President Donald Trump said Monday that unspecified U.S. forces were responsible for an explosion at a marine loading facility in Venezuela, escalating the confrontation with the South American country over alleged drug smuggling.
“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump told reporters outside his Mar-a-Lago Club on Monday while greeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “And that is no longer around.”
Trump has been raising pressure on Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, by building up naval forces in the region, seizing oil tankers and destroying 29 boats that U.S. officials said carried drugs.
The military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.
The strike, which was announced by U.S. Southern Command on social media, has brought the total number of known boat strikes to 30 and the number of people killed to at least 107 since early September.
The shoreline attack would be the first on land, which Trump has been previewing for months.
Trump declined to say if the military or the CIA carried out the strike. He previously authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations.
“I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was,” he said.
The Pentagon declined to address questions about the U.S. military’s involvement in the attack. The CIA declined to comment.
The president has declared a “non-international armed conflict” on drug cartels, with officials likening traffickers to al-Qaeda or Islamic State terrorists. Judges and lawmakers from both parties have questioned the administration’s legal authority for the strikes and for fast-tracked deportation of alleged gang members.
Trump first referenced the shoreline attack on Friday in a radio interview with Republican donor John Catsimatidis, saying the strike occurred two nights earlier.
“We just knocked out — I don’t know if you read or you saw — they have a big plant or big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from,” Trump said in the interview. “Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So we hit them very hard.”
In October, Trump signed a document known as a “finding” that gave the CIA authority to undertake aggressive covert action against the Venezuelan government and associated drug traffickers, according to two people familiar with the document. The document does not explicitly order the CIA to overthrow Maduro, but it authorizes steps that could lead to that outcome, according to the people familiar with it.
Trump’s precise instructions to the CIA are highly classified. The CIA has moved to beef up its presence in the region, surging personnel to the Caribbean and surrounding area to collect human and electronic intelligence, the people familiar with the matter said.
KYIV, Ukraine — The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor’s land by force.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Zelensky at his Florida resort on Sunday and insisted that Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement.
Negotiators are still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, however, including whose forces withdraw from where in Ukraine and the fate of Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the 10 biggest in the world. Trump noted that the monthslong U.S.-led negotiations could still collapse.
“Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end,” Zelensky told reporters in voice messages responding to questions sent via a WhatsApp chat.
Ukraine has been fighting Russia since 2014, when it illegally annexed Crimea and Moscow-backed separatists took up arms in the Donbas, a vital industrial region in eastern Ukraine.
Details of the security guarantees have not become public but Zelensky said Monday they include how a peace deal would be monitored as well as the “presence” of partners. He didn’t elaborate, but Russia has said it won’t accept the deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO countries.
Trump, Putin discuss peace efforts by phone
Trump on Monday had “a positive call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. The two leaders had also spoken ahead of Trump’s talks with Zelensky on Sunday as the American president tries to steer the countries toward a settlement.
Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Trump is pushing Ukraine to seek a comprehensive peace agreement and not demand a temporary respite for its military through a ceasefire. Putin has also insisted on a full settlement before any truce.
In Monday’s call, Putin told Trump that Ukraine attempted to attack the Russian leader’s residence in northwestern Russia with long-range drones almost immediately after Trump’s Sunday talks with Zelensky.
The attack “certainly will not be left without a serious response,” Ushakov said, adding that Moscow will now review its negotiating position.
Zelensky denied the Russian claim of an attack, describing it as an attempt to manipulate the peace process. He said it was “another lie” and came about because Moscow is unnerved by progress in peace efforts.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine launched an attack on Putin’s residence in the northwestern Novgorod region overnight from Sunday to Monday using 91 long-range drones.
Russia claims its forces are advancing
As indications suggest negotiations could come to a head in January, before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Putin on Monday claimed that Russian troops are advancing in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine and are also pressing their offensive in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Putin has sought to portray himself as negotiating from a position of strength as Ukrainian forces strain to keep back the bigger Russian army.
