This month is Dry July.
So, what does that mean to you?
If you’re living in Australia, alcohol has become so entrenched in our society that it’s difficult to think of any social gatherings (apart from those sausage sizzle fundraisers held outside Bunnings on Saturday mornings) where alcohol is not readily available.
Telling someone that you don’t want a drink when offered can make you seem a party pooper, a killjoy or boring.
But if you value taking care of your health by eating healthily, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep, where does harm minimisation by not drinking excessively and not smoking fit into your lifestyle?
It’s estimated that 40% of the Australian population over the age of 14 drink alcohol at least once a week, of which 5% drink daily.
Overall, alcohol consumption is declining, but risky drinking – which means drinking at a level increasing your risk of preventable disease or illness remains high at 17% of Australians.
While 24% of men are twice as likely to drink at risky levels, it’s middle-aged women in their 50s who are the other at-risk cohort.
Seeing anyone who is inebriated can be unpleasant. But I get even more upset when I see gaggles of young women falling, stumbling, swearing or fighting in the street after a night out, after deliberately drinking to excess.
Women are particularly at risk because we don’t process alcohol in the same way as men, and while not everyone who drinks does so to excess, there is a growing cohort of those who fall into the grey drinking zone, the space where you worry that you may be looking forward to that evening glass of wine or getting drunk with friends just a little too much.
It’s where you promise you’ll only drink on the weekends but find yourself pouring a glass on Wednesday night. It’s the time when you’ve always said you would never drink on your own, but you’re bored and stressed and thinking just one glass is OK and will make you feel better.
If you’ve ever wondered if you could develop a problem with alcohol or worry you’re on the slippery slope, I highly recommend Sarah Rusbatch’s new book Beyond Booze: How to create a life you love, alcohol-free.
Sarah is a health and well-being coach and an accredited Grey Area Drinking coach. Her book is based on lived experience and written with a huge dollop of self-compassion and vulnerability. She is passionate about helping others overcome their own struggles with the grey zone. But she does far more than outline the impacts of alcohol on the body and mind; she provides a framework to help you rebuild an alcohol-free life that you love.
I’ve read many self-help books over the years, but this one is a standout because it empowers the reader to make the change they need in their relationship with alcohol.
Have you ever worried you could be in the grey zone with your drinking?
