Thrive Initiative Blog

What is Dry January?

Dry January is a public-health campaign that encourages individuals to abstain from consuming beer, wine, and spirits for the entire month of January. It began as a social initiative in the United Kingdom in 2012 and has gained global popularity with millions of individuals participating each year. The goals of initiating Dry January are to give participants a break from alcohol, promote healthier habits, and encourage individuals to reflect on their relationship with alcohol. Many participants use this time to detox, improve their physical health, and reset their drinking habits for the year ahead.

For some individuals, this period of reflection and potential abstinence may reveal some detrimental effects that consuming alcohol can have on personal and professional relationships. In addition, participating in Dry January can motivate individuals to seek support to curb their use of or dependence on alcohol. Remember, anytime is a good time to think about your drinking habits and prioritize your well-being. Let Dry January inspire you to continue being alcohol free for another month—or even longer.

(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2024)

How Does Alcohol Misuse Affect Individuals?

Alcohol misuse, which includes binge drinking and heavy drinking, increases an individual’s risk of experiencing harmful consequences, such as developing AUD (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2025). Health issues related to alcohol misuse can also include heart and liver damage, increased cancer risk, a weakened immune system, memory issues, and mood disorders (Solan, 2023). Additional issues may include an increased risk for experiencing physical injury to oneself or others; legal problems; strained relationships; workplace challenges; and failure to meet key responsibilities at work, school, or home (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, one in ten adults was diagnosed with AUD in the past year; this ratio indicates over 28 million people in the United States have AUD (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2024)

How Does Alcohol Misuse Affect Children and Families?

Approximately 10.5% of U.S. children ages 17 and younger live with a parent who has AUD (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2023). Alcohol misuse can significantly impact a parent’s ability to care for and interact with their children, and these circumstances can cause long-term harm to their children’s well-being. Specific effects of parental alcohol misuse on children can include the following (Kuppens et al., 2020):

• A heightened risk of developing emotional, behavioral, physical, cognitive, academic, and social challenges in the short and long term.
• An increased likelihood of family breakdown.
• Diminished quality of the parent-child relationship.
• Reduced parental supervision and monitoring, which may compromise a parent’s ability to provide a safe and nurturing home environment.
• Instability in key areas such as parental employment, family structure, housing, child care, and household finances.
• A heightened risk of child abuse or neglect occurring.
• An increased likelihood of children developing symptoms of AUD.

When Should an Individual Seek Help for Alcohol Misuse?

Websites like Rethinking Drinking and Own Your Limits offer brief web-based calculators and quizzes that contain simple questions about drinking habits. Using these tools can help individuals identify potential concerns they may have that are related to alcohol misuse. To formally assess whether a person has AUD and to determine the severity, seek support from a healthcare provider. During the assessment, a healthcare provider might ask the questions, listed below, that can be found on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) website.

In the past year, have you experienced the following:

• Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer, than you intended?
• More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?
• Spent a lot of time drinking, being sick from drinking, or getting over other aftereffects?
• Wanted a drink so badly you couldn’t think of anything else?
• Found that drinking—or being sick from drinking—often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?
• Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
• Given up or cut back on activities you found important, interesting, or pleasurable so you could drink?
• More than once entered into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or engaging in unsafe sexual behavior)?
• Continued to drink even though consuming alcohol was making you feel depressed or anxious or was adding to another health problem? Or continued to drink after having had an alcohol-related memory blackout?
• Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you wanted? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before?
• Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, racing heart, dysphoria (feeling uneasy or unhappy), malaise (general sense of being unwell), feeling low, or a seizure, or you sensed things were present that were not there?

Where Can Individuals (and Family Members) Get Help for Alcohol Misuse?

Experiencing any of the symptoms of AUD may be cause for concern for any individual; however, the more symptoms an individual displays, the more urgent the need for change may be. People who seek help for alcohol misuse are often able to reduce how much they drink or stop drinking completely, but relapse is possible. Treatment for alcohol misuse, such as AUD, can vary and will depend on the needs of the individual seeking treatment. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, medication, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay.

Universal Support

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Alcohol Treatment Navigator® helps adults find evidence-based alcohol treatment for themselves or an adult loved one. This resource offers a list of questions to ask providers and presents information to help individuals compare their options, so they can make the best choice based on their needs.

• https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov/

Support for Service members

Each branch of the U.S. military has substance misuse programs that offer prevention, education, counseling, and treatment. Commanding officers and medical professionals are required to refer Service members for an assessment if they suspect these individuals are engaging in substance/alcohol misuse. Service members can also self-refer to access treatment services.

• More information is available from Military OneSource: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/prevention-care/military-policy-and-treatment-for-substance-use/
• Call Military OneSource for assistance in navigating military-specific resources: 800-342-9647

Support for Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare program covers services to treat veterans who are experiencing substance misuse concerns that range from unhealthy alcohol use to life-threatening addiction. To access these services, veterans need to first apply for VA healthcare. If a veteran does not have VA healthcare benefits, they may still be eligible for care.

• https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/substance-use/treatment.asp