Dr. James E. K. Hildreth, President and CEO of Meharry Medical College, announced that Meharry Medical College is now the official USA home of the international DRY JANUARY® Campaign starting January 2023.
Dry January® headquartered in the UK, emerging globally, and now here in the USA, is the official one-month alcohol-free challenge. It was started 10 years ago by the leading British charity Alcohol Change UK, to “take 31 days off drinking to give you amazing, obvious benefits like more energy, a chance to save some money, improved concentration, boosted mood and so much more. It does you well on the inside too. In fact, research shows that a month off alcohol leads to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes risk, as well as lower cancer-related proteins in the blood.” Dry January started in 2013 with 4,000 people. It has come a long way since then, with 130,000 people signing up on the Try Dry® app in 2021, millions of people taking part in the challenge across the globe, and more Americans joining each year.
Meharry Medical College (Meharry) has signed a five-year exclusive licensing agreement with Alcohol Change UK, to launch Dry January® in the USA. During this launch year, the program will focus on introducing Americans to this growing international campaign, which is headquartered in London and is now here in the USA in Nashville, TN. Since the campaign has emerged from the United Kingdom, many of its foundational elements are currently geared toward those in the UK. Meharry will introduce Americans to this international British campaign, to raise awareness of the program, to encourage them to visit the Dry January® webpage, and to download and to use the Try Dry® app on their smartphone.
Meharry will be working over the next two years to educate Americans and activate the campaign in the United States. They will be asking Americans to provide feedback and to offer suggestions for how Dry January® USA and the Try Dry® app may eventually be better tailored to an American audience
