Dry January 2027: 31 days without alcohol

During Dry January, you give up alcohol for the whole of January – in 2027, from Friday 1 January to Sunday 31 January. According to the German Centre for Addiction Issues (DHS), the initiative originated in the UK and has quickly spread across Europe. Here you’ll find a weekly schedule, a non-alcoholic drink for each week, and what studies say about taking a month-long break.

What is Dry January?

‘Dry January’ literally means ‘dry January’: a month without alcohol starting on New Year’s Day. The campaign was launched in the UK by the organisation Alcohol Change UK; according to their figures, around 4 million Britons took part in 2020. In Germany, the Blue Cross launched the campaign for the first time in 2023, under the patronage of the Federal Government’s Commissioner for Addiction and Drugs.

The timing is no coincidence: after Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when people often drink a lot of alcohol, a break seems the natural thing to do, says DHS Managing Director Christina Rummel. The start of the year is traditionally a time for New Year’s resolutions. A month without alcohol is an opportunity to reflect on one’s own drinking habits: when, where and why do I drink alcohol?

How much alcohol do we actually drink?

According to the Epidemiological Addiction Survey, around 70 per cent of the population in Germany drink alcohol regularly – some 35 million people; this is reported by Münster University Hospital. For women, even a daily intake of 10 to 12 g of alcohol – roughly one glass of beer or one-eighth of a bottle of wine – is considered risky; for men, the threshold is roughly twice as high.

In 2023, the World Health Organisation made it clear in the specialist journal Lancet Public Health that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. Alcohol plays a role in the development of more than 200 diseases, including several common types of cancer. In the short term, it disrupts sleep and provides almost as many calories as fat.

Dry January and the trend towards drinking less alcohol in Germany

If you’re planning an alcohol-free January in 2027, you’re part of a trend that is also reflected in the statistics. According to the Federal Statistical Office on 5 January 2026, 11.2 litres of pure alcohol per person aged 15 and over were consumed in Germany in 2022, based on figures from the World Health Organisation. Ten years earlier, the figure was 12.1 litres – just under a litre more. Converted, 11.2 litres is equivalent to 448 0.5-litre glasses of beer with an alcohol content of 5 per cent by volume. In an EU comparison, Germany ranked ninth in 2022, alongside France and Portugal.

When it comes to prices, Germany stands out in the opposite direction: according to Destatis, retail prices for alcoholic drinks in October 2025 were 14 per cent below the EU average; within the EU, prices were lower only in Italy (-19 per cent). Non-alcoholic drinks in Germany were 2 per cent above the EU average.

The figures are also falling in the brewing industry. On 4 August 2026, the Federal Statistical Office reported that the number of breweries had fallen to 1,415 in 2025 – 53 fewer than in 2024 and 137 fewer than in the record year of 2019. Beer sales in 2025 stood at around 7.8 billion litres, 6.0 per cent less than in the previous year and 15.7 per cent less than in 2019. On 31 July 2026, the German Brewers’ Association announced that beer sales in the first half of 2026 had fallen by 2.2 per cent to around 3.8 billion litres. DBB Chief Executive Holger Eichele spoke of a “genuine turning point”, the causes of which were manifold. The breweries also noted that young consumers drink significantly less alcohol than older people. According to the association, non-alcoholic beers account for a market share of more than 10 per cent and are not included in official statistics.

According to the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG), alcohol consumption amongst young people continues to fall, as reported on 3 September 2026. In the 2025 Drug Affinity Study, 6.8 per cent of 12- to 17-year-olds and 25.0 per cent of 18- to 25-year-olds drank alcohol weekly – a historic low, according to the BIÖG. The average age at which young people had their first drink rose from 14.1 years in 2004 to 15.1 years in 2025. However, according to the BIÖG, binge drinking remained at a high level amongst teenagers and young men.

Hospital figures are also falling: according to data from the Federal Statistical Office dated 11 February 2026, around 283,500 people were admitted to hospital in 2024 with a diagnosis attributable solely to alcohol, 28.9 per cent fewer than ten years earlier. In 2024, 14,400 deaths were directly attributable to alcohol consumption.

These are the key figures for a January without alcohol. You can read about what happens in the body during alcohol-free weeks in ‘No alcohol: what happens in the body’.

What are the benefits of going a month without alcohol?

The DHS lists, amongst other things, fewer infections, a lower risk of cancer and accidents, better sleep and improved blood pressure as general benefits of abstaining from alcohol. Studies have examined the effects of a single month of abstinence:

• Metabolism and blood pressure: In a London study, 94 moderate to heavy drinkers abstained from alcohol for one month. Afterwards, insulin resistance had fallen by around 26 per cent, systolic blood pressure by 6.6 per cent and body weight by 1.5 per cent; no such changes were observed in the control group, who continued to drink.
• After January: A study by the University of Sussex involving 857 participants found that alcohol consumption had fallen six months later – even amongst those who hadn’t quite managed to stick to it for the whole month. Very few drank more afterwards than they had before.
• Well-being: In a further study, those who successfully completed Dry January reported improvements in their well-being, perception of their health and drinking habits, which were not observed in other adults who continued to drink.

