Has Dry July made you sober-curious?

As a society, many of us enjoy drinking alcohol. And while there are incentives to abstain from drinking, there are also understandable reasons why people reach for a bevy. 

For some, the enjoyment is in the taste, while others may be partial to the warm buzz they feel after their first drink. You may even turn to a tipple to take the edge off a challenging day. These can all be valid motivations, but avoiding or at least moderating your alcohol consumption offers an incentive that trumps all – the undeniable health benefits!  

Reset your relationship with alcohol 

This month, your social media feeds are probably inundated with Dry July posts. And even if you’re not involved in this booze-free challenge, you may have been sober-curious at some point. 

For many people, the idea of giving up alcohol for a month can feel daunting – and we may arm ourselves with reasons why ‘now’ is not a good time. Perhaps it’s your birthday month. Maybe your calendar is overflowing with social activities. Or you might just be going through a particularly stressful time. 

But the benefit of pausing your alcohol intake is that it gives you space to really examine why you drink. Is it out of habit? To numb your emotions? Or is it simply relaxing? 

It’s important to learn these things about yourself, especially if there is a pattern of using alcohol to cope with life’s stresses. 

Rethinking your drinking? 

A little motivation goes a long way, and a great place to start is understanding the effect of alcohol on your body. 

Alcohol is a nervous system depressant, meaning it stimulates the production of chemicals in your body that slow down brain activity.¹ The more you drink, the ‘slower’ things get. Beyond the well-known physical effects of intoxication (confusion, decreased concentration and memory loss, reduced coordination, poor decision-making and slurred speech¹), regular alcohol intake is linked to numerous diseases – more than 200 health issues², to be specific!  

Alcohol can increase the risk of developing: 

• Mental health disorders² 

• Cardiovascular conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, heart damage and heart attacks)³ 

• Strokes³ 

• Dementia³  

• Cancer (particularly liver, stomach and bowel)³. 

Intoxication with alcohol can also have social consequences. As well as making people feel red-faced after a boozy night, excessive drinking can also place significant stress on personal relationships¹. And being hungover impairs your attention and memory⁴, affecting your ability to perform day-to-day activities at work or home.  

What happens to your body when you stop drinking alcohol? 

The results are in – a booze-free challenge can provide multiple health benefits.  

People who abstain from alcohol for a month experience improvement in sleep quality, energy levels, concentration, weight loss, physical activity and metabolic markers (e.g. blood sugar, cholesterol and liver fat)^5,6. And studies show that a dry month encourages drinkers to question their relationship with alcohol and think about the health consequences, promoting long-term behavioural changes^5,6.  

Another bonus of drinking less alcohol is the amount of money you save – which isn’t surprising given that Australia has some of the highest alcohol tax rates in the world. 

You’ve decided to stop drinking alcohol or reduce your intake. Now what? 

Good on you! Whether you’ve decided to cut down or cut out alcohol, you’re embracing a healthier life.  

Like many things in life, the best way to succeed is to have a solid plan. To help you build a healthy relationship with alcohol, try using this as a guide.  

At Zurich Evolve, we want to work together to protect health. At any stage of life, we’re here to help you stay healthy or feel healthier. So in partnership with Allen Carr’s Easyway, we’re offering Zurich customers $100 off the Quit Alcohol seminar program (live online). For more info, click here. 

Say ‘sayonara’ to your hangover 

Quitting alcohol or moderating your alcohol consumption is an ongoing process. If you deviate from your set goals, don’t give up – just regroup, reorganise and resume your plan. Remember, persistence is key!  

References 

1. Young ND, Mumby MA, Smolinski JA (2020) The recovery handbook: Understanding addictions and evidence-based treatment practices, Vernon Press, Wilmington, Delaware. 

2. World Health Organization, ‘Alcohol’, May 2022. 

3. Health Direct Australia, ‘Managing your alcohol intake’, June 2022. 

4. Ayre E, Benson S, Garrisson H et al, ‘Effects of alcohol hangover on attentional resources during a verbal memory/psychomotor tracking dual attention’ Psychopharmacology, 239:2695-2704, 2022. doi: 10.1007/s00213-022-06150-4. 

5. de Ternay J, Leblanc P, Michel P et al, ‘One-month long alcohol abstinence national campaigns; a scoping review of the harm reduction benefits’, Harm Reduct J,19:24, 2022. doi: 10.1186/s12954-022-00603-x. 

6. de Visser RO, Piper R, ‘Short- and longer-term benefits of temporary alcohol abstinence during ‘Dry January’ are not also observed among adult drinkers in the general population: prospective cohort study’, Alcohol Alcohol, 55(4):433-438, 2020. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agaa025.