“It’s time for me to get my act together”… They chose not to drink in January and tell us why

“Dry January”, or “January Challenge” is becoming increasingly popular in France. The opportunity for everyone to experience a period without alcohol and to measure the benefits. We interviewed people who took the plunge and chose to say “no” to alcohol in January. Testimonials.

“After the end-of-year holidays, our body runs out of steam and it feels good to have a good reset. I sometimes have parties with friends, and the alcohol flows freely. It's time for me to take charge of myself in this year 2025.”tells us Kévin, determined not to touch alcohol in January. According to him, nowadays, people tend to reduce their alcohol consumption, particularly thanks to greater prevention on the subject. “In France, alcohol is part of our heritage. I take the example of wine, each of our regions has its own wine. It is up to us to be careful, and I think that there is no ashamed to refuse alcohol from time to time”encourages the Franc-Comtois supported in his approach by his wife and daughter.

Samuel, manager of a bar restaurant in the Jura, also made the choice to move away from alcohol in January. Some of his friends have been doing the January challenge, or “Dry January” in English, for 15 years. “I see people for whom alcohol wreaks havoc when it’s an addictionhe told France 3 Franche-Comté. This allows you to refocus and align your energy, to avoid habits, to prove to yourself that you are capable of growing, to release toxins…”

According to Santé Publique France, although the overall volume of pure alcohol consumed in France has been decreasing since the 1960s, mainly due to the drop in daily wine consumption, France remains among the countries with the highest alcohol consumption. in the world, ranking sixth among the 34 OECD countries. Contrary to what some people think, in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, the prevalence of daily alcohol consumption is close to the French average. This means that Francs-Comtois do not consume more alcohol than in other regions of France.

“When we no longer want to drink alcohol, we necessarily go out less in the evening. This helps reduce temptations and experience less social pressure regarding our consumption”details Mélanie, originally from Haut-Doubs. She also decided not to drink in January 2025. Her best ally to counter alcohol? “Sparkling water! It's not sweet, the bubbles make you feel like you're drinking something special, and you can add fresh lemon, mint, syrup. There are also many that are already flavored…”. Nowadays, it is increasingly easy to find non-alcoholic drinks. This market is truly on the rise. More and more major brands, particularly beer brands, now offer alcohol-free versions. Others specialize in creating and marketing drinks with a 0% rate.

“For my part, I favor healthy activities during the day, sport, cultural outings and I avoid bars as much as possible”, adds the thirty-year-old. Replacing alcoholic evenings with sports sessions is what Eric and his partner have decided to implement, from January 1, 2025. “We are relatively epicureans, fans of good food, the pleasures of the table and drunken evenings with friends. From the 1st, we no longer drink a drop of alcohol and we try to eat more healthily. We also take advantage of this to replace a few aperitifs with sports sessions in the gym. It's part of the “good resolutions”, we give ourselves a “good conscience” by letting our body breathe a little for a month. details the inhabitant ofÉchenoz-la-Méline. The Franc-Comtois notices in one month of weaning a weight loss and fewer headaches. Not enough to make him want to continue the experiment in February. “It’s more of a challenge, “an ordeal” that we are proud to complete, but that we are also happy to finish”he says.

Some people see benefits from the first week of stopping alcohol. This is the case of Maxine, who also answered our questions: “I'm less tired, I'm able to surpass myself more easily in terms of sport, and surprisingly in the evening, I last until later than before”. Mélanie, for her part, decided to monitor her consumption throughout the rest of the year, hoping to one day be able to stop completely. “It's a long journey to be able to stop drinking alcohol for good, but I'm making progress. This necessarily requires a profound transformation, since alcohol consumption is very present and widely encouraged in social relationships”. She uses the free mobile application “Oz ensemble” developed by the Ministry of Health. Thanks to this, she is better aware of what she consumes and sets precise goals. “Anyway, it’s been years since alcohol brought me anything good”she concludes.

Corinne Lesueur-Chatot, coordinating doctor of the addiction association France, obviously sees the “January challenge” very favorably. According to her, the important thing, beyond an attempt to stop completely for a month, is “to experience a time without alcohol. Whether for a day, a month or a few weeks”. She develops: “The main thing is to question your alcohol consumption, even without dependence, but above all to question what will happen, from a relational or physical point of view, when you decide at some point not to Don't drink.”

This experiment effectively allows those interested to change their outlook on their consumption, as Maud confirms: “the experience last year was positive for me. Afterwards, the resumption of alcohol consumption was done more consciously, without abuse and excess.” Same thing for Pierre-Henri to whom this period allows “know where [il] is really at it with alcohol. See if an addiction is present or if these are habits (sometimes bad).”

The idea is to show that alcohol consumption has an impact on health, not only when it is regular but also when it is too frequent.

Corinne Lesueur-Chatot, coordinating doctor of the addiction association France

According to the health professional, who has worked in this field for more than 20 years, social pressure remains very strong in France regarding alcohol. “There is this culture of alcohol in France. We are offered a lot of alcohol, especially in those around us. For some people, it’s complicated to say no,” she analyzes. According to her, things are moving in the right direction, particularly regarding the profiles of people wishing to be supported with their alcohol consumption. “There are more and more young people coming to ask for help. Previously, this was only done when the person was in a degraded state. This is positive, it means that the outlook on alcoholic illness is changing. We accept a little more that it is an illness and not a defect.” And to qualify: “But there is still a way to go.”