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This is how to reach the finish line of Dry January
Students also take part in Dry January, the challenge to drink no alcohol in January. Why do some people cross the finish line with ease and others fail? “I take non-alcoholic beer to club activities myself, just to still have something in my hand.”
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For four years, political science student Hans Visser (25) has been doing Dry January, the action brought over from England of not drinking alcohol during the month of January. In the first year, he was asked 50 times a night why he wasn’t drinking beer; now he hardly ever hears the question. “I feel like Dry January is becoming more and more of a thing.”
Still, a month without alcohol is not for everyone. Of the participants who sign up for the IkPas campaign, the Dutch version of Dry January, an average of 70 to 80 percent last a month without alcohol. What causes some to fail to stay dry for a month and others to reach for it?
There are several predictors, according to Reinout Wiers, professor of developmental psychopathology and a specialist in addiction, including alcohol. “First, quantity. The more you drink, the harder it gets to stop. In addition, male gender is an important predictor. The two are related, as men drink more on average.”
Reward signals distract
But there are more factors at play. Wiers conducted multiple studies among Dry January participants and found that sensitivity to reward signals—anything that can give the brain a shot of dopamine, such as exercise, eating, sex, and drinking alcohol—is a key predictor of whether someone makes it to the finish line. The more a person is distracted by reward signals, the less likely they are to cross the finish line.
To test this, Wiers and colleagues asked Dry January participants to do a computer task. In it, participants must detect a deviation in a pattern as quickly as possible without being distracted by a brightly colored dot that pops up from time to time. If the participant successfully ignored the dot, there was a reward. Wiers says: “The moment you realize that the colored dot provides an extra reward, your attention goes to it instead of to the solution of the puzzle.”
The result: People who were most sensitive to reward signals did not make it to the finish line of Dry January. Other research also shows that men in general are more sensitive to reward signals. That may be one reason why men are 1-0 behind in terms of addiction sensitivity.
None of this seems to work in student Hans Visser’s favor. Not only is he a man, he is not usually a prudent drinker. Two or three nights he consumes quite a bit of alcohol at Amsterdamsch Studenten Corps activities, and in December it can be almost every day. Yet Visser, by his own admission, has no trouble giving up drinking in January.
Most people can successfully sit out Dry January, Wiers agrees. “Certainly, students often manage to achieve their goals.” The important thing is to have a strong goal in mind and good strategies. One strategy can be to create intentions in an if-then structure, such as: If I am in the pub with friends, I will order Spa.”
Bringing your own non-alcoholic beer
Visser has both a goal and a strategy. “I work out often and seriously, and since that is often less likely to happen in December, I want to make a good start with Dry January.” He does not avoid drinking establishments. I try to be present at as many of the club’s activities as possible because I enjoy them. But I bring my own non-alcoholic beer. It’s about the feeling of having something in your hand to drink.”
A group of friends who also don’t drink is no extra motivation for Visser. “Sometimes fellow non-drinkers join in, but I like doing it alone just as much. It does help me to tell people that I am participating in Dry January. Then it comes to life and you can’t go back.”
In addition to the elderly, students are also among the high-risk group at risk of excessive drinking. Yet students are far outnumbered among participants in IkPas’ Dry January campaign. Some universities participate in the campaign, but the UvA, after the failed participation in 2022 where only 23 students signed up, no longer does. Consequently, IkPas’ plans to hold a Dry January battle between different universities are not yet getting off the ground.
Cutting down after college
Sometimes Visser continues without alcohol in February, but for now, that doesn’t last longer than two weeks. “If you’re somewhere where alcohol is being consumed again you fall back into it naturally. He does take care not to drink too many days in a row, “because then you really start to feel it.” In addition, research from Tilburg University shows that Dry January participants drink about 30 percent less alcohol up to six months after the action.
Visser does not think giving up alcohol completely is necessary. “That seems a bit drastic to me, then it seems like you can’t also just cut down. I also enjoy drinking beer with others. I’m sure I can cut down, especially after I graduate.”
Wiers agrees. “Many students who drink excessively during their studies successfully cut down on alcohol after graduation. But some students do not succeed. In addition, alcohol is not without danger; it is related to 17 types of cancer, and when something happens to a student, excessive alcohol use in the victim or perpetrator often plays a role.”
