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.

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...

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Lyre's Watermelon Chili Margarita

By Lyre's Spirit Co on

Ingredients

• 60mL Lyre's Agave Blanco Spirit

• 60mL watermelon juice

• 15mL premium agave syrup

• 15mL lime juice

• 2 thin slices jalapeño round OR 1/2 bird's eye chilli

Method

Briefly shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into glass over block ice.

Glass

Chilli Salt* Rimmed Rocks

 *CHILLI SALT, 1 part Kosher salt, 1 part chilli flakes combine

Garnish

Thin watermelon wedge


For more recipes like this, head to lyres.com.au

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Giving up alcohol isn't easy, but after 30 days I'm already reaping the benefits

By ABC Everyday / By Flip Prior on

On the first day of my abstinent year — having quaffed cheap prosecco while partying until midnight in a kind of panic — I woke up with a nasty hangover.

It was the anxiety-inducing kind necessitating a dark room, cold shower, swim at the beach and hot salty chips to restore any semblance of humanity. 

A month into my year without alcohol, I feel worlds away from that wretched creature who woke up to 2019 cracking open one bloodshot, puffy eye and cursing her appalling life choices.

The things I love about being booze free include, better sleep, feeling calmer and dropping 4 kilograms without trying too hard.

But as I celebrate this first significant milestone, I won't sugar-coat it and pretend it's been a complete walk in the park....

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Lyre's Old Fashioned

By Lyre's Spirit Co on

Ingredients

• 60mL Lyre's American Malt

• 5mL white sugar syrup (1:1)

• 2 dashes aromatic bitters

Method

Stir briefly over fresh cubed ice

Glass

Old fashioned

Garnish

Orange peel


For more recipes like this, head to lyres.com.au


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Lyre's Salted Caramel Espresso Martini

By Lyre's Spirit Co on

Ingredients

• 15mL Lyre's Spiced Cane Spirit

• 45mL Lyre's Coffee Originale

• 45mL premium cold drip or fresh espresso

• 15mL premium salted caramel syrup

Method

Dry shake, 1/2 fill shaker with ice, shake hard briefly, fine strain into glass.

Glass

Cocktail coupette

Garnish

3 caramel popcorn float


For more recipes like this, head to lyres.com.au

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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...

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Strawberry & Basil Fizz

By The Mindful Mocktail on

This combination of strawberry and basil refreshing and healthy, plus it tastes great.

Ingredients

3 strawberries, chopped

4-6 basil leaves (depending on your taste preference)

Juice of half a lime

1 tsp sweetener of choice

Sparkling water or kombucha


Method

- Add strawberries, basil, lime and sweetener (if using) to a glass. 

- Muddle together for about 1 minute. If you don’t have a muddler, use a wooden spoon or similar - anything that will ‘smoosh’ all the ingredients together! 

- Top with sparkling water or kombucha and stir. 

- Add ice and garnish and Enjoy!




For more recipes like this, follow @themindfulmocktail on Instagram

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We’re getting really good at making alcohol-free beer and wine. Here’s how it’s done!

By David Bean and Andrew Greenhill on

Non-alcoholic drinks have been on the market for decades, but for a long time their range was limited and, in most cases, the flavours were inferior to their alcoholic counterparts.

Now online retailers (some of which specialise in non-alcoholic drinks) are stocking up to 100 different low- or no-alcohol beers and a similar number of non-alcoholic wines – with the majority produced in Australia.

What’s behind the big boom in this side of the industry? And where might it go from here?


It all starts with fermentation

Alcoholic beverages are produced via microbes, most commonly yeasts, which convert sugars to ethanol (alcohol) in the process of fermentation.

In addition to producing ethanol, fermentation also leads to other desirable flavour...

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Lyre's Margarita

By Lyre's Spirit Co on

Ingredients (serves 1)

  • 45mL Lyre's Agave Blanco Spirit OR Lyre's Agave Reserva Spirit
  • 15mL Lyre's Orange Sec
  • 30mL lime juice
  • 7.5mL white sugar syrup (1:1)
  • 1 dash of orange bitters (optional) 

Method

    1. Shake ingredients briefly with ice.
    2. Fine strain into a half salt-rimmed coupette.
    3. Garnish with a lime wedge.


For more recipes like this, head to lyres.com.au

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