“Dry February 2024” Aims for a Healthier Lifestyle Beyond Sobriety

In the UK and US, people attempt a month without drinking alcohol under the banner of Dry January, but in Czechia, February is the nationally recognized month for abstaining.

In its 2024 edition, the Dry February campaign (Suchej únor) extends its mission beyond alcohol abstinence, urging participants to embrace a healthier lifestyle.

The goal is ambitious—to impact over one million individuals, building on the 14 percent of the population that engaged last year.

For those backing the cause financially, benefits include online workout sessions and monthly memberships to weight-loss apps, to complimentary rides on shared bikes.

“If we take data from the World Health Organisation, we have long been ranked among the top three global consumers. Some 14 litres of pure alcohol are consumed per person per year in this country, which is an enormous number. And that’s after deducting tourist consumption,”  says Petr Freimann of the non-profit organisation behind the campaign.

Looking back at last year’s campaign, expert guarantor Josef Petr said, “We successfully got thousands of people to rethink their relationship with alcohol. More than half of them continued to drink less even months after the Dry February ended.”

However, beer consumption dropped to 135.4 liters per person, which is 4.5 liters less than in 2020.

The Ministry of Health reports that 1.5 million Czechs are at risk due to harmful alcohol consumption, leading to health, social, and economic issues totaling CZK 56 billion each year, according to earlier Ministry reports.