Cheers to health: Medical benefits of Dry January and cutting back on alcohol

Tebra researched the trends of removing alcohol from the daily lives of sober-curious Americans. Learn about the benefits of cutting back on drinking across the U.S. and the impact to patients and their providers, based on our findings and data.

The Dry January trend has gained significant momentum in recent years. After a season of indulgence, many people stop or cut back on drinking during the month following their celebrations. To shed light on these increasingly popular trends, we looked at regional search volume and surveyed health professionals to weigh in.

Below, we explore the states most (and least) interested in alcohol consumption reduction by diving into search volume trends from the past 3 months.

U.S. States most interested in Dry January

Vermont was the state most interested in “Dry January,” with 29 searches per capita in the past 3 months. Vermont residents were also searching the most for “mocktail recipes” (63 searches per capita). Mocktails are popular alcohol-free alternatives for anyone looking to reduce or eliminate alcohol intake. Overall, searches for “Damp January” have increased by 3,517% in the last month. However, some states seemed less interested in others.

Meanwhile, some major cities showed a particular interest in cutting back on drinking compared to others.

We wanted to explore the health benefits of cutting back alcohol consumption from an expert’s view. So, we surveyed healthcare professionals about the benefits and risks that come with drinking and cutting it out.

Although the vast majority of healthcare professionals (90%) recommended participating in Dry January or Damp January, less than 4 in 10 said they’ve seen an increase in these trends in recent years. They also shared the top benefits that they have seen in patients who reduce their alcohol consumption.

The short term benefits of weight management and the long term benefits are the same, at 44% . The top short term benefit of limiting alcohol according to the medical professionals polled was enhanced mental clarity and focus. Long term, the medical professionals agreed that the reduced risk of liver diseases was the most important benefit, with hypertension and stroke in third.

With longer lifespan and quality of life at number 5 of long term benefits, it is clear that participating in dry January trends or making a permanent choice to become sober is important to health professionals as a lifestyle change.

If patients and their doctors are interested in participating in sober-curious trends, here are some ideas to research.

We collected search volume data from 50 states and the top 50 most populous cities to explore interest in reducing alcohol consumption and the interest in the Dry January trend. Search volume data was collected in January 2024 from the past 90 days. We then determined the search volume per capita among states and cities to see which are the most interested in various aspects related to Dry/Damp January. We also surveyed 221 medical professionals on Connect and Prolific to explore the benefits from a medical perspective and gain expert insights on these trends. 

In 2021, with a combined mission to unlock better healthcare, Kareo and PatientPop joined forces to form Tebra. Tebra provides digital tools and support to independent practices so they may deliver modern care and operate efficiently. To learn more about how Tebra is committed to improving patients’ and providers’ success and well-being, visit www.tebra.com.

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