Health Hub
Having a Dry July has great health benefits. We've brought together a collection of articles that could help you with your Dry July.
Dry July: “Another glass of alcohol awareness please”
By Dallas Arrowsmith on
I challenged myself recently to take up the good cause of Dry July - a fundraising campaign to trade in your social drinking habits for a month, and to make some healthy lifestyle changes.
First and foremost, Dry July is a great cause. This program gave me the opportunity to support a community that needs it, and the funds go directly to benefit the lives of people affected by cancer. Cancer affects all people in some way at some point in our lives – face it, we all know someone who has been affected.
Secondly, there are personal benefits. Where do I begin - the feeling, the money, and the habit?
Let me start with the feeling, I feel great! I sleep better, I am finding it easier to wake each morning and weekends feel longer. The money saving is noticeable, definitely more in the wallet, but also more to spend ... or save.
Being a social person, I have noticed an alcoholic drink has become the accompanying beverage for most socialising moments; the end of the week, weekend lunch, celebratory dinner, or a 'catch up' with friends. Although we aren't socialising like we used to, at this moment in our lives, before lockdown, we would easily reach for this social lubricant. It helps us break the ice in conversation, calm the nerves, fit in, fuel up on Dutch courage, or use it as an exit option to politely retreat from one of those conversations reaching a point of discomfort or outside of our scope of knowledge – 'Right guys, I'm off to the bar, back soon'.
It's a habit that we have become used to, the drink is also a social crutch, and we have perhaps forgotten about the taste; the fine ingredients, the brew, the twist on flavours to test the taste buds, and the artistry of mixology.
Dry July has me reassessing alcohol consumption and reinvigorated my approach to taste. No longer with the social crutch. At the end of July, I'm looking forward to enjoying alcohol because of its great taste, as well as support the local breweries, venues and overall the hospitality sector, as they have been greatly affected with recent health and safety restrictions.
With that, I say cheers to you and your support for Dry July, and good causes.
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What Happens To Your Body When You Give Up Alcohol For One Month
By Chloe Mcleod on
We all love to indulge in alcohol every now and then, but a night out with friends brings social pressures in regards to frequent drinking. It can feel impossible to dodge having a drink when you want to be part of the group vibe - and before you know it, you’re waking up with a dry mouth and a nasty hangover again.
Dry July is a great way to reassess your relationship with alcohol consumption and see the health benefits of taking a month off. If you’re signing up to raise money, you’ll also be helping people with cancer.
Here are a few ways the human body can benefit from abstaining from alcohol for a whole month.
#1 Improvements to mental health
Alcohol may seem like a mood elevator when you’re dancing and having a great time...
Why are young people drinking less than their parents’ generation did?
By Sarah J MacLean, Amy Pennay, Gabriel Calluzi, John Holmes and Jukka Törrönen on
As we head towards the end of the year, office get-togethers, Christmas lunches and New Year’s parties are upon us. It seems like a prime opportunity for young people to be drinking the night away.
But something unexpected has happened since the start of this century. Young people in Australia, the UK, Nordic countries and North America have, on average, been drinking significantly less alcohol than their parents’ generation did when they were a similar age.
During COVID lockdowns, some surveys indicate this fell even further.
Our research suggests this is unlikely to be due simply to government efforts to cut youth drinking. Wider social, cultural, technological and economic changes seem to be key to these declines.
Researchers...
Navigating drinking culture in the workplace when you're sober
By ABC Everyday / By Flip Prior on
This year, I've had plenty of time to reflect on what influenced my past drinking habits since quitting on January 1 — and colleagues have emerged as a strong theme.
Look, I'm not about to try to blame Bob in accounts for my own after-work boozing, but given how much time most of us spend at work (and how stressful that environment can be) it's not surprising workmates loom large in shaping drinking behaviour.
Hanging out with colleagues in social situations often brings a not-so-subtle pressure to drink — it's ubiquitous, especially in the media industry, and opting out can feel uncomfortably weird.
And like lots of situations in which drinking is involved, habits can be ingrained after many years until they eventually feel normalised...