You’ll Probably Fail Dry January and It’s Your Boyfriend’s Fault

Right. It's the first week of January. You're going to be vegan, start that aerial yoga class, and give up booze for the whole month. Because Dry January isn't just an excuse to talk loudly about how "totally fresh" you feel while your friends struggle to keep down their bacon sandwiches, it's a health thing. Plus you'll save so much money (to be spent on novelty fitness classes).

But if you're in a relationship and considering taking the Dry January pledge, don't be too quick with the sober smugness. You'll probably fail. And it's all bae's fault.

At least, that's according to new research from drinks industry-funded charity Drinkaware, who recently surveyed 2,000 couples about their efforts to cut down on booze.

The results showed that attempts to give up alcohol for Dry January are most likely to be derailed by a partner. Just 57 percent of those surveyed said that they would drink less to help their significant other lower their alcohol intake.

In fact, it seems that many actively encouraged their GF/BF to knock the drinks back. A third of men said they enjoyed suggesting that their partner had another drink on a night out, even if they had stated their intentions to stop.

Perhaps because of this, more women than men said that they would drink less if it wasn't for their alcohol-loving partner.

Despite the number of people who admitted to encouraging their partner to drink (15 percent of women also said that they did so too), Drinkaware also found that 26 percent of women and 21 percent of men were worried about the effects of alcohol on their partner's health.

It's a concern that may be founded according to the charity's stats, which showed that 40 percent of men and 20 percent of women drank more than 14 units of alcohol a week—the maximum amount recommended by official health guidelines.

Drinkaware's chief executive, Elaine Hindal commented on the survey's findings in a statement: "We know that couples who are planning a health regime together fare better when they really support each other."

It takes two to teetotal.