Over three million people in the UK are planning to give up alcohol for Dry January

More than 3m people have said they will give up alcohol next year for Dry January, according to new figures.

Dry January is “gaining momentum”, according to the company behind the figures (Photo: Wiki)

Over 3.1m people have said they plan to forego wine, beer and spirits in the first month of 2018 as part of a government-backed initiative to reduce the UK’s overall alcohol consumption.

Dry January is run by national charity Alcohol Concern, which merged with Alcohol Research UK in April 2017.

People with children between the ages of 12 and 16 were most likely to say they would give up alcohol for the first month of 2018, with 11% saying they planned to start 2018 on a sober note.

Residents of Northern Ireland were most likely to be planning to do Dry January (10%), closely followed by the North East (8%).

Those working full-time are more likely to do Dry January than those who do not work, who are working part-time, full-time students or retired.

Public Health England has endorsed Dry January, saying: “Dry January is based on sound behavioural principles and our previous evaluation of the campaign shows that for some people it can help them re-set their drinking patterns for weeks or even months after completing the challenge.”

Despite some dropping drink for one month, it may not come as a blow to the alcohol industry. In fact last year, sales of beer and wine saw a sizeable boost in the first financial quarter of 2016 despite millions taking on the Dry January challenge, according to a report from Kantar Worldpanel.