He also emphasized at a meeting with senior military officers the need to create military buffer zones along the Russian border. “This is a very important task as it ensures the security of Russia’s border regions,” Putin said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv’s allies will meet in Paris in early January to “finalize each country’s concrete contributions” to the security guarantees.
Trump said he would consider extending U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine beyond 15 years, according to Zelensky. The guarantees would be approved by the U.S. Congress as well as by parliaments in other countries involved in overseeing any settlement, he said.
Zelensky said he wants the 20-point peace plan under discussion to be approved by Ukrainians in a national referendum.
However, holding a ballot requires a ceasefire of at least 60 days, and Moscow has shown no willingness for a truce without a full settlement.
Ukrainians doubt Putin’s sincerity
On the snowy streets of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, people were skeptical about the chances of peace.
One military veteran who uses the call sign Sensei, in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military, said Putin’s record in power shows he can’t be trusted. Sensei joined the military in 2022 and was wounded that year during the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Now, he said, almost nobody from his company is still alive.
“But all these sacrifices, they are not in vain, because we need to prove … that we exist, that we are, that we have the right to our existence, to our territory, to our culture, to our language,” the 65-year-old told the Associated Press.
Denys Shpylovyi, a 20-year-old student who was home for the holidays, said Trump’s willingness to accept Putin’s arguments has put Zelensky in a difficult situation.
“But I’m thankful for some progress. They are speaking, and maybe someday there will be hope,” he said.
Oleh Saakian, a Ukrainian political scientist, said it was a good sign that Zelensky is managing to build a relationship with Trump, although he noted that “nothing has been adopted yet, nothing has been signed yet.”
“I don’t see these negotiations bringing us closer to real peace, because they are based on equality between the aggressor and the victim, they are based on complete disregard for international law, and … disregard for European security,” he said.
The Eagles extended their winning streak and kept their chances at the No. 2 seed alive with a 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. This week, the final week of the NFL’s regular season, the Birds will host the Washington Commanders at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday.
From Philly’s chances to updates on year-end awards, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks …
Eagles vs. Commanders odds
These teams just met two weeks ago at Northwest Stadium, with the Eagles emerging with a 29-18 win and the first back-to-back NFC East titles in two decades.
Now, the 11-5 Eagles will host the 4-12 Commanders in their regular-season finale, and the Birds still have something to play for. With a win Sunday and a Chicago Bears loss to the Detroit Lions, the Birds can secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Commanders will try to play spoiler 15 days after a dramatic end to their first matchup that featured a fight between players from both sides.
Heading into the Week 18 matchup, the Eagles open as early favorites over their division opponents.
At both sportsbooks, the Eagles have fallen to the fourth spot in the race to win the NFC championship. The Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks remain in the top two spots. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers have overtaken the Eagles for the third spot, making it an all-NFC West top three.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams remain the favorites to win the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl odds
Despite dropping to fourth in the NFC, the Eagles’ odds remained the same. The same cannot be said for their Super Bowl odds, which have fallen at both sportsbooks. At FanDuel, the Birds remain in the top five — sitting below the Denver Broncos and tied with the 49ers. At DraftKings, they’re outside of the top five. The Rams and the Seahawks remain the favorites to win the big game.
According to oddsmakers, it’s down to a two-man race between Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye for league MVP. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts continues to fall further in the odds.
Penn State is closing in on hiring D’Anton Lynn as its defensive coordinator, according to several reports on Monday.
Lynn, a former Penn State letterman, has spent the last two seasons leading Southern Cal’s defense. His hiring will make him the fourth defensive coordinator at Penn State in as many years.
Jim Knowles, the Philadelphia native who served as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2025, was not retained on new coach Matt Campbell’s staff and left to take the same position at Tennessee. Jon Heacock, who was the defensive coordinator in every season Campbell served as head coach at Iowa State, was expected to follow the new Penn State coach to Happy Valley, but he opted to retire last week.
