Drink Free Days Planner
Tap the days that stay drink-free, set the most drinks for the other days, and see the plan for the next four weeks.
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
How to use the Drink free days planner
- Tap the day buttons Mon to Sun to make each day drink-free. A tapped button turns purple and is pressed.
- Enter a number in the Most drinks on other days box. This is the most you plan to have on each day that is not dry.
- Open the Country dropdown and choose one of the 21 countries. The country sets the standard drink used for the US standard drinks figure.
- Open the Drink dropdown and pick a preset, such as beer UK pint 4% or wine 5 fl oz glass 12%. Choose Custom drink if none of the presets fit.
- Check Size, Unit and Strength (% ABV) so they match the drink you have in mind.
- Read the result. The headline shows your dry days and monthly total, and a line gives the weekly cap. The table called The next four weeks has one row per week, with a column for each day showing Dry or the most drinks.
The planner starts with Mon, Tue, Thu and Sun dry and a most of 2 drinks on the other days, so you see a working plan straight away. To keep your layout, tap Copy link and open the link later. Your choices are stored in the page address and are not sent anywhere.
How many drink-free days should I plan each week?
The planner does not pick a number for you. You choose how many days to tap as dry, and the headline updates to match, such as 4 drink-free days a week. The NHS suggests spreading drinking over several days and having drink-free days, but it does not give a single right number, and neither does this tool.
How do I plan drink-free days?
Tap the days you want to be dry, then set the most drinks for every other day. The result updates as you go, so you can compare layouts before settling on one. Each week in the table repeats the same pattern. With Mon, Tue, Thu and Sun dry, the other three days (Wed, Fri and Sat) each carry the same limit.
How many drinks is my weekly cap?
The weekly cap is the most drinks the plan allows across the week. It equals the most drinks you set on each non-dry day, multiplied by the number of those days. The cap is shown in drinks, UK units and standard drinks.
Units are worked out with the NHS formula: units = cap x strength (% ABV) x ml / 1,000. Standard drinks = cap x grams of pure alcohol in one drink / grams in the country’s standard drink, where grams in one drink = ml x strength / 100 x 0.789.
| Plan | Dry days | Other days | Weekly cap | UK units | US standard drinks | Dry days a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun dry; most 2 of 5 fl oz 12% wine glasses | 4 | 3 | 6 glasses | 10.6 | 6 | 208 (over 52 weeks) |
| Mon, Tue, Wed dry; most 3 drinks on the other four days | 3 | 4 | 12 glasses | 21.3 | 12 | 156 |
Can I choose different dry days each week?
No. The seven day buttons set one pattern, and the four-week table repeats that pattern for every week. To record what actually happens week to week, use the alcohol tracker or the alcohol-free days counter on this site.
Does the plan show UK units?
Yes. The result line shows the weekly cap in UK units alongside drinks and US standard drinks. In the first example above, a cap of 6 glasses works out to 10.6 UK units.
How many drink-free days can I plan each week?
You can plan any number from 0 to 7. Four drink-free days a week is about 17 a month and 208 a year. With a most of 2 drinks on the other three days, the weekly cap is 6 drinks. The table compares two plans, with the units and standard drinks each cap adds up to.
| Plan | Dry days a week | Most on other days | Weekly cap (5 fl oz glasses of 12% wine) | UK units | US standard drinks | Dry days a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun dry | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10.6 | 6 | 208 |
| Mon, Tue, Wed dry | 3 | 3 | 12 | 21.3 | 12 | 156 |
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Weekly cap = (7 - dry days) x the most drinks on the other days. Units = cap x (ABV x ml / 1,000). Standard drinks = cap x grams in one drink / grams in the chosen country’s standard drink. Dry days a month = dry days a week x 52 / 12.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is the drink free days planner free to use?
Yes. It is a free tool that runs in your browser on this page, so you use it directly without installing anything.
How many dry days a month does a plan give?
Multiply the dry days in a week by 52 and divide by 12. Four dry days a week gives about 17.3 a month, which is the figure the headline shows.
Does the planner track what I actually drink?
No. The four-week table is a plan, not a record, and nothing is tracked or recorded about what you actually drank. For a day-by-day record, use the alcohol tracker or the alcohol-free days counter on this site.
Does this tool say how much alcohol is safe?
No. The planner does not say whether any amount of alcohol is safe or recommended. It only lays out the days and limits you enter. For guidance on drinking levels, see NHS guidance.
Do the dry days repeat every week?
Yes. The table repeats your pattern for four weeks, starting on the next Monday. Tap a day button and the table changes at once, so you can try a different mix of dry days and compare the monthly totals before you settle on a plan.
Related tools
- Alcohol tracker: use it to log the drinks you actually have day by day.
- Alcohol-free days counter: use it to count the dry days you have completed.
- Dry January calendar: use it to see a month laid out day by day for a dry month.
- Drinks per week calculator: use it to work out how many drinks a week your figures add up to.
- Cut down drinking planner: use it to plan a gradual reduction in the drinks you have.
- Alcohol unit calculator: use it to convert a single drink into UK units.