With the New Year just a couple days old, there’s still time to come up with resolutions for 2025. A popular one is to cut down on drinking or give it up.
With many resolutions easily – if not quickly – broken, an easy (or easier) one to set is to start with a smaller timeframe than the entire year. For those looking to stop drinking, a good first step might be to start with a Dry January.
At OntarioBets.com, where we always bring you Ontario sports betting topics, we also wanted to know which province is more interested in the concept of Dry January. Using Google Trends, we conducted a search for provinces that were interested in “Dry January” between Dec. 26, 2024, and Jan. 2, 2025, and ranked the top five provinces based on search interest scores.
Rank | Province | Search Interest Scores |
1 | Nova Scotia | 100 |
2 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 95 |
3 | Saskatchewan | 70 |
4 | British Columbia | 66 |
5 | Ontario | 64 |
Our research found that Dry January is especially popular in parts of the Maritimes, though there are pockets of interest elsewhere in the country. Ontario, the nation’s most populous province, came in fifth, just behind British Columbia. The home of Ontario online casinos had a search interest score of 64, according to our research.
Many Canadians love to drink, with the vast majority doing it responsibly. In October, a Statistics Canada report revealed 77% of adults living in the provinces had had at least one drink in the past 12 months. While 54% of those polled said they had not had a drink in a week, 15% said they had one or two drinks in the previous week. Another 15% said they had between three and six drinks, while another 15% said they had seven or more during that timeframe.
Dry January has been an official concept for a little more than a decade, though similar movements have been around for decades. It has been a way for public health advocates to encourage people with chronic conditions or at high-risk for certain illnesses to start reducing their consumption – if not start their journey to sobriety.
Dry January has been quite popular in Canada. According to CGA Strategy from last year, 41% of Canadians who drank alcohol either fully embraced the Dry January concept or reduced their drinking during the month.
Part of the reason Dry January has been highly popular in Canada is that the Canadian Cancer Society uses it for their Go Dry challenge, a fundraiser that has generated more than $15 million in contributions since it started in 2016. Those who participate seek friends and colleagues to sponsor them financially during the month. That money goes to the organization to help those suffering from various forms of cancer.
Those who participate in Dry January can still find a way to enjoy drinks similar to what they would get at a bar or make for themselves. The month is a great way to find new non-alcoholic cocktails – better known as mocktails – to enjoy while watching your favorite hockey team play for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Maple from Canada, a website run by the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, lists several mocktails on its site. That includes the Maple Palme d’Or, which combines maple syrup, pineapple juice, sparkling water and ice.
Go Dry also lists a few mocktails on its site. Its alcohol-free Moscow Mule uses lime juice, sparkling water, ginger beer and simple syrup.
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters. He shares his expertise on OntarioBets, among other sites.
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