An estimated two million people cut the booze for Dry January in 2015, with an even bigger number expected for this year.

And if you're planning on ditching the lager for the Diet Coke, the red wine for the orange juice and the drunken kebabs for salad and green tea, we're here to help because we've compiled a list on how to survive the ordeal.

Because let's face it, there couldn't be a harder place to give up booze than London.

If London is Britain's social heartbeat, then alcohol is its blood stream - constantly inviting us to shell out our wages in its glorious abundance of pubs, bars and clubs.

Here are five ways to help you through a month of sobriety:

Raise money - guilt is your friend

Cancer Research UK logo

If you think you're suspect to caving in and giving up, then use guilt to your advantage.

If you're just doing Dry January without a direct cause, chances are you'll be back drinking in no time.

But if there's money riding on it - your friends, family and colleagues money - then I guarantee you'll think twice about breaking your vow.

You can choose to donate on the official Dry January site , with proceeds going to Alcohol Concern, or you can create your own page on JustGiving , and choose from a range of charities including Cancer Research.

Arrange things for Sunday mornings

Hangover

Often when people ditch the booze, they speak in amazement at suddenly watching Sunday go from a half day of pain, bad food and pre-Monday dread to a full day of new possibilities.

And they're right! For maybe the first time in your life since you started drinking, and possibly even the last come February, you're going to have five full weekends free of a hangover.

So start drafting up a list of ideas compiling all the things previously rendered impossible by the headaches and sleep deprivation.

Just some ideas include a run around Hyde Park , an early morning browse at some of London's markets when they're not busy and an extra half-day to take up something new like cooking, a new sport or that book you haven't got around to reading yet.

Find new ways to unwind

A Generic Photo of a woman during a yoga class.

A well-known driving force behind drinking is stress, and alcohol is seen by many as a go-to solution for a bad day at the office which, in a harsh working climate, is happening now more than ever.

So if drinking is your way of coping with stress then this is your chance to explore new ways of winding down to the benefit of your long term health.

Yoga, meditation or even getting in the routing of running a warm bath when you get back from work are just some of things you can do to find alternative calming methods.

Get to the gym

Gym goers using cycling machines

If you drink, on average, a total of 15 pints of lager a week then that equates to around 10,800 calories a month.

In other words if you're staying dry this month, there couldn't be a better time for you to shed those stubborn pounds that won't go away.

So you can make the most of it by getting down the gym this month, as a combination of exercise and no alcohol will give your body its biggest calorie deficit yet.

Treat yourself with the extra money

Money
Money

London is not just Britain's capital hot-spot for drinking, it's also its most expesive.

So to raise spirits when the cravings start to kick in, get a pen and paper and actually work out the total amount of money you'll be saving this month.

For example if you spend on average £25 on alcohol during the week, and then £50 at the weekend, then you'll be saving a total of around £300 this month.

So get using your imagination to think up what you could do with this money; putting a deposit down on a holiday, treating yourself to a shop or dining at some of London's finest restaurants previously out of reach.