It’s no secret that we like a drink. After all, 65% of US adults admit to drinking alcohol. But how many of us are considering taking part in Dry January?
As it happens, more than ever before!
According to our analysis of Google Search Trends Data, interest in Dry January has jumped by a staggering 259% in 2023.
This suggests that a significant number of Americans will be reducing their alcohol intake to start the year.
Dry January Interest grows by 259% (VS 2022)
- Interest in ‘Dry January’ in the USA increased by 259% from January 2022 to January 2023.
- This is the largest increase in the history of Dry January, followed closely by the 257% jump from 2018 to 2019. The only year there wasn’t a jump was from 2020 to 2021, possibly due to the pandemic.
- According to a 2021 survey from Morning Consult, the most common reasons for taking part in Dry January include a desire to be healthier (79%) and to reduce overall alcohol consumption (72%). Over half the respondents also said it had become an annual tradition.
*Data collected from Google Trends for the period 12.30 to 01.05 in each year (this week has the overwhelming majority of the interest in Dry January each year). For more information, see our methodology and sources section below.
Dry January Interest Across The US
| wdt_ID | Rank | State | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | District of Columbia | 100 |
| 2 | 2 | Vermont | 98 |
| 3 | 3 | Maine | 83 |
| 4 | 4 | Massachusetts | 83 |
| 5 | 5 | New Hampshire | 76 |
| 6 | 6 | Connecticut | 74 |
| 7 | 7 | Minnesota | 70 |
| 8 | 8 | Alaska | 68 |
| 9 | 9 | Colorado | 68 |
| 10 | 10 | Pennsylvania | 66 |
The regions most interested in Dry January are Washington D.C., Vermont, and Maine. While Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Utah and the least interested states.
New England states dominate the top positions in terms of interest in Dry January, holding 6 of the 7 top spots.
Southern states are much less interested in Dry January than the Northern half of America. In the top 25 most interested regions, only 4 Southern states appear (Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, and Delaware).
Mocktails and Dry January
Is 2023 the year of the mocktail?
Search demand for ‘mocktails’ hit an all-time high during the beginning of Dry January 2023, showing an increase of 217% compared to Dry January 2022.
Binge drinking and Dry January
To better understand why interest differed across states, we correlated our Dry January interest data (from Google Trends) with data on binge drinking (from the CDC).
The results show an interesting relationship between the two, with areas that are more likely to binge drink also more likely to drastically cut down in January.
For example, Washington D.C. shows the highest search interest for Dry January — and it also has the highest prevalence of binge drinking among adults.
States that take a more controlled approach to alcohol or just drink less in general (e.g. Utah) are less likely to cut it out completely in January.
PRESS & MEDIA INQUIRIES
For any press and media inquiries, or for access to any specific base data, please contact Veronica at [email protected].
SOURCES & METHODOLOGY
Dry January Interest By Year: We calculated the interest in Dry January each year by extracting the Google Trends data for the 7-day period of 30th December to 5th January. Interest is highest during this period and rapidly tails off throughout January, making it the ideal reference point.
Google Trends (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Google Trends (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
State-Level Dry January Interest: We used a geographical Google Trends report for the period of 30th December 2022 to 6th January 2023 to determine regional Dry January interest.
Mocktails Trends: Mocktails Google Trends Report (5Y, USA).
Binge Drinking Prevalence: CDC BRFSS Prevalence & Trends Data – Binge drinkers (males having five or more drinks on one occasion, females having four or more drinks on one occasion) (variable calculated from one or more BRFSS questions).
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