By Andriana Simos.
It’s July 16 and for people taking part in Dry July that means they have now been sober for 16 days.
Dry July is an annual campaign asking thousands of people to quit alcohol for the month of July and raise funds for cancer support organisations across Australia. More recently, people are signing up to give their body a “break” from alcohol and the constant fatigue that comes with their excessive drinking. But can one month of sobriety lead to long term abstinence and health benefits?
The evidence remains mixed. According to Julie Robert from the University of Technology Sydney, while one month of sobriety may create some positive change in the short-term, these campaigns don’t target long-term drinking.
“Some UK research has shown that in the immediate week to one month after, as well as six months after, people report that they are drinking less,” Dr Robert said to ABC News.
“But what’s curious is a lot of the people who do these campaigns will then sign up to do them for a second, third and fourth year. So that’s telling us that they haven’t given up drinking altogether.”
In fact, there are many risks that come with campaigns like Dry July. Research suggests that come the end of July, many people return to drinking alcohol at a more dangerous rate- otherwise known as binge drinking. In Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council recommends drinking no more than two standard drinks a day, and no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion. Binge drinking is very different. It involves drinking more than four standard drinks on a single occasion and can result in a few days of heavy intoxication. This is a risk that many people who have abstained from alcohol for one month tend to take. Comments such as “finally it’s over- I can drink again,” can easily lead to binge drinking which in turn leads to more serious long term effects including: mental health problems, physical and psychological dependence on alcohol, as well as damage to the brain and liver.
So the important question I raised above remains: Can one month of sobriety really lead to long term abstinence and health benefits?
Professor Steve Allsop from the National Drug Research Institute sums up the answer quite nicely in a report for ABC News.
“At the end of the day, improving your relationship with alcohol is about making long-term adjustments, understanding what the risks are for you individually, and understanding the role alcohol might play in your life,” he said.
“It’s about enjoying alcohol for all the reasons you might enjoy- the taste, the conviviality, the symbolism, whatever it might be… not assuming that coming off it for a month once a year is going to undo all the risks of cancer or liver disease or cardiovascular problems.”
The one thing I learnt from all this is we should remember that the primary purpose of Dry July is to raise funds for cancer support organisations. It is not a public health campaign. What we do after the campaign ends is in our own capable hands.
*Originally published on BLLC*
Simos Standpoints 