and is now widely observed outside the UK.
- First seen
- 2013
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/dry-januaryUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0