New Year, New You: a qualitative study of Dry January, self-formation and positive regulation
Research article
Abstract
In the last 5 years, going alcohol-free for January has become a common social practice in UK. Inspired by Alcohol Concern’s Dry January initiative and other related campaigns, an estimated 5 million UK adults attempted to go alcohol-free in January 2017.
Moreover, evaluative research has suggested that a 1-month spell of living alcohol-free is an effective way of reducing average, longer-term alcohol use.
However, the popularity and apparent effectiveness of Dry January are not well-understood. This article presents the first qualitative analysis of the meaning and significance of this important new cultural phenomenon.
Based on analysis of media and social media content, it examines both how Dry January is managed by Alcohol Concern and how it is experienced by participants.
The burgeoning popularity of Dry January is found to result from how this process of temporary alcohol-free challenge is underpinned by positive regulatory techniques and the salience of embodiment. Consequently, rather than being a simple regime of bodily abstinence and self-control, Dry January should instead be understood as an embodied experience of ethical self-formation.
The article also reflects on the implications of this finding for alcohol policy more widely.