How Dry Was the UK During Dry January?

Dr y Januar y 2023 was a little less dr y compared to previous years according to a sur vey by product intelligence platform Vypr

A nationally representative sur vey of its 65 000-strong community revealed that Dr y Januar y had a low engagement this year, less than 35% par ticipated in a month-long abstinence , with just under 10% more men than women taking on the challenge

When asked why they weren't par ticipating in Dr y Januar y, 57% of consumers responded that they enjoyed having a drink, with 22% stating that they didn't drink and 7% saying it was too much effor t or they didn't have the suppor t of family and friends

Those taking par t in Dr y Januar y had different reasons for joining the challenge 42% said it was for health benefits, and 33% said it saved money The post-Christmas and New Year detox accounted for 30% of consumers and 20% said it was par t of wider lifestyle changes

Most par ticipants (38%) said they found Dr y Januar y easy, with just under 30% saying it was okay Less than 7% broke the challenge with 19% commenting it was sometimes challenging So what have consumers swapped their usual tipple to?

• 34% swapped to alcoho -free beer

25% c hose zero-alcohol Gin

• 22% pic ked non-alcoholic lager

• 20% went for booze-free sparkling wines

Other c hoices inc luded Whisky (16%) and Rum (15%)

• 22% said they hadn't tr ied any alcohol substitutes

50% of respondents said plenty of alcohol-free options were available , but 26% stated it was in supermarkets rather than bars or licensed premises 6% said bars and restaurants had enough of a range of products 41% stated alcohol-free products were fairly priced with 31% adding them depending on options Just under a third (29%) felt alcohol-free products were expensive

Overall 53% of consumers said Dr y Januar y had saved them money while 33% said it had little or no impact But surprisingly 14% said it was more expensive , which may indicate premiums on non or lowalcohol products

Staying Dry

Just under 50% of consumers sur veyed said they were likely to continue not drinking after Dr y Januar y ends, with 31% saying they might However, just over a fifth (22%) said they would drink

Ben Davies, the founder of Vypr, comments: "With a wider range of non-alcoholic products, consumers can reduce their drinking What is apparent is that the offering needs to be wider across hospitality Consumers are interested in alternatives and will experiment Our data show an appetite for alcohol-free products and an increase in those stopping drinking for long periods "