Sunday, July 3, 2011

Keeping it Dry in July...

Last year we arrived in Australia in November, the month of Movember, if you remember. Well, looks like the Aussies have done it again. Dedicate a whole month to something, that is.

Here in Australia, July is referred to as “Dry July.” This is because during the month of July people commit not to drink alcohol for the entire month in order to raise money for people living with cancer. It was started back in 2008 with just over 1,000 participants and now in 2011 it attracts over 9,500 participants and has raised almost $3.5 million. Dry July is not only about not drinking alcohol, its about clearing your head and making a difference. Get healthy, challenge yourself, encourage positive change and a healthy attitude to alcohol consumption.



This initiative was a surprising discovery in a country that drinks heavily. One of our friends said to us shortly after moving to Australia, "Remember how much you drank junior year of college? The best part of Australia is you'll drink that much the rest of your life."

My co-worker, among many, has signed up and already begun raising money for a good cause.  After the work weeks we have been having I can only wish her the best of luck. You can see her profile here.

As I sit here on the airplane flying to L.A., we have decided not to participate this year since we are taking our first trip back to The United States together since moving here last November. We have lots of celebrating to do and thought maybe we could do dry August but it doesn’t have the same ring to it.

I love the idea of a whole country coming together with something fun to raise money for a charity. Is this something we could introduce back home? Anyone  interested?


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