Dry January Gains Ground in Brazil as Rio Bars Lean Into Mocktails

Overview

• The initiative asks people to skip alcohol for January to reflect on drinking habits without a moral or religious frame.
• Created in the U.K. in 2013 by Alcohol Change UK, it has expanded to the U.S., Canada, Australia, France and, more recently, Brazil.
• Rio de Janeiro’s bars and restaurants are adding non-alcoholic cocktails to menus as local interest grows.
• Research associates a month off drinking with better sleep, lower blood pressure and more energy, and a 2016 study found participants drank less six months later.
• Specialists including David Wolinsky, Casey McGuire Davidson, Wendy Wood and Khadi Oluwatoyin advise sharing goals, disrupting triggers, adding friction and prioritizing self-care, while stressing this campaign is not a treatment for alcohol use disorder.