Dry July is here again, and so far, 160,000 Australians have ditched alcohol in July to raise funds for those affected by cancer. Giving up alcohol for one month may sound easy, but with social drinking so heavily engrained in our culture, it can be quite a challenge for some.
NSW Health figures estimate that 33% of NSW adults, including 41% of men and 25% of women, drank alcohol at levels that posed a long-term health risk, such as increasing their risk of developing alcohol-related cancers. Unfortunately, there is still little public awareness of alcohol-related harm. Research from Cancer Council NSW has found that just over half of NSW residents (55%) know about the link between alcohol use and cancers such as mouth, throat or breast cancers.
Whether you're giving up alcohol altogether or cutting down, forgoing booze or 'social lubricant' for an extended period can do you a lot of good, particularly when it comes to lowering your risk of disease. Plus, you get to enjoy added health benefits! Here are a few reasons to go dry (or reduce alcohol consumption) and keep you motivated this month:
Health and Wellbeing
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, alcohol consumption is linked to various health issues, including liver disease, cardiovascular problems, and an increased risk of eight different types of cancer. Dry July provides a much-needed respite for the body, and while a month off the booze won't undo all your health issues, there are certainly some positive impacts.
A UK study investigating the benefits of not drinking for five weeks found that participants' liver fat, a precursor to liver damage, fell by at least 15% and, in some participants, by as much as 20%. The same study also saw participants' blood glucose levels—a key factor in determining diabetes risk—fall by an average of 16 per cent. Research has also found that just four weeks without alcohol can be enough to start lowering both blood pressure and heart rate.
There are many health benefits to abstaining from alcohol or reducing the amount you drink in the long term. The National Health and Medical Research Council suggests that even reducing your alcohol intake to two or fewer drinks per day significantly lowers your risk of alcohol-related injury or disease. Drinking less frequently, such as drinking on one occasion per week rather than daily and drinking less on each occasion also reduces the lifetime risk of alcohol-related harm.
Better Sleep
Drinking alcohol before bed may help you fall asleep in the short term due to a sedative effect. However, it can affect the quality of your sleep. It can also disrupt your sleep cycles, resulting in waking up early.
Alcohol interferes with the normal sleep process by reducing sleep onset latency, which means a delay in the time it takes to enter the important rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep. REM sleep plays a role in memory organisation, emotional processing, brain development, and dreaming.
Professor Steve Allsop at the National Drug Research Institute says in the short term, taking a month off drinking can improve your sleep, "Whilst alcohol sends you to sleep fairly quickly, you tend not to get very good quality sleep when you're drinking … so you wake up not feeling as rested as you should." After a few hours, the sedative effects of alcohol wear off, meaning you're more likely to wake up prematurely. If you wake up in the night after drinking, it's because alcohol increases production of epinephrine, a stress hormone that increases heart rate and stimulates the body. Alcohol can also make existing sleep problems, like sleep apnoea and snoring worse. With a month's worth of good sleep and no hangover, you can expect more energy and better mental health.
Mental Health
Alcohol can have an impact on mental health, contributing to anxiety and depression. Beyond Blue states that “Over 500,000 Australians will experience depression and substance dependency at the same time, at some point in their lives. It is quite common, for men in particular, to try to mask or block out the symptoms of depression or anxiety by using alcohol or other drugs, which only makes the symptoms worse."
Alcohol is a depressant which affects the brain in many ways. During intoxication, it can cause feelings of sadness or depression that evolve into feelings of nervousness or anxiety during the subsequent hangover and withdrawal.
Individuals who reduce their alcohol consumption or eliminate alcohol may experience reduced mental health issues, enhanced mental clarity or a positive shift in mood, which could, in turn, lead to further positive changes.
Personal Finances
According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Australians spend $14.1 billion on alcohol every year. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the average Australian household spends thousands of dollars annually on alcohol. Last year, household spending on alcohol and tobacco increased by 7.1% due mainly to inflation and the cost of living.
Participating in Dry July can save you money, but you may also gain a fresh perspective on the financial impacts of your drinking habits.
Help people affected by cancer
Almost one in two Australian men and women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. Nearly everyone knows someone who cancer has affected at some time or another. Every year, Dry July participants fundraise to improve the comfort and well-being of people affected by cancer. The foundation provides wellness programs, comfort items, transport services, accommodation projects, refurbishments, information resources, hospital furnishings and entertainment items for cancer patients.
Give your liver a rest and do some good! Go dry this July.
Want more advice?
Regardless of whether you want to stop drinking or reduce your consumption, you can try our online confidential Alcohol Risk Assessment Tool to determine if your drinking is putting you at risk and to provide you additional motivation to meet your goals.
You can also use the free NSW telephone-based coaching service Get Healthy. The Get Healthy Service is designed to support you in making healthy lifestyle changes and reducing your alcohol consumption. The NSW Get Healthy Service is available Mon – Fri 8 am – 8 pm. To enrol, call 1300 806 258 or register online at https://www.gethealthynsw.com.au/
Whatever your goal, you can also download the Daybreak app to help support you in changing your behaviour. The Daybreak app lets you track your alcohol intake via personalised goals and visually monitor your consumption. You can also join a non-judgmental peer community of people for advice and support and access a list of over 100 suggested activities to help with your alcohol behaviour change goals.
For free and confidential advice 24/7, call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) on 1800 250 015. Counsellors are available to provide information, referrals, crisis counselling, and support. You can also start a Web Chat with an ADIS counsellor online Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
