Cheers To A Month Of Abstinence

Posted: Friday 10 June 2011 12:29pm

Those who know me well know that I’m partial to the odd glass of red wine. Okay, even veritable strangers are aware that red wine is my favourite thing of all time, particularly now, in the middle of winter.

So, you’ll appreciate the challenge I’ve laid ahead of myself – Dry July, Australia’s annual alcohol-free initiative aimed and raising much-need funds for cancer research and treatments in major hospitals throughout the country.

The aim is to improve the lives of people living with and battling all forms of cancer and to better their chances of survival. There’s much to love about this initiative – while helping others, you help yourself become healthier, fitter and better looking.  Win-Win.

It’s so simple – you just go without alcohol for the month of July, and have your friends sponsor you online, from anywhere in the world. All donations directly go to the hospital of your choice to help with their cancer research programs, mine being the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation, Sydney.

Last year, I raised a little over $4000 for the cause. This year, I’ve banded together with some of my friends in the beauty industry to increase our clout and raise even more. Our team is called The Beauties Sydney, and we’re setting the fund raising bar at $10, 000. If you want to help us reach that figure, see the end of this blog for links on how to join up and/or donate.

So, why blog about it? Obviously, because it’s a cause I truly believe in and hold very close to my heart – this past year has seen five of my treasured friends diagnosed with breast cancer, and a decade ago I lost my best friend to an acute form of leukaemia.

But I also because I thought it would be a nice segue into the health, beauty and youth-enhancing benefits of abstaining from alcohol. Of course, you will glow from the warm feeling you get in your heart from helping others, but the aesthetic benefits of abstinence are simply endless.

Clear, glowing skin.
More than one or two glasses of alcohol a day puts a strain on your liver, especially if you’re not having at least two alcohol-free days each week. Your liver is responsible for flushing out toxins from your body. When your liver becomes sluggish, it simply can’t do its job effectively, which has a direct impact on the clarity and condition of your skin. It’s simple mathematics – cut out alcohol, and your liver will work better, which leads to radiant, glowing skin, with a smoother texture, free from nasty bursts of adult acne.

Better Hydration, softer lines and wrinkles
It’s an unfortunate fact that alcohol dehydrates every cell and organ in your body. You need at least three glasses of water to make up for the dehydrating effects of one alcoholic drink. Too much booze, and you’re not just facing dry skin, but more pronounced lines and wrinkles, a rough skin surface, and a leathery, tired appearance. Skipping alcohol, or better still, replacing it with a refreshing mineral water or fruit juice, will soon have the moisture levels in your skin and your body back on track. And because water flushes toxins through your system more readily, you’ll enjoy an inner glow, like your skin has been lit from within.

Bright Eyes
Over-imbibing, as I’ve already pointed out, strains your liver and your body’s natural toxin removal processes. This will show up pretty quickly in your eyes, with the whites of your eyes taking on a yellowish tinge. It also causes your eyes to look bleary, puffy and bloodshot. It’s far from a good look.  On the flip side, abstaining, and swapping alcohol for water or a delicious fruit mock-tail, helps clear your system, flush away toxins and in turn, keeps your eyes whiter, brighter and shining. It also has the effect of intensifying your natural eye colour. Expect compliments wherever you go, after only a few days of giving up alcohol.

Better-defined features
Alcohol also slows your lymphatic drainage, which means that fluids aren’t drained from your body as efficiently as they should be. This results in what I like to call booze-bloat. Your face becomes puffy, as does the rest of your body. You lose definition in your face, and sagging may even seem to appear worse. Cutting out alcohol reverses this, and quickly results in your face and body looking more sculpted – think gorgeous cheekbones, a more defined jaw line, and better shape to your muscles, in general.

Stronger, shinier hair
Your hair requires the B-group vitamins to remain thick, healthy and lustrous. Over-imbibing depletes your body of its B-group vitamins and also hampers its attempt at absorbing them. It’s simple – less alcohol means more efficient absorption of vitamin B, which means more beautiful hair.

Lose excess weight
Did you know that it takes 15 minutes of intense cycling in a Spin Class to work off every glass of wine you drink? It’s a sad and scary thought, but one that is very much true. Some other forms of alcohol, like beer, or creamy liqueur drinks, have even more concentrated calories, in one tiny glass. Alcohol also has very little nutritional value, save for a few antioxidants, so its empty calories that accumulate on your waistline or derrière. And because alcohol works wonders at weakening your resolve, you usually head straight for salty, friend, fatty foods after – or during – a big night! Abstain from drinking and watch the weight drop off within a couple of short weeks!

DRY JULY is happening from July 1^st though July 31^st 2011, but you can donate or sign up NOW! Click on the links below if you wish to help the cause! Even the tiniest of donations can help. Donations $2 and over a tax deductable for Australian residents.

To donate to Shonagh’s THE BEAUTIES, SYDNEY DRY JULY team:

https://www.dryjuly.com/team/default.aspx?g=thebeautiessydney

To sign up for DRY JULY yourself: http://www.dryjuly.com/signup/

Hints to help you through Dry July

Have you signed up for Dry July? Good on you! Here are some helpful hints to strengthen your resolve.

• Make sure all your friends, family and co-workers realise that you are committed to this great cause. Be loud and proud about the fact that you are on a fund raising drive for people living with and battling cancer. People will be less likely to pressure you into having a sneaky chardonnay at Friday night drinks!
• Keep an abstinence diary. Jot down how you feel each morning, listing the feelings of clarity, awareness and vitality you increasingly feel as each day of non-drinking passes. Write down what you weigh each day (you’ll se the scales move lower, day by day) and note how much more vibrant your skin looks. Whenever you feel your resolve weakening, read your diary from Day one through to today, taking note of the improvements in your mental, emotional and physical state.
• When you’re at social engagements, be sure you always have a large glass of mineral water or a fruit mocktail in your hand. You’ll be less likely to slip up and reach for a martini. If people enquire as to why you’re not imbibing, tell them loudly and firmly, with a huge smile, that you’re doing Dry July and finish with, “isn’t it great? I’ve already raised $500 for people living with cancer!”  That positive reinforcement will not only make your willpower stronger, it may even persuade that person to join up for Dry July, or make a donation.
• Put aside the money you would normally spend each week on alcohol. Watch it grow over the days and weeks of July, and put it to a cause that makes you feel better – pay it off your mortgage, car loan, or put it towards a well-earned vacation. Or buy yourself a treat at your favourite beauty spa. You deserve to be pampered after all the good you’re doing!
• If you’ve had a super-stressful day and you’re stinging for a stiff drink (we’ve all been there!), try some other relaxation techniques to take your mind off it. I love Hom Yoga (www.homyoga.com.au ). It’s a detoxifying form of yoga, practised in a heated room. The twist (pardon the pun) is that the room is warmed using Infra Red heat, which has various benefits, one of which is to intensify the detoxification process. After one 60-minute class, you’ll be limber, refreshed and rejuvenated, and not feeling like a drink at all. If yoga is not your thing, try going for a long run, or sweating it out in a boxing class, or shaking it up at your local Power Plate studio (another of my favourite work outs). It’s amazing how a good sweat session quickly changes your cravings from naughty to well-intentioned and healthy!

by Shonagh Walker

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