According to the Federal Centre for Health Education, it is primarily the liver that recovers when alcohol is cut out; after four weeks, high blood pressure may begin to fall. According to the DHS, participants in a 2018 survey by the University of Sussex reported having more energy, sleeping better, losing weight – and saving money. And the basic principle remains: the German Nutrition Society does not consider any amount of alcohol to be risk-free.

Who Dry January isn’t suitable for

Anyone who is addicted to alcohol should not try to stop on their own. Stopping drinking suddenly can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms, in which case medical help is required. People who are addicted to alcohol must be medically supervised whilst giving up drinking.

This month can also reveal whether there is a problem: anyone who resolves firmly not to drink in January but fails to do so should, according to BZgA expert Stephanie Eckhardt, seek professional help.

Your weekly schedule for January 2027

The drinks are listed on our mocktail menu; the quantities are serving suggestions, not set-in-stone recipes. You can find more recipes under ‘Mocktails’.

Tips for parties and evenings out

• Right at the start of the evening, say that you won’t be drinking any alcohol tonight.
• Hold your own glass of a non-alcoholic drink in your hand right from the start.
• Start with a non-alcoholic drink that you’re consciously sharing with others.
• If you feel the urge, ring someone or speak to someone you trust, rather than drinking.
• Tackle the month as a challenge together with friends, or connect with others online.

On the ‘Know Your Limit’ page of the Federal Institute for Public Health, there is a guide offering motivation, tips and a calendar, as well as a self-assessment test to help you identify the reasons why you turn to alcohol. The DHS sees January as an opportunity to discover that you can have fun even without alcohol.

What to look out for when it comes to ‘non-alcoholic’ drinks

‘Alcohol-free’ does not always mean 0.0 per cent. Beer may be sold as alcohol-free even if it contains up to 0.5 per cent by volume of alcohol. Soft drinks may contain up to 2 g of alcohol per litre, which comes, for example, from flavourings. According to the list of ingredients, our varieties contain no alcohol. Energy – Blackcurrant & Pomegranate contains caffeine and is not recommended for children, pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers.

Many young people are already on this path: according to the 2025 Drug Affinity Study, fewer 12- to 25-year-olds are drinking alcohol each week than has ever been recorded before.

More on this topic: non-alcoholic drinks, the autumn campaign ‘Sober October’ and what happens to the body without alcohol. Anyone looking to adopt a more mindful approach to alcohol will find some ideas in the article ‘Sober Curious’.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Dry January: Alcoholic drinks in Germany are cheaper than in almost any other EU country – Federal Statistical Office (destatis.de), accessed on 29 October 2026. destatis.de
2. Number of breweries fell to 1,415 in 2025 – 137 fewer than in the record year of 2019 – Federal Statistical Office (destatis.de), accessed on 29 October 2026. destatis.de
3. Hospital admissions due to alcohol consumption have fallen by 28.9 per cent over the past ten years – Federal Statistical Office (destatis.de), accessed on 29 October 2026. destatis.de
4. BIÖG: Fewer young people are drinking alcohol – but binge drinking remains at a high level (bioeg.de, 3 September 2026), accessed on 29 October 2026. bioeg.de
5. A ray of hope, but not a turnaround – German Brewers’ Association (brauer-bund.de, 31 July 2026), accessed on 29 October 2026. brauer-bund.de
6. ACQUA REAPER: Product labels, 07–08/26.
7. Acqua Reaper: Product label for Energy Blackcurrant, as at 07/26.
8. Deutsches Ärzteblatt (dpa) – featuring statements from the DHS and the BZgA: Dry January: What are the benefits of giving up alcohol for a month?, 2 January 25. aerzteblatt.de
9. Münster University Hospital (UKM): ‘Dry January’ – Going alcohol-free is always a good idea, 6 January 2026. ukm.de
10. Wikipedia: Dry January, as at 20 February 2026. de.wikipedia.org
11. BMJ Open (Mehta G, Macdonald S, Cronberg A et al.): Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study, 5 May 2018. doi.org
12. Health Psychology (de Visser RO, Robinson E, Bond R): Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during ‘Dry January’ and subsequent alcohol use, 2016. doi.org
13. Alcohol and Alcoholism (de Visser RO, Piper R): 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, 25 June 2020. doi.org
14. Alcohol? Know your limit. (BIÖG): Tips for taking a break from alcohol, accessed 16 September 2026. kenn-dein-limit.de
15. German Nutrition Society: ‘Best to keep it at zero per mille’ – new DGE position paper on alcohol, 2024. dge.de
16. Food Transparency (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): Why can beer containing alcohol be labelled as ‘non-alcoholic’? As at 26 March 26. lebensmittelklarheit.de
17. German Food Codex Commission: Guidelines for Soft Drinks, revised version dated 10 April 24, BAnz AT 16 May 24 B3. deutsche-lebensmittelbuch-kommission.de
18. Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG): Fewer young people are drinking alcohol – but binge drinking remains at a high level, 3 September 26. bioeg.de