Dry January drinkers 'rarely succeed in reducing their boozing in the long term'

Despite record numbers of people cutting out booze for Dry January, drinkers who are determined to stay sober rarely succeed, according to new research.

Almost 3,000 drinkers took part in a study by the University of Bristol, 20 per cent of whom were keen to cut down on their weekly units.

But six months later, those who hadn't made plans to cut down on their drinking had reduced their alcohol consumption by just the same amount as those who had taken part in Dry Janaury.

The study, led by Dr Frank de Vocht of Bristol Medical School, aimed to find out whether peoples' motivations to reduce intake did result in reduced alcohol consumption.