Dry January doesn’t have to be boring January

If you’re anything like us, you are probably all partied out and have finally come down after the festive period – which seems like a distant memory now.

Many of us are taking part in Dry January, the alcohol awareness initiative that was original started by the charity Alcohol Concern back in 2012.


The event has grown over the years and now five million Britons are giving up the booze for a month.

Quite apart from the health benefits – including improved sleep and some healthy weight loss – giving up your favourite tipple for a month can also save you a few quid.

It is more than half way through the month though and statistics suggest that one third of folk who started Dry January will have ‘fallen off the wagon’ by now. And many more of us are thinking about quitting the campaign – along other New Years’ resolutions.

So, how can you motivate yourself to stick it out to the end of the month – and what can you replace alcohol with to keep your meals and entertaining interesting?

The team at Larkfleet Homes has a few ideas:

• Ginger-based drinks like ginger ale or fiery ginger beer can add a zest to your evening. It goes without saying that you should avoid the alcoholic ones – at least for this month.
• Mocktails – Host a mocktail party. Here are some great non-alcoholic cocktails that you can try. Mulled apple juice is particularly good for a cold January evening.
• Hot drinks – Have a look at some alternatives to instant coffee - ideal for these cold winter evenings. Try sweet chai tea, Mexican spiced hot cocoa, malted hot cocoa with marshmallows or spicy cranberry drink for starters.
• Water – Adam’s Ale is a great standby. For an alternative to boring tap water there are plenty of premium bottled mineral waters you could offer guests. Brands include AquaFina, Evian, Fiji, San Pellegrino Volvic and Voss.

Enjoy, and remember you are almost at the end of Dray January. There’s just over a week to go – good luck. If you really can’t hold out, we'll see you down at the pub!