Dry January for Charity: What it is and Tips on How to Get Through it
Last year one in four of Irish people, gave up drinking alcohol for Dry January, why not get involved yourself this year and give up the booze. Committing to Dry January to raise funds for charity offers the opportunity to improve your health and crowdfund for a good cause.
What is dry January?
Dry January is a public health campaign that encourages drinkers to give up alcohol for the month of January.
It was launched in 2013 by the alcohol charity now known as Alcohol Change UK, with the aim of kickstarting an open conversation about alcohol and inspiring positive behavioural change. Since then the challenge has been adopted by many nations, including Ireland.
Dry January is aimed at adults who regularly exceed the recommended alcohol consumption guidelines, without stopping to consider the impact that their drinking habits may be having on their health.
The campaign normalises not drinking for a month, helps encourage those with more serious alcohol problems to get help.
Dry January gets us all talking more openly about our drinking habits – something that, as a society, we aren’t great at doing.
Dry January health benefits
Over 60 medical conditions have proven links to alcohol. Drinking less has more immediate benefits too. Researchers from the Royal Free Hospital in London, have found that 71 per cent report sleeping better and 58 per cent lose weight. Not to mention the blissful absence of debilitating hangovers!
How to get through Dry January
Giving Dry January a go is no mean feat, especially if you turn to alcohol to relax or cut loose at the end of a long day. To help, here are some ideas to get through it:
- Expect the first week or two to be the toughest, as your brain gets used to daily life without booze
- Try to find alcohol-free drinks you like and consider taking up a healthy new activity to distract from your cravings, such as swimming or dancing.
- Connect with other Dry January participants – ideally friends, but there are Facebook groups you can join for online support – and swap tips.
- Tell family, friends and colleagues that you’re doing Dry January so they can stop offering you drinks, make an effort to support you and donate to your chosen charity if you’re fundraising.
- Remember that slipping up doesn’t make you a failure. Trying to reduce your alcohol intake and occasionally slipping up is better than not giving Dry January a go.
Dry January for heavy drinkers
People who drink very heavily or regularly should check with their doctor before attempting Dry January.
GPs and alcohol charities can advise on the best way to quit drinking if Dry January poses a danger to your health, so please be careful!
Tips on how to do Dry January for a good cause
1. Swap your beer for good cheer
Drinking in excess can negatively affect every corner of an individual’s life. Consider donating some of the money you save on booze to an alcohol awareness charity.
2. Take up a new job as a taxi driver
Going out to celebrate a friend’s birthday? Offer your services as designated driver and drop your pals home afterwards, in exchange for a small charity ‘tip’. They’ll save money on taxi fares and might feel inspired to give Dry January a try themselves next year. Come the next morning, you’ll be hangover-free and have the pleasure of reminding them of their embarrassing drunken antics.
3. Host an alcohol-themed quiz night
Sell tickets to a quiz night in your local village hall (or kitchen!) and serve tasty mocktails and nibbles on the side. Include lots of questions that’ll test people’s knowledge of alcohol, from brands of gin to facts about the impact of alcohol on health and society. Donate the proceeds to your chosen cause.
4. Organise a tee-total raffle
Low or no-alcohol drinks are a growing trend at the moment, with younger people waking up to the potential dangers of booze. Get in touch with some up and coming brands and ask if they’d consider donating a bottle of their finest 0.00% bevvy as a charity raffle prize, in exchange for promotion among your community and on your social platforms. Go one step further and approach a local celebrity with a social conscience to do the draw.
5. Get your boss on board
Encourage coworkers to go teetotal for January too. Set up a competition between colleagues with prizes up for grabs for the employees who raise the most money. Lost productivity and absenteeism are estimated to cost businesses an eye-watering £7.6 billion every year, so your boss is bound to support any Dry January charity effort.
6. Host a mocktail party
Mocktails can be expensive in bars, despite their zero alcohol content, so host your own mixing party. Invite friends and ask them to bring along different ingredients, from exotic juices to alcohol-free liquors. Get potion-making, find your new favourite booze-free tipple, give it a silly name (Nojito, anyone?) and do a whip-round for donations once the bar’s run dry.
8. Fill my pint glass!
Commandeer the morning meeting to tell your colleagues (and high-earning boss) all about your Dry January fundraiser and how their donations will help. Leave a pint glass at the end of your desk and ask them to help you fill it with loose change over the next 31 days.
9. Do something sporty
One of the biggest pros of cutting out alcohol is how much healthier it makes you feel. Mornings without hangovers mean you’ll be more likely to get out and about. Why not sign up for a sponsored sporting event, such as a marathon or swimathon, and put your newfound energy to good use?
10. Start a crowdfunding campaign
What better way to motivate yourself when sitting in the pub sipping an orange juice than by seeing your donations suddenly spike? Crowdfunding campaigns are an easy way to get all your donations in one place, including from bosses, co-workers and after your alcohol themed quiz nights. Turning down booze during one of the bleakest months of the year is a tough challenge – your GoFundMe campaign is an easy way to start nudging those friends who “simply couldn’t do it” for donations.
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