The 36-year-old Lynn also spent a year as UCLA’s defensive coordinator and spent time as an assistant in the NFL for the Chargers, Texans, Bills, and Ravens.
This season, USC’s defense ranked 45th nationally in passing yards allowed per game (203.3), 48th in total defense (348.8 yards), and 49th in points allowed (22.4).
Lynn played defensive back at Penn State from 2008-11 and finished with 162 tackles (seven for losses), four interceptions, and a fumble recovery in 47 career games.
A Delaware County woman was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing her 23-year-old daughter to death in their Upper Darby Township home two days before Christmas, authorities say.
Police found Diane Grovola, 57, naked, covered in blood, and suffering self-inflicted stab wounds when they responded to a 911 call at the family residence that morning, according to the affidavit of probable cause in her arrest.
Grovola’s daughter was in an upstairs bedroom with knife wounds to her face, chest, legs, and back. Her eyes were open but she was unresponsive, the affidavit says. She was pronounced dead shortly after.
“Sorry, I should have stabbed myself first,” Grovola told officers as they placed her in wrist restraints, according to the affidavit.
Grovola’s husband, the young woman’s father, was first to discover the distressing scene.
The man arrived at the home on South Bishop Avenue in the Secane section around 6:30 a.m. after returning from a shift at Philadelphia International Airport, the affidavit says. He had stopped at McDonald’s to get breakfast for his family.
Once inside, the man was greeted by the family dog, which had suffered knife wounds to its abdomen and “got blood on his clothing,” according to the affidavit.
He found his wife seated on the living room sofa with a knife in her hand.
“I stabbed our daughter,” she told him, according to the affidavit.
As her husband dialed 911, Diane Grovola told him she did not want to live anymore and began to stab herself in the chest, according to the affidavit.
The operator told the man to flee the residence.
During that time, Grovola stripped naked and began breaking items in the kitchen until police arrived. They eventually recovered a large stainless-steel knife that appeared to have blood on it, the affidavit says.
In addition to first-degree murder, prosecutors charged Grovola with third-degree murder, possessing an instrument of a crime, and aggravated cruelty to an animal.
She is being held in the George W. Hill Correctional Facility and was denied bail, court records show.
This year, home shoppers on Zillow looked to make the most of spaces they could afford instead of looking for bigger and more luxurious homes, according to the company’s analysis of millions of searches.
Zillow shoppers focused less on size than in the past and more on how flexible, comfortable, and livable a home would be, according to Zillow’s most popular search terms of 2025. Affordability likely helped drive this trend as homes have gotten more expensive.
In 2025, Zillow saw fewer searches for mansions, acreage, and other terms tied to luxury living and more searches for smaller and cozy comforts, such as fireplaces, gardens, and fenced yards.
Searches for accessory-dwelling units, guest houses, and in-law suites increased this year, reflecting buyers’ desire for properties that can meet evolving needs, including space for aging parents and potential for rental income.
Zillow also saw more searches for outdoor features such as pools and yards and access to lakes and beaches.
“2025 was the year people stopped searching for more home and started searching for more meaning at home,” Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trends expert, said in a statement. “Across the country, buyers want homes that can flex for family, offer access to nature, and deliver small daily comforts that make life feel easier and more joyful.”
In other words, buyers are looking for homes “that work harder,” Zillow spokesperson Claire Carroll said in a statement.
“That shows up in growing interest in adaptable layouts, multiuse spaces, and lifestyle-driven features that make a home feel more intentional and functional,” she said.
Top local searches
In Pennsylvania, the top-searched word on Zillow was historic. In New Jersey, it was patio.
In addition to historic homes, shoppers looking for Pennsylvania properties in 2025 also most often searched for cabins and farms and properties with a fireplace or lake this year.
