Dry July (it could be a very long month)

Well it is 4th July - Happy Independence day to America

It is also 4 day of 31 during which time I will try to attempt ......

I was just flicking through my marketing and internet sales email address and came across this article in the Mindfood magazine newsletter, under the title of Wellbeing.... so I clicked onto it in the hope it would give me some great support.   And I quote -

5 reasons to get behind Dry July

Contemplating whether to sign up to Dry July this month?  Here are five reasons why you should:

1.  Dry July is a month dedicated to giving up alcohol, in order to raise money towards creating better environments and support networks for adult cancer patients and their families.

My pledge/progress: charity in July so far - $5 in the Guide Dog training for the blind, $5 for a Big-Issue – Target charity payments, minimum $100 by end of July.

As tough a challenge as it may sound to some, giving up alcohol has a number of health and lifestyle benefits. Below, we’ve listed our top five reasons for getting behind Dry July this year:

2. The health benefits

The most obvious reason for giving up alcohol is of course, the benefits to your health; alcohol, among other things, is a toxin, digested immediately by the liver. Excessive alcohol consumption has also long been linked to numerous long-term health problems, like heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, liver disease, and even cancer. Not to mention it is a drug, and, like others, poses strong addictive qualities that can affect your life quality. 

My pledge/progress: so far so good, including a trip to the pub last night, stuck to soda water & lime cordial. But I did have squid & chips for dinner and a few squares of dark chocolate when I got home... must try harder not to compensate.  Also on the next grocery shopping trip, start to really focus on 'clean' food and whilst I cannot bear to waste anything (no pun intended) I will feel compelled to use up any 'bad' foods in the house but not replace them.  Also, I want to start really researching 'raw' food and start to contemplate a regime for reducing sugar.

3. The benefits to your waistline

The body has no storage capacity for alcohol like it does for carbohydrates and fats, so it must be digested and processed immediately by the liver. Because it is a poison, the body must metabolise it as quickly as possible. While your liver is metabolising the glass of wine you’ve just consumed, it is unable to process any fats, carbohydrates or protein. As a direct result of this, alcohol consumption can also lead to a false sense of hunger, and your body will crave fatty foods, to soak up the booze. All these factors ultimately lead to weight gain. Giving it up for a month is a surefire way to shed a few quick kilos.

My pledge/progress: Plan to go the gym 3 times this week and take longwalks in between - goal - lose at least 2 (hopefully 3) kilos this month.  At last measure I was 79.5k

4.  The beauty benefits

Waking up and facing the mirror after big night, is not often a pretty sight. You will likely appear tired, puffy-faced, and be sporting some dark bags under your eyes. Regular drinking is one of the fastest ways to age your skin, so giving your pores and peepers a breather for 31 days is the best facial you could invest in.

My pledge/progress: Concentrate on my cleansing routine, research and purchase a good serum from the money I save from buying plonk.  I have another facial booked for an end-of-month treat. 

5..The benefits to your wallet

The average person will spend $40 a week on booze, and that’s not taking into account, the price of transport and cab fares to get home safely after a night out, and the food that often goes hand-in-hand with that beer or glass of wine. Cutting out alcohol for a month will probably save you around $200 – money you can spend on something you wouldn’t normally indulge in.
My pledge/progress: a quick calculation - when I drink in the pub I probably spend on average $35 per night on booze.  Then have on average 3 bottles per week so another $40.  Now I don't drink out in pubs every week any more but I certainly used to, so I will realise a potential saving of $300 this month if I have NO BOOZE.  Use that additional income to put towards charity donations and to finance my facial/massage ($99) - looking forward to that..!

Battle of wills

My pledge/progress: really try hard to not booze for the duration of July.  I managed Feb Fast this year and I did say I would also try to get through Dry July and Sober October but if I am completely honest with myself, I am secretly already planning to have a bottle on Saturday night if himself goes away for the weekend and I can have a little binge treat whilst watching a few of my favourite DVDs.  Very poor.