Overview
- Dr Alasdair Scott warns that treating Dry January like a crash diet offers little long-term benefit if heavy drinking resumes in February.
- He recommends steady reduction over abstaining for a month, citing a model where cutting to 10 units weekly yields 520 units a year versus 672 after a dry January followed by typical drinking.
- Scott promotes a practical “20-minute rule,” advising a pause after each drink to slow consumption and curb cravings during social occasions.
- Alcohol Change UK counters that Dry January is a behaviour-change program, saying its Try Dry app and other free tools double the chance of completing the month and that many participants report drinking less afterward.
- NHS guidance remains to keep alcohol to no more than 14 units per week spread over three or more days, with long-term risks including hypertension, liver disease, strokes and certain cancers.