Shoppers in the Garden State were focused on the outdoors this year. They most often searched not only for a patio but also for yard, ranch, pool, and waterfront. The number of waterfront searches grew nationally this year.
And they, along with shoppers in New York, were most likely to search for mother-daughter homes, which are single-family properties made for multigenerational living. These homes have separate living areas and often separate kitchens and bathrooms.
The popularity of these homes among Zillow shoppers reflects “growing interest in living arrangements that support aging parents, adult children, or extended family while still allowing for privacy and independence,” Carroll said.
Top home design features for 2026
Zillow anticipates that cozy and personalized homes will continue to be in high demand next year.
Reading nooks are on the rise in Zillow home listings, according to the company’s latest report on home trends. And so are wellness features and spalike bathrooms.
Zillow expects that one of the boldest trends of 2026 will be color drenching. Homeowners cover a space — including walls, ceilings, trims, and doors — with the same color to create spaces that are dramatic and immersive.
A silent second half from the Eagles offense, an outstanding effort from the Birds defensive line, and a failed two-point conversion in the final seconds. It all added up to the Eagles outlasting the Bills on the road in the Buffalo weather, securing a 13-12 win to extend their winning streak to three games.
Now the Eagles will prepare to close out the regular season with a home game against the Washington Commanders, and the No. 2 seed in the NFC is still in play. As Week 18 gets underway, most of the Eagles discussion centered on their dominant defense and ongoing offensive struggles.
Here’s what they’re saying about the Birds ahead of their game with the Commanders …
Did the Eagles impress in Sunday’s win?
The Eagles entered the game as slight underdogs after coming off two wins over teams with losing records: the 2-14 Las Vegas Raiders and the 4-12 Commanders. One of the biggest concerns heading into their Week 17 matchup was how they would the look against a playoff team, one with reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen at quarterback.
After the win, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy said he liked what he saw from the Eagles as they prepare to head into the postseason.
“Everything favored the Buffalo Bills,” McCoy said on The Speakeasy podcast. “Who got dominated though, physically? If you watch the game, turn the volume down and just watch the game, we were beating the [expletive] out of them — physical, up front.
“On offense, I don’t like this though. I don’t like that once we get a lead, a comfortable lead, it’s like we put our foot off the gas. Why? It’s OK we’re blowing people out. It’s OK we’re putting 30 on their head. I think we get so conservative and the only thing [we focus on is] let’s get the win. … I’m happy, I think we can clean that stuff up. But, going into the playoffs, I like what I see.”
"Everything favored the Buffalo Bills, but [the Eagles] physically dominated"
– @CutonDime25 is undaunted by Jalen Hurts' poor second half performance
Playing in the rain at Highmark Stadium and taking an early 13-0 lead was enough to impress McCoy’s co-host, former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho.
“I think it was impressive,” Acho said. “You beat the Bills in terrible conditions and interesting terrain. People were slipping, people were sliding. You got the job done.
“Reason it was impressive to me however, though, the Buffalo Bills are one of if not the best teams in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills have the most talented, healthy quarterback remaining in the AFC. The Eagles went to Buffalo and won a game that the Bills needed to win, desperately, because the Buffalo Bills are vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC East. So, with all that being said, a win over Josh Allen when Josh Allen must win is always impressive.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs with the ball during Sunday’s win over the Bills.
‘I’m giving both those quarterbacks the out’
The Eagles struggled to find anything offensively in the second half. In the first half, Jalen Hurts passed for 110 yards, but he didn’t have a single completion in the second half while the offense as a whole recorded just 17 yards. Meanwhile, Allen passed for 262 yards but committed a costly turnover that led to the Eagles’ lone touchdown, and missed an open receiver in the end zone on the potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt.
“I think Tom Brady kind of hit it on the head,” former Eagles defensive end Chris Long said on the Green Light podcast. “It was really hard to operate in that weather for both of those quarterbacks. Not just Josh [Allen], I’m giving Jalen [Hurts] the out.
