The Current Dry January? What's that gonna do for you?
Feb 4, 2026
Harrison Hahn, a Vancouver real estate developer who has done Dry January for years, shares his personal routine. Dan Malleck, a medical historian, outlines drinking’s social roots and historical context. Catharine Fairbairn, a psychology researcher, describes the short-term benefits and limits of a month off alcohol. They discuss habit resets, refusal skills, social tradeoffs, and how a one-month test can inform longer-term change.
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Five-Year Dry January Habit
- Harrison Hahn has done Dry January five years running as a personal reset after heavy holiday drinking and a health scare.
- He treats the month as a test that reassures him he could stop longer if needed and often extends the break into February.
Treat Dry January As An Experiment
- Catherine Fairbairn says use Dry January as an experiment to reset your baseline and explore new habits.
- Adopt a 'whole year' mentality to avoid a harmful binge-abstain cycle after the month ends.
Benefits Depend On What Follows
- Short-term physiological gains from a month off alcohol are real but fleeting if drinking resumes at previous levels.
- The lasting value comes from changing what you bring forward after the month, not the month alone.