A RECORD one in five drinkers took part in Dry January this year — spending £118 less on average, it was revealed yesterday.
An estimated 8.5 million Brits planned to give up the booze for the 31 days and figures showed that alcohol sales collapsed by almost a half compared with December.
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Yet alcohol-free drinks are increasingly popular in bars — prompting calls from the hospitality industry for people to support pubs by continuing to go even if they do not drink alcohol.
The British Beer and Pub Association stressed that booze consumption had fallen by 15 per cent in the last 15 years.
Boss Emma McClarkin said: “This January has been the driest yet with one in five giving up alcohol.
“Thirty per cent of consumers enjoyed no or low-alcohol products in their pub during Dry January — and half plan to integrate these drinks into their life moving forward.”
Meanwhile, market measurement experts CGA found 22 per cent of drinkers have cut their weekly intake and will instead choose booze-free options.
It claims 85 per cent of pubs — around 39,000 — now serve alcohol-free beers, up from 78 per cent three years ago.
Charity Alcohol Change UK said 100,000 people downloaded its Try Dry app to track their month of not drinking, with the average user saving £118 — up £1 on January 2023.
Sacha Lord, chairman of the Night-Time Industries Association, said: “I think we now need to start breaking away from this idea that to go to a pub, you have to have a pint.
“We know times are hard but if you’re in the fortunate position that you can go out, maybe for a bite to eat, or come to the pub and have a pint, non-alcoholic pint, please do it.”
Some 6,180 pubs, bars and restaurants shut last year, taking the toll of licensed premises lost since December 2020 to almost 23,000, figures show.