“You know I think the world of Josh, but I’m giving both those quarterbacks the out because — the thing Josh can’t do at the end of the game is choke off an easy crosser. That’s the problem I have. When for much of the game it was really hard to move the ball through the air even routine plays. And it’s not a monsoon at the end of the game.
“I just don’t love the two-point call. I just don’t. Maybe I wanted some free football. Maybe that was a little close for comfort. But Eagles defense, they deserve all the credit in the world.”
As the Eagles offense continues to struggle, their defense continues to make up for it. The Birds defensive line limited NFL rushing leader James Cook to 74 yards on 20 carries, sacked Allen five times, and even made its presence known on special teams, with Jalen Carter blocking an extra point attempt.
“The last three weeks the defense has played their behinds off, and today, magnificent,” former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner said on The Seth Joyner Show. “You couldn’t ask for a better performance by a defense. But you can’t put all that pressure on the defense when you got all the money on [the offensive] side of the football.
“When you got all the great players, supposedly, on that side of the football, you mean to tell me that they couldn’t throw an out route to A.J. Brown in the second half on first down, come back on second down, throw another one and get a first down? One first down in the entire second half of a football game. Are you kidding me?”
Nick Sirianni and the Eagles will host the Washington Commanders on Sunday in their regular-season finale.
‘The Eagles are better than people think’
Despite any offensive inconsistencies, Rex Ryan believes this is a Super Bowl-caliber team heading into the postseason.
“Final word is that the Eagles are a hell of a lot better than people think,” Ryan said on ESPN’s Get Up. “And I get it, the offense has struggled, but this is a championship caliber defense — again. Playing at home is going to be critical.”
But he wasn’t alone in being impressed by the Birds’ victory. Former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins posted that he’s looking forward to the postseason after the team’s big win over the Bills.
“Tonight, playoff-ready defense, sound [special teams] with Jake [Elliott] kicking the laces off the ball, and an offense that capitalized on a turnover without turning the ball over,” Dawkins wrote. “Playoff prep course. Always better to correct after a hard-fought victory.”
Other former players and analysts were already discussing the Eagles’ chances at another Super Bowl ring.
“The Eagles have some absolutely incredible wins this year — but the Rams and Bills wins stand above the rest,” Acho posted just after the win. “This team is battle tested and equipped to win back-to-back Super Bowls.”
Added McCoy: “This defense ain’t no joke. Super Bowl defense.”
Even noted Cowboys fan Skip Bayless was impressed enough by the win to suggest the defending champs will be back in the Super Bowl.
“This game is over,” Bayless wrote. “Congrats, Eagles. You got a gift, then you just took this game over with your physicality and Jalen Hurts’ deadly accuracy. Big impressive late-season win. Super Bowl here you come, again.”
Two men stopped by Apron Cafe, a breakfast spot overlooking Hammonton Municipal Airport’s runway, before they took off in separate helicopters late Sunday morning for what the restaurant owner described as one of their frequent flights together over the years.
Minutes later, about 11:25 a.m., Apron Cafe patrons and staff could see one of the helicopters spiraling, engulfed in flames not far in the distance.
“I looked up and I could see in the distance the one spiraling down and then I see the other one coming down,” said the cafe’s owner, Sal Silipino. “It was hard to believe that they were crashing.”
Local authorities identified the pilots Monday as Kenneth Kirsch, a 65-year-old from Carneys Point, Salem County, and Michael Greenberg, a 71-year-old resident of Sewell, Gloucester County.
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said that Greenberg died at the scene. Kirsch died at an area hospital after being flown there.
Just what led to the crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The parcel of land where the helicopters crashed was an open field amid a busy area. U.S. Routes 30 and 206 are nearby, as are Atlanticare Hammonton Health Park, an assisted living facility, and homes.
“It was a miracle,” Silipino said. “There was so much in that area that they could have landed on top of.”
