Dry January vs “Cutting Back”: What Actually Works Better?

As Dry January comes to an end, a familiar question pops up:

“Do I keep going, or do I just cut back?”

Cutting back sounds sensible. And for some people, it may genuinely be the right choice. It feels reasonable. Balanced.

But when researchers have looked at health outcomes and behaviour change, the answers haven’t been quite as straightforward.

Why Cutting Back Can Be Harder Than Expected

Alcohol interacts with systems involved in decision-making, stress regulation, reward, and sleep.

When drinking continues regularly — even at lower levels — these systems don’t always fully reset.

Brain imaging research published in The BMJ found that even moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reduced hippocampal volume, an area of the brain involved in memory.

(Topiwala et al., 2017).

🔗 https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2353

This doesn’t mean moderate drinkers are doing something “wrong”, but it does challenge the idea that moderate drinking is completely neutral.

The Mental Load of Moderation

From a behavioural standpoint, moderation often requires ongoing decision-making.

“I’ll only drink on weekends.”

“I’ll just have one tonight.”

“I won’t drink now, but maybe later.”

Under the already overwhelming volume of information and input we receive every day, decisions like this contribute to even more decision fatigue (like we all haven’t got that already!). Psychology research shows that repeated self-control decisions increase the likelihood of lapses over time, and this helps to explain why many people find a clear rule — such as abstaining for a month — easier to maintain than flexible limits.

(Baumeister et al., 2007).

🔗 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x

What the Health Research Shows

Short periods of abstinence produce measurable health changes. A controlled study published in BMJ Open found that one month of alcohol abstinence led to improvements in:

• Blood pressure
• Insulin resistance
• Liver fat

Importantly, these changes were observed even in people who previously drank within low-risk guidelines

(Mehta et al., 2018).

🔗 https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/3/e020674

These improvements were less consistent in people who reduced intake, but didn’t fully abstain.

Why Dry January Often Has Effects Beyond Just One One Month Off the Booze

Abstinence creates contrast. Research tracking Dry January participants found that many continued drinking less alcohol up to six months later, even if they had resumed alcohol consumption in some form. This shows that the January break can increase awareness of triggers, improves confidence around sustaining longer dry periods, and gives people a clearer reference point. Obviously the health benefits are also sustained with more prolonged abstinence.

(de Visser et al., 2016).

🔗 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27313140/

When Moderation Can Work

Moderation can be sustainable for some people, particularly those who:

• Drink infrequently
• Don’t rely on alcohol to manage stress
• Experience low craving or cue-reactivity

Population-level research suggests, however, that this group is smaller than many assume.

The Takeaway

Cutting back sounds easier, but for many people it isn’t.

Short breaks from alcohol tend to deliver clearer health benefits, reduce decision fatigue, and make behaviour change simpler rather than harder. That’s why Dry January often feels easier than expected — and harder to undo than planned.

Your’s in Health,

The NAC Team