A sober student’s guide to smashing Dry January in Liverpool

You know you’ve kicked the new year off the right way if you’re currently rotting in bed next to a takeaway pizza box, smelling of a mixture of musty perfume and the shame of whatever you got up to last night. If you’ve not already made your resolutions for 2025 then maybe having a shot at Dry January sounds like a bit of you.

With exam season right around the corner and everyone buying their LivSport gym memberships this week, there’s no better time than now to even dabble in a “damp” January of seriously cutting down on the amount of VKs you’re knocking back on a night out. A month of not drinking definitely suits the sober curious, or just that one mate that seriously hasn’t learnt their limits yet.

Here’s our guide to tackling January as the month of sober nights out, booze-free pub quizzes and slightly more productive Sunday mornings.

Find some wholesome activities to do

Whether or not it’s on your 2025 vision board to get into crafting, pottery painting, walking or reading, finding a wholesome activity to do solo or share with your friends is the way to go this month. Sober activities aren’t just for the daytime, and there are plenty of evening night out ideas you can soak up without getting smashed. Think crazy golf, interactive darts, bowling, and even hosting an extremely competitive board game night in your student house.

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The Guild is often home to vintage kilo sales that are perfect for a solo date with yourself – just grab a coffee and search through some rails for your next best thrift find. You can even head to a museum or art gallery, go to the cinema or just have a stroll through Sefton Park to keep yourself busy on the weekends. And a pub quiz never discriminates against non-drinkers, and you never know, your brain power will probably improve if you’re not doing shots in between rounds.

Rope your friends into joining in with you

A problem shared is a problem halved, and there’s no better motivation for Dry Jan than roping your friends and housemates in to doing it too. You can all have a completely sober night in or out, and truly appreciate those moments spent hanging out as a group. If you can get competitive, that’s even better – holding them accountable is the way forward.

Find a new hobby or activity to get stuck into

Would you look at all that spare time you’ve got now that you’re not rotting in bed covered in leftover bits of kebab? You’ll feel so productive in the mornings now you’re not nursing the hangovers from hell, so pick up that book on your bedside table that you’ve not touched all year and start enjoying some new hobbies.

Keep an open mind

One of the hardest parts of Dry January will be battling the expectations of yourself, and probably others. Staying sober as a student may feel like a waste of time, and although you won’t transform into some kind of yummy mummy on a health kick overnight, it’ll definitely do you some good.

Try not to feel pressured by others, or give in to “just one” on a night out. You’ll feel so proud of your accomplishments by the end of the month and your self-control will pay off. Plus, if you’re holding out for a huge night of drinking on the 1st February, your tolerance will have dropped and you’ll have a super cheap pres. Silver linings!

Get your dopamine hit from exercising instead

If you’re missing that boost of energy you get while drinking, or miss the dopamine hit you get of day drinking in The Sphinx on a sunny afternoon, get your body moving instead. There’s probably some scientific research behind feeling better when you exercise, but maximising those hangover-free mornings is the way to go this month.

It may not seem as exciting as a Thursday at Heebies, but the ego boost you’ll get from logging a run on Strava will be so worth it in the end.

Stay social and still go out

Don’t be under the impression that going sober for 30 days means your housemates will forget you at pres. If you don’t get easily annoyed being around drunk students on a night out when you’ve got that mental drinking block, then you can absolutely still join in on the weeknight fun during Dry Jan.

Turning down a Baby Guinness in Dirty’s might take some self-control, but you can have the smug one-up on your hungover friends when you’re up and out at 10am the next morning and not skipping a full day of lectures. There’s nobody stopping you from joining in on the Black Cat pub quiz, or getting your groove on in McCooley’s. You might be inclined to give sober karaoke at Woody’s a miss though – probably for the the best.

Try a non-alcoholic version of your favourite bev

If you do decide to head out on the town, grab yourself a zero per cent version of a cocktail can or bottle of your favourite non-alcoholic spirit on your way to pres. They’re supposed to taste exactly the same, and with a good group of people around you, you’ll still feel that buzz and be on the same wavelength as everyone else. If in doubt, you can always neck a few Red Bulls in the Uber to get yourself going.

Reward yourself as you get through the month

You’re spending a month without a single drop of booze, if anyone deserves a sweet treat as a reward, it’s defo going to be you. For every week of Dry Jan you complete, you can splash the cash you’ve saved from not buying raz-bombs on those things on your wishlist you’ve been trying to justify buying for months.

Even if you head straight home from a lecture instead of accidentally falling into the Augustus John for a swift one in the afternoon, you know you’ll have a parcel waiting for you as a reward for your incredible self-control. Channel your inner mixologist and pick up some ingredients for a fancy mocktail for your next night out, or make the most of the January sales and treat yourself to a new lecture outfit.

Or just stop by Lidl for a pastry and a brownie – whatever works for you.

All in all, Dry January isn’t to be feared. You can itch that sober curious part of your brain by going without a drink for four weeks, and the first pint you have in February is guaranteed to hit even harder if you want to get back to the typical student lifestyle. You’ve got this, we believe in you!