Dry July – It’s a wrap!

I have surprised myself with just how easy I have found this Dry July challenge. I had plenty of opportunities to cheat, especially when home alone with opened wine in the house, but I was a good girl. Do I feel better for giving it up? It’s a bit hard to say with the hormonal changes my body decided to implement during my ‘down time’. I’ve definitely woken up with a clearer head on a Sunday but can’t say that I’ve slept any better.

The main advantage has been having the ability to recalibrate my drinking habits. I know that I’m not missing out and I don’t care what others think.

Two Saturdays ago Chief took me to a ‘corporate do’ where the alcohol was flowing as freely as the air in the room. Chief felt the need to provide everyone with a reason why I wasn’t drinking, informing waiting staff, table guests and bar staff that I was doing Dry July. “Congratulations” came back one response, “I have total respect” another, to “Wow! that’s amazing” (Anyone would think I’d just climbed Everest!)

Last Saturday while in Adelaide, my daughter had arranged a ‘gathering’ at her house. My friends who I hadn’t seen for ages popped in throughout the day. There was plenty of free-flowing wine and beer and someone offered to buy me a ‘Golden Ticket’ – a donation of $25 allowing me to be excused and permitted to drink for the occasion, but I declined the offer.  When a fellow Dry Julyer arrived with a bottle of San Pellegrino I had a sparkling mineral water drinking buddy and we treated ourselves to a bottle of ginger beer too – of the non-alcoholic kind.

When I checked in with Snapchat on Sunday morning, I had received two video snaps from girlfriends ; one was a drunken rendition of My Happiness, the Powderfinger song which we had performed at Pub Choir a few months ago. The second was a group of ladies trying very hard to sing the Whitney Houston number, I Wanna Dance with Somebody while strutting their stuff around the living room – it was truly awful but very funny! I had a chuckle to myself – these lovely ladies were happy to share their drunken antics with me while I was doing it sober. Crazy girls!

Now it’s all over – I raised over my target of $250, raking in $315.60 which will go towards cancer support organisations across Australia. Collectively Dry Julyers raised just under $7.5M which I think is a pretty good effort!  Thanks to everyone who donated to me and to the cause – until next year – thanks!