Dry for July

I’ve decided: I’m giving up alcohol for July. I’m going dry for July. I’d like to claim the nifty title of this challenge as my own genius creativity, but the reality is I nicked it off Katy.

I wasn’t even going to join her in her goal at first (in fact I’m not even sure if she’s still doing it), especially as I have a camping thing with the kids at the end of July & I was going to use wine to get me through it.

However, I have gone from someone who only drinks around Christmas and New Year, avoiding alcohol altogether during pregnancy and the first 6-12 months of breastfeeding, to someone who thinks nothing of opening a 2nd or 3rd bottle of wine in a single night. I recently drank an entire bottle of wine in one evening and I’d not even noticed I’d until I got to the bottom of the bottle.

The liquid calories certainly won’t be helping my goals to become fitter / more toned, I dread to think what it’s doing to my liver, and honestly, given some of the drinkers I have in my family don’t want to go down that route long term.

I figure it’s about time.

ETA: Oooh Dry for July is a thing – if you’re in Australia, you can take part in a sponsored Dry for July.

9 Comments

  1. Dry July is a fundraising campaign here in Australia (for prostate cancer I think), so it’s definitely not a new concept! There’s also Ocsober, etc.

    I’ve been alcohol-free since February, and it’s honestly very very easy to do. The hardest bit is the social pressure to drink – Friday night drinks, birthday drinks, dinner drinks, pub drinks…anytime you might be vaguely social, the general expectation is that alcohol needs to be involved. If you have support from people around you and they understand what you’re doing, it makes things a lot easier.

    While I wasn’t on a bottle a night by any means, I did have at least two drinks every time I had dinner out. You get better at saying no, and don’t feel like you have to give excuses. Going dry has been one of the best things I’ve done in recent years – I feel a lot better and feel a lot healthier.

    Just remember – there’s just over 2000 kilojoules in a bottle of wine, or a quarter of your recommended daily intake of kilojoules! If you’re having your recommended 8000 kilojoules, plus 2000 kilojoules on top of that every day, you’re going to be putting on 25kg every year!

    • Jem

      27 Jun at 8:43 am

      Thanks Amanda, I’ve updated my post with a link to the Aus campaign.

      TBH I’m not really affected by social pressure generally, I think for me it’ll just be about kicking habits more than anything. It’ll be fine :D

  2. oh yeah, um.. I’m still going to do it, but possibly minus a couple of social events I’d forgotten about!

  3. I too decided to give up alcohol, not just for July but for good. I suffer from that stupid “Asian glow” and turns out I may have a deficiency in this gene. Because of this deficiency, I poison myself whenever drink alcohol and in the long run I’m at higher risk of esophageal cancer. I don’t moderately drink, like one beer a night, but I do binge which is pretty terrible.

    I also realized I only have fun when I have alcohol and I need that to change. I can’t just let loose with only alcohol, right?

    I wish you the best in dry July! I’m sure you will get through it without difficulty!

  4. I think this sort of thing probably happens to most adults at some point. You drink socially or at special occasions. Eventually it’s just a habit. Recognizing that and doing something like this will definitely be a good thing. (: Best of luck!

  5. I don’t drink because I don’t like alcohol :P I just have fruit juice or water instead. It helps that I like those things, but obviously not everyone does (or wants to have them – fruit juice = sugarsugarsugar). I’m sure you’ll be fine :)

    (PS. I find chocolate or ice cream works well after a bad kid-related day ;) Not that that helps your calorie intake, heh)

  6. I seldom drink anymore. I find I just don’t want to. I imbibe a little on special occasions but that’s about it.
    Ironically, the last time I drank was at a “dry” wedding reception. I was at a table with my closest family members & my sister sneaked (snuck?) alcohol in. I drank some rum with my cola just for the ha-ha of it!