This Atlanta tech startup knows if you are going to succeed at Dry January
If you "fail" at Dry January once, is it over? Atlanta-based Reframe has the data to suggest otherwise.
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5 million people have downloaded Atlanta-based Reframe, an app that has a simple mission: Help people drink less.
As January gets underway, millions are attempting Dry January, or the annual tradition of abstaining from alcohol for the first month of the year. It's become somewhat of a collective reset button pushed by people who spent December overindulging at holiday parties and family gatherings.
But while the intention is often there, the execution is notoriously difficult. Most people slip within the first two weeks, and many never make it to February 1st.
As a data-driven platform tracking millions of users, Reframe knows what it takes to make it through January…and its findings might surprise you.
Dive Into The Data
Analyzing 222,000+ users, 30 million eliminated drinks, and millions of behavioral check-ins from January 2025, Reframe identified the strongest predictors of completing Dry or Damp January in 2026:
For Reframe’s CEO Vedant Pradeep, that last stat really stuck out to him.
“I had to look at that twice,” he told Hypepotamus. “What it tells you is that the danger isn’t slipping, it’s giving up after you slip. The people who keep logging, keep showing up even after a bad night, those are the ones who make it. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about not disappearing.”
The insight challenges conventional wisdom about habit change, putting the focus on willpower and not resilience.
The January Reset
Now, people download Reframe throughout the year to help them with a neuroscience-based approach to reducing their alcohol consumption. But there is a reason why a person’s drinking habits are top of mind at the top of the calendar year.
“I think December breaks something open for people. It’s the heaviest drinking month: parties, family stress, the holidays. And by January 1st, you feel it in your body. But it’s not really about the hangover. It’s that quiet moment where you realize the nightly glass of wine isn’t really a choice anymore. It’s just what you do. And that’s unsettling for people who pride themselves on being in control of their lives,” Pradeep added. “Dry January lets you test that. And the fact that everyone’s doing it means you don’t have to explain yourself at dinner. That matters more than people admit.”
Not sure you are ready for Dry January? Reframe’s data also found that those that participate in “Damp January,” which focuses on reducing rather than refraining from all alcohol, can also see positive benefits.
Damp January participants eliminated an average of 68 drinks over the course of a month, according to Reframe. Additionally, 22% of Damp January participants shifted into “mostly dry” patterns (80%+ dry days).
Reframe In Focus
Reframe, which has its roots in Georgia Tech’s Create-X program, has grown to be one of the most successful B2C (business-to-consumer) apps born out of Atlanta recently. The startup is backed by Y Combinator, Atlanta Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Pioneer Fund, HOF Capital, and Christopher Klaus.
The startup has raised $24.7 million in venture capital to date, per Crunchbase.
But for Pradeep, the numbers he is most proud of comes down to the impact Reframe is creating on individuals.
“We calculated that our users had collectively eliminated over a billion drinks. That’s a lot of people waking up clearheaded, being present with their kids, sleeping through the night. That’s the stuff that actually matters to us,” he added.
