As the UK puts down the mince pies and attempts to take on Dry January, Alcohol Change UK is hosting a Dry January comedy night to underline that alcohol-free doesn’t need to be boring.

Following research from the charity, which found nearly half of UK men who drink (48%) think they are funnier when drinking alcohol, the charity has teamed up with comedian Tom Rosenthal (Friday Night Dinner, Plebs) to counter the myth. The campaign aims to encourage men to recognise that they don’t need to drink to be funny. 

On the 20th January, Rosenthal is set to host a ‘Funny AF’ one-night-only dry comedy event. A line-up of celebrity sober and sober-curious comedians is set to prove that you don’t need to drink to be funny. 

‘Funny AF’, playfully leans into AF’s dual meaning of alcohol-free and as f**k. Comedians including Rory O’Hanlon, Michael Akadiri and Liam Withnail will perform brand-new material speaking to drinking habits and cultures in the UK. 

The event is supported by Lucky Saint, the Official Beer of the Dry January challenge. Audiences can win tickets for the event via the Try Dry app.

“I’ve drunk my fair share of alcohol, and while it can be good for a laugh, the science is settled that it’s bad for basically everything else. Given that there are many ways to have fun without poisoning yourself (hello croquet!), I’m thrilled to host the Funny AF comedy night - a night you can enjoy without then suffering the morning-after hangxiety of a vague sense you insulted somebody or creeping feeling you're wasting your life,” says Rosenthal.

While the light-hearted event is set to showcase that alcohol-free can also be funny, it also aims to show what a month off alcohol can do for people’s minds, bodies and bank balances, without sacrificing their sense of humour. 

While many men in the UK  lean on booze for a laugh, the survey data also found deeper reasons among this group for drinking alcohol. 39% of men who drink report that alcohol helps them feel more able to connect with others and just 9% have had an alcohol-free night out in the last 12 months.

Yet, reliance on booze for having fun is having a negative impact on this demographic’s health and well-being. Three in ten male drinkers say they’ve felt regret about something they did or said while drinking in the past 12 months, while a third report growing concern about the long-term damage their alcohol consumption may be doing to them.

Through comedy, Dry January is striving to help men to ditch the drink for a healthier, happier and joyful start to 2026.