02 Jul 2021

So, it comes up on the seventh month of the year. You hear about it from your fellow colleagues with an update everyday. You see your Facebook friends raising money for it as well as people getting amongst it but what is #dryjuly?

The Dry July Foundation is a not-for-profit charity that encourages people to go alcohol-free in the month of July to raise money for people affected by cancer. These funds go towards the comfort and wellbeing of people affected by cancer, as well as their families and carers through wellness programs, transport, hospital equipment, facilities, accomodation, and a whole lot more.

That alone sounds like a great cause to get around and to hang up the booze for a while but hey, it’s also a win-win, there are some great benefits behind it for you.

No more nursing your weekend hangovers

No matter what you’re into, a hangover is your body’s way of telling you that you’ve had a few too many. Whether you’re after a greasy feed, a gallon of water or just want to bury your head into a pillow for half the day after, is the comedown really worth it? Doing #DryJuly will get ya avoiding that sick feeling!

You’ll have a PHat bank account

Yes, that’s phat with a PH. You’ll have a thick bank account after a month of not buying spirits, bottles of wine, and endless Cruisers flavours you’ll probably never drink and end up at the back of your fridge. 

Benefits of an alcohol detox aren’t just physical - with people spending $2 billion more on alcohol in 2020 and the average household spend being $1891 according to a Finder analysis on the ABS, it’s a heavy dent to your wallet. Let’s not drink to that and save up some $$$!

Improvements to your health and wellbeing

No matter how hard you take care of your health (voddy lime sodas ain’t saving ya) - liver disease, brain injury, and heart problems are all linked to drinking alcohol. The heavier you drink, the greater the risk. That’s not even mentioning the effects it has on your mood and mental health. Alcohol may seem like a good way to let loose but it does act as a depressant that can have some serious negative effects. 

Plus, during #DryJuly you’ll be more inclined to:

  • Keeping yourself busy
  • Get active - replace your dry spell with some physical activity
  • Fundraise - what better way to stay on the dry than knowing you’re raising funds for an amazing cause?

You’ll be doing your liver a solid

Coming off the last point - your liver is built to handle copious amounts of alcohol. Your liver has to work extra hard and after all that drinking, it starts to get exhausted. Its job is to get rid of all the nasties that pass through your body, so listen to it and give it a rest during Dry July!

You’ll be off it for a while

The longer you stay off, the less you’ll want to get back on it = better for you in the long run. Dry July is a perfect time to trial being off the grog while less reliant on it. Indulge in some mocktails and a healthy lifestyle to prolong it!

It's never too late to take part in Dry July. Have a geeze at their website and see how you can get amongst the great cause!