Federal investigators remained on site Monday cataloging debris that spanned nearly the length of a football field and was “made up of parts of the main rotor and tail rotors,” according to the NTSB.
The agency said the helicopters are slated to be taken from the crash site to a secure location Tuesday. The preliminary report is expected to be made available in about 30 days.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
I fell in love with pozole years ago in Mexico City. Though the city has many other merits, including a staggeringly diverse and fascinating food culture, it’s truly my craving for pozole that‘s brought me back again and again. It comes in the colors of the Mexican flag: rojo, verde, and blanco, with regional variations of each.
The good news is you don’t have to go all the way to Mexico City for excellent pozole (although you can buy it by the literal bucket there). Philly has numerous excellent iterations of the classic dish.
Pozole isn’t just about the thick stew itself, studded with large hominy (kernels of nixtamalized corn) and hunks of beef, chicken, or pork. It’s about the fixings and accompaniments. You’ll find shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, crispy tortillas, and lime wedges most frequently, but also tostadas smeared with refried beans, quesadillas stuffed with Oaxaca cheese, little bowls of crema, puffed-up and crispy chicharrones, and big, generous slices of avocado.
Here are a handful of places to sink into a bowl of pozole in Philly. This is not a comprehensive list, just a place to start. And if anyone does invite you over to their mom’s house for pozole, your answer should most certainly be yes. (In fact, please call me if someone does. I would like to come, too).
La Jefa
La Jefa’s delicate pozole ($17) is not like the hearty bucketful I’ve consumed in Mexico City. It’s lighter brunch fare and consists of pulled chicken and hominy with chile de arbol, oregano, minced shallots, lime, served with a couple of blue corn tostadas.
“It’s a chicken-based pozole rojo inspired by the pozole from a place in Zapopan, Jalisco, called La Escolastica. We use fresh hominy, which makes all of the difference. The tostadas are made from Cristina Martinez’s masa,” said restaurateur David Suro, who’s an active presence in the Rittenhouse all-day cafe cafe and its mother restaurant, Tequilas.
Pozole rojo from Cafe y Chocolate, with tostadas covered in typical pozole fixings.
Los Potrillos
This Port Richmond restaurant’s pozole rojo ($18) is a deep red from guajillo chilis, with enormous, skin-on pork knuckles swimming in the broth. On the side are three plain yellow corn tostadas, juicy lime wedges, and shredded lettuce and cilantro. The pork is fall-off-the-bone tender. I like to crush up the tostadas and sprinkle them in the bowl like croutons. It’s intoxicatingly delicious when spiked with lots of lime juice.
West Passyunk’s Café y Chocolate serves a pozole rojo ($15) with two yellow corn tostadas spread with a thick layer of refried beans, then topped with lettuce, radishes, queso fresco, and a drizzle of crema. The stew has diced chunks of pork (and no bones). This is the most opaque of the pozoles on this list and the spiciest. I also love Café y Chocolate’s creamy elote soup and its hearty tortilla soup.
I got La Llorona’s pozole ($18) delivered on a frigid winter day. Theirs is essentially a pozole blanco, but you can also order rojo or verde variations. This is a clear white broth with pork, hominy, and oregano. It’s served with three tostadas painted with refried beans, drizzled with avocado crema, and sprinkled with queso fresco. Shredded lettuce and matchsticks of radish come on the side. I highly recommend you get a quesadilla for dipping into the soup. This is perfect for those who consider themselves spice-averse (though the tostadas pack a bit of heat). The flavor is deep, porky, and herbaceous, but not too chili-forward. The pork is extremely tender, even silky.
The booze-free month known as Dry January has surged in popularity, from just 4,000 participants when it launched in 2013 to millions of (at least short-term) teetotalers today. If you are considering giving up alcohol this January, you’ll be happy to hear that new research suggests it may bring you health benefits, including better mood and sleep, as well as lower blood sugar and blood pressure.
