Dry January & Dating: Desire, Confidence and Truth Without Alcohol

Written by Flirtini team

01/07/2026

Dry January is known as a month of resolutions and personal health challenges, but when dating enters the picture, things get more complicated. Is sobriety a killjoy, or can it actually make dating better?

Flirtini surveyed daters to find out how Dry January affects dating, confidence, attraction, and intimacy. The results reveal a much bigger picture, far beyond the “no booze, no fun” stereotype.

Firstly, are people actually doing Dry January?

It’s clear that Dry January isn’t just a fringe trend anymore, but it’s also not a universal commitment.

32% say they are committing to Dry January
38% say they’re not
30% are still undecided

Such hesitation speaks for itself: many people are curious about getting sober, but unsure whether it fits into their social and dating lives.

Will people still date without drinking?

Good news: for most, dating doesn’t stop just because alcohol does.

Among those doing Dry January:

70% say they will still go on dates
Only 4% say sober dating doesn’t sound appealing

In other words, skipping alcohol doesn’t mean dating asceticism. For many, it is simply about rethinking how dates look – walks, coffee, and conversions instead of bar hopping.

Is refusing to drink a red flag?

Actually, it’s quite the opposite. When asked whether they’d trust a date who refuses to drink:

75% see it as a green flag
17% say it feels awkward
Just 8% find it suspicious

It turns out that sobriety often signals self-awareness, reliability, and clear boundaries – qualities many daters look for.

Do people really need alcohol to feel confident?

Alcohol still plays a role for some, but it’s definitely not a universal experience.

21% almost always drink before a date to feel more confident
32% do so sometimes
48% don’t rely on alcohol for confidence at all

Nearly half of daters are already going on dates without relying on alcohol, which proves that chemistry doesn’t depend on cocktails.

Booze in dating app photos: attractive or not?

Holding a fancy pink cocktail or a can of beer in a profile pic isn’t as telling as some might expect.

34% see it as a green flag
55% feel neutral
Only 11% consider it a red flag

Alcohol isn’t attractive or unattractive by default – it’s the context that matters.

Does alcohol help people be “more themselves”?

This is where things get interesting.

33% say alcohol helps them be more themselves
6% admit it helps them hide parts of themselves
12% use it to ease rejection anxiety
49% don’t use alcohol this way at all

While some associate alcohol with openness and others use it to blur their authenticity or anxiety, nearly half don’t rely on it in the first place.

Alcohol, arousal, and pleasure

Alcohol’s effect on desire and pleasure isn’t same for everyone.

Arousal:

52% get turned on more easily after a drink
30% see no real impact
18% find it harder to get turned on

Orgasm:

46% report better or faster orgasms
41% see no difference
13% say orgasms become harder

Alcohol can definitely amplify sensation for some. But for many, it changes very little, or even gets in the way.

Regrets, hookups, and blurred boundaries

Alcohol is known for affecting sexual decision-making, and the numbers are here to prove it:

58% have hooked up with a stranger while drunk
51% have slept with someone they wouldn’t have while sober
49% say alcohol has pushed them to agree to something they otherwise wouldn’t

It doesn’t mean alcohol is “bad”, but it’s important to keep in mind how strongly it can influence our boundaries, choices, and consent.

For many people, Dry January becomes less about abstaining and more about clarity – it definitely doesn’t make dating colder, and points to attraction without the blur.

So, is Dry January bad for dating? The data suggests the opposite. Sober dating may feel awkward at first, but it often leads to clearer communication and more intentional intimacy. Maybe, this is the year you give it a go?

Methodology:

This research was conducted by Flirtini using internal polling. A total of 2,000 daters were surveyed on how alcohol affects dating, confidence, attraction, intimacy, and sexual decision-making.