Dry July Quest – My Personal Account

This started out as a challenge with the benefit of helping a worthy charity – adult cancer research.

What it became is so much more.

I started the year at a funeral for the mother of one of my closest friend’s, the cause of course was cancer. I have like most people lost people dear to me, my uncle, friends who were way too young, friends’ parents, clients.

This month 2 friends’ dads were diagnosed with cancer. My mum is a cancer survivor but will take chemo drugs for the rest of her life. Like Kylie Minogue said you are a different person post cancer.

So as I emerge from my Dry July odyssey here is just a little of what I have experienced from being part of this fundraising challenge.

What I have learnt:

• Alcohol is a very large part of our social world
• I CAN go without
• But not without replacing it with something like chocolate, lollies, coffee
• A lot of us drink too much but think we don’t (half a bottle of wine over dinner is not healthy & don’t try and tell me that is 2 glasses of wine! I know that trick)

Special Moments in the last 31 days:

• Wine tasting and 4 hr vineyard winter lunch where I was designated driver, imagine cosy fire, slow cooked food overlooking vineyard and rolling hills while sipping … mineral water
• Home made Osso Buco at friends house while they drank a bottle of Italian red, I drank a Dry July mocktail of ginger beer and milk (lovingly researched by my friends before I arrived)
• Movie night out with 2 friends who drank red wine throughout the movie, when the lights dimmed at the start of the movie, one of my friends said now don’t try and kiss me in the movie I know what you will be up to, trying to taste the red wine on my lips. He is very mean and will pay later for that comment.

High’s

• That the Beach & Bay Dry July team, thanks to friends, clients, family and colleagues, raised $1700 and counting for cancer research, our sponsor  The Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation, Sydney
• The extra energy and creative thoughts that brewed and overflowed all month with my clear head, not sure my staff were all that thrilled
• The satisfaction of meeting this challenge, I have not had a sip, whiff of alcohol for at least 31 days as of today (I started 2 days early)

Low’s

• The chocolate/lolly addiction I replaced alcohol with
• Earlier this week I learnt that my brother and sister-in law had enjoyed a 1985 bottle of red without me,  real tears that day
• Extra weight gain from all the chocolate I ate
• I have eye strain from staying home  and reading & watching tv, working too much on the computer, had to visit an optometrist for the 1^st time in my life and might have to get glasses

So as my social life emerges from its Dry July cocoon, I will leave you with this very, very funny story about a fellow Beach & Bay Dry Julyer.

Rachael, decided in her take no prisoner, all or nothing approach to life to also go on a diet during Dry July. Goodness knows why as she doesn’t need to lose weight at all, but there was no talking her out of it.

Mid way through the month, she has to go and celebrate her sister’s birthday. She packs up her pre-organised, pre-packaged diet food and gets a lift to her sister’s place and has to pick up the birthday pizzas on the way. Patiently sitting with the pizza boxes on her lap, 30mins of the tempting aromas later, she arrives to watch her family consume pizza, chocolate cake, lollies, wine etc.

On being dropped off at her house, she drops everything, hands shaking to get the key in the lock as fast as she could Rachael runs to the fridge where she had made jelly before going out. Much to her dismay the jelly was not set and she went into complete freak out mode, ripping apart the pantry trying to find something, anything to fill the void in her stomach/mind!

It was not to be, there was nothing so when all else failed she opened the fridge and lurched for the jelly and quickly drank the contents!

The moral to this tale?

Don’t diet and Dry July!

Tagged as: 31st July, Beach & Bay Dry July, cancer, Charity, Dry July fundraising, fundraiser, support, The Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation