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.


Preparing for your Dry July

By Dry July Foundation on

You’re doing something amazing – improving your own health, and helping to change the lives of people affected by cancer. We're with you every step of the way for your Dry July, so don't be daunted by taking some time off the booze! 

Plus, remember the funds you raise will improve the comfort and wellbeing of people affected by cancer.

Here are our top tips to help you prepare and stay dry this July:

In preparation:

  • In June try to slow down your alcohol intake to half of what you would normally consume.
  • Plan your social calendar. Offer to be the Designated Dryver on a night out, or if you have an event that you really want to drink at, ask someone to buy you a Golden Ticket. It will give you a night off the wagon, while also raising more funds for a great cause!
  • Plan your drink substitutions. There are mocktails, ginger ale, soda water and lime, non-alcoholic beers and wines, herbal tea…
  • Plan your meals and your shopping list so there are no surprises during the week.
  • Remove all temptation from your house. Ask a friend or family member to keep/store your alcohol for you during July.
  • Prepare your mind as well as your body for abstaining from alcohol during July.

During July:

  • Hang out with other participants; create a Dry July team with friends and family once you've signed up. 
  • Keep yourself busy – make the most of your hangover-free weekends! Try something new or go on an adventure.
  • Fundraise! What better motivation to stay dry than knowing you're raising vital funds for people affected by cancer?
  • Get active. Why not pair your dry period with a new exercise routine? Staying off alcohol can have the benefit of weight loss if you increase your physical activity.
  • Remember why you started! Whatever your motivation was for signing up, remind yourself of it throughout your dry period to help stay strong!

Thirsty for more?

Register your interest for Dry July 2024

Register your interest now!

Seven tips for using the back-to-school mindset to help you stick to your goals

By Trudy Meehan on

Even if it’s been many years since you were last in school, you might still associate this time of year with that “back-to-school” mindset – that feeling of a page turning, a new phase beginning and the chance to start anew and reinvent yourself.

While you won’t find any research on the “back-to-school mindset” itself, this feeling is very similar to what science calls the “fresh start effect”. This is a boost in motivation for change that comes with a shift from one time in your life to another – called a temporal landmark. The beginning of a new school year, birthdays, anniversaries and even Monday mornings are all temporal landmarks.


Temporal landmarks support our belief that we can reinvent ourselves, acting as a threshold to a new...

Read more…

12 ways to finally achieve your most elusive goals

By Peter A. Heslin, Lauren A. Keating, Ute-Christine Klehe on

It’s that time of year to muse on what you hope to accomplish over the next 12 months.

The best advice when making resolutions is to set goals that are “SMART” – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant (to you) and time-bound.

Once you’ve set your goals, what can help you achieve them? Based on our research, we’ve distilled 12 goal-enablers. These cover four broad principles you can use to keep yourself on track.

You don’t have to do all 12. Just focusing on the most relevant three to five can make a big difference.


Set relevant supporting goals

An outcome goal isn’t enough. Set clear supporting goals that equip you to attain that outcome.

1. Behavioural goals stipulate the actions required to reach your outcome goal. If you want to...

Read more…

How putting purpose into your New Year’s resolutions can bring meaning and results

By Benjamin Houltberg & Arianna Uhalde on

People worldwide make New Year’s resolutions every year in an attempt to improve their lives. Common resolutions are to exercise more, eat healthier, save money, lose weight and reduce stress.

Yet, 80% of people agree that most people won’t stick to their resolutions. This pessimism is somewhat justified. Only 4% of people report following through on all of the resolutions they personally set.

We have spent years studying motivation, emotion regulation and behaviour in family relationships, athletic performance and health information processing in the marketplace. Now at USC’s Performance Science Institute, we help people attain and sustain high performance in all aspects of their lives.

Based on our research, we propose a potential...

Read more…