OPINION: Why I’m stepping off the Dry July bandwagon
reviewed by the National Health and Medical Research Council, adults should drink no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than four per day. Dietitians Australia also recommends having at least two alcohol-free days per week.
If you drink more than the guidelines recommend, you should consider reducing your alcohol consumption. While it’s a worthyGiving up booze for a month doesn’t magically wipe the slate clean. Partaking in Dry July won’t negate the effects of drinking more than you should the other 11 months of the year. A four-week fast won’t necessarily give you the tools you need to improve your relationship with alcohol when the calendar clicks over to the next month.
If your goal is real behaviour change – and not just virtuous or smug Instagram posts shared on Friday nights and Sunday mornings – implementing boundaries around alcohol consumption that are sustainable in the long term will be more helpful than hanging your hat on a hashtag for a booze-free few weeks.My husband, who is known to enjoy a red wine – or two – with dinner most nights, quit alcohol in February . He did so against my best advice.
Self-denial might be appealing in its show of inner strength and willpower, but it’s not the constructive mindset you need to sustain healthy choices as one month gives way to the next. Then there’s the guilt you feel if you break your self-imposed booze ban – negativity that will make you feel unnecessarily bad about yourself.It doesn’t make a catchy slogan, but I prefer a more moderate approach to alcohol consumption. If I want a wine, I’ll have a wine – a glass, not a bottle.
Avoiding midweek drinks and ditching binge-drinking altogether – not just for one month, but forever – are good places to start.
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