A review of 16 studies on Dry January recently published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism found that even a short pause in alcohol use is linked to improvements in physical and psychological health.
Dry January participants reported better mood, improved sleep and weight loss, and had healthier blood pressure, blood sugar and liver function. And several of the studies found participants experienced some benefits from simply reducing their drinking, also known as “Damp January,” rather than abstaining entirely.
Health effects of giving up alcohol
The tradition of abstaining from alcohol in January began in 2013 as a challenge by a charity, Alcohol Change UK, to reduce “alcohol harm.” In 2025, 21 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to participate in Dry January, a YouGov poll found.
Fewer people in the United States are drinking in general. About 54 percent of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol, according to a 2025 Gallup poll, the lowest that number has been since Gallup started tracking drinking behavior in 1939.
Alcohol use has been increasingly linked to health problems. In January, the U.S. surgeon general published an advisory report warning that alcohol can cause seven types of cancer, including breast and colorectal cancers.
And a 2025 study in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine suggested that no amount of alcohol is safe in terms of dementia risk.
“Alcohol affects far more aspects of our physical health beyond the commonly cited liver damage,” said Megan Strowger, a postdoctoral research associate at the University at Buffalo and lead author of the new review. (Strowger conducted this research during a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.) Strowger and her colleagues were surprised by the wide-ranging health effects of just a month without alcohol, including changes in blood pressure, insulin resistance, blood glucose, liver function and even cancer-related growth factors.
Even those who didn’t abstain for the full month reported health benefits such as better mental well-being a month later. They also had “decreased drinking frequency, reduced drunkenness, and lower alcohol consumption” six months later, two studies cited in the review found.
“Given that there weren’t huge reductions in drinking … I thought it was impressive that they found some of those physical health benefits around lowered blood pressure and liver abnormalities,” said Daniel Blalock, a medical associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the review.
How to reduce your alcohol consumption
Strowger sees Dry January as a helpful opportunity. “What really makes Dry January successful is its massive reach and unique, non-stigmatizing approach; it focuses on the positive, accessible health outcomes of taking a break, rather than dwelling on participants’ prior drinking habits or issues of addiction,” she said.
Here are some ways you can limit your alcohol consumption:
Try Damp January
If you’re not quite ready to give up alcohol entirely this January (or for Dry July or Sober October), you might consider Damp January, “where the goal is to reduce consumption rather than attempt full abstinence, making the shift feel more manageable,” Strowger said.
“It helps prevent what we call the ‘abstinence violation effect,’ where if you fall off the wagon, you say, ‘Forget it, I might as well just get really drunk since I haven’t met my goal of complete abstinence,’” said Blalock, also a clinical research psychologist at Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Track your progress
Write down when you drink and how it makes you feel in a notebook, said George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or the Notes app on your phone. There are also digital tools such as the Try Dry app that make tracking your alcohol use simple, Strowger said.
Create an environment to drink less
Try creating a social environment that supports your goal to drink less, Blalock said. For example, if you join a running club for a Saturday morning run, you might be less inclined to drink the night before so you can wake up feeling fresh.
And while you certainly don’t have to join a running club, exercise is one of Koob’s go-to recommendations for drinking less. It can help you cope with stress, rather than relying on alcohol to take the edge off. “Taking a walk clears your brain, and you come back and you don’t need that drink in order to relax,” he said.
The researchers noted there’s also little harm in trying Dry January if you’re at all sober-curious – it may even be easier than trying to cut back on drinking at other times of the year.
Saying you’re participating in Dry January often reduces some of the stigma associated with wanting to drink less alcohol, because so many people do it and can relate to the desire to start the year off a little bit healthier, Blalock said.
“Dry January really helps you evaluate your relationship with alcohol,” Koob said. It may prompt you to pay more attention to how much and when you’re drinking, and how you feel the next day. “If you feel better when you’re not drinking, you should listen to your body, because it’s telling you something,” he said.
