Is Dry January Worth It? — A Primary Care Provider’s Perspective | Internal Medicine located in Washington, DC and Bethesda, MD

Every January, many patients ask the same question: Is Dry January actually good for me, or is it just another wellness trend? From a primary care physician’s standpoint, the answer is refreshingly straightforward.

Why PCPs Tend to Support Dry January

In primary care, we focus on interventions that are safe, practical, and likely to improve overall health. A month without alcohol checks all three boxes.

Alcohol affects nearly every system in the body including sleep, blood pressure, liver function, mood, weight, and medication safety. Taking a 30-day break gives the body time to recalibrate and gives clinicians clearer insight into what symptoms may or may not be alcohol-related.

The Clinical Upside of Taking a Month Off

Patients who participate in Dry January often experience:

Better sleep and more consistent energy
Lower blood pressure, especially in those with borderline hypertension
Improved liver markers and metabolic labs
Reduced anxiety and mood swings
Fewer gastrointestinal symptoms, like reflux or bloating

Even when lab values don’t change dramatically, patients frequently report feeling better (and this matters!)

The Most Underrated Benefit: Insight

From a PCP’s perspective, the most valuable outcome of Dry January isn’t always physical, it’s awareness.

A month without alcohol helps patients identify:

How often they drink out of habit rather than enjoyment
Whether alcohol contributes to poor sleep, anxiety, or fatigue
How difficult (or easy) it is to stop

This insight leads to more honest, productive health conversations and often results in long-term reduction, not just a temporary pause.

Important Medical Caveats

Dry January is safe and beneficial for most people, but not everyone.

Patients with alcohol dependence should not stop abruptly without medical guidance, as withdrawal can be dangerous.
Dry January isn’t a cure-all. Benefits are greatest when paired with adequate sleep, hydration, and nutrition.

As with most health interventions, context matters.

The Bottom Line

From a primary care physician’s standpoint, Dry January is a low-risk, high-reward experiment.

Trying a month without alcohol may be more beneficial than investing in unproven supplements or restrictive wellness trends. If Dry January improves how you feel, clarifies your health signals, or leads to even modest long-term reductions in alcohol use, it’s a clear win.

And if nothing else, it provides valuable information, something good primary care is always built on.

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Works Cited:

de Visser, R. O., & Piper, R. (2020). 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. Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 55(4), 433–438. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agaa025

Mass General Brigham. (2023). The benefits of Dry January.
https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/articles/dry-january-benefits

MemorialCare. (2024). Discover the transformative benefits of Dry January.
https://www.memorialcare.org/blog/discover-transformative-benefits-dry-january

Forbes. (2024). Johnson, A. Dry January health benefits: Weight loss, better sleep, more energy.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2024/01/03/dry-january-health-benefits-weight-loss-better-sleep-more-energy/

Medical Xpress. (2025). Survey shows energy and sleep benefits from Dry January participation.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-energy-benefits-dry-january.html

Yale New Haven Health. (2023). Does Dry January improve health?
https://www.ynhhs.org/articles/does-dry-january-improve-health