Put your Dry January challenge to good use
After a few days (or if we’re honest, weeks) of enjoying the festive period to excess, Dry January – the UK’s one-month alcohol-free challenge - is becoming an increasingly popular way of getting a much-needed reset.
According to Alcohol Change UK, there is a wealth of benefits to giving up drinking, from sleeping better, having more energy, and saving money!
But how about going one step further with your Dry January pledge? As well as reaping the rewards physically and mentally, why not do some good for charity as well?
Donation
Could you start by donating your savings from your month of abstention to a worthy cause?
You could choose to support Alcohol Change UK, the brains behind Dry January, who are working to end alcohol-related harm by changing our relationship with it through education, better policies and regulations, and shifting cultural norms.
Maybe there’s a cause close to your heart that you’d like to support with your efforts. Whether you’ve benefitted from a charity yourself, or know a local hospice or shelter in need, or an issue you feel strongly about, you could make a big impact with the money you would have spent on booze.
If you’re struggling to pick one, why not download the Toucan app and donate to three charities instead? Simply select your chosen beneficiaries, and let us do the legwork for you.
Fundraising
Alternatively, you could ask friends and family to sponsor you as you embark on your challenge.
Cancer Research has its own Dryathlon campaign, asking participants to become Dryathletes (there’s even a t-shirt in it for you) to fundraise for life-saving research. If you fall off the wagon, no problem – you can pay a ‘Tipple Tax’.
For those looking to really change their habits, why not give Water Aid’s Just Water a try? Said to be the ultimate detox, it challenges you to drink nothing but water for the month of January while raising money to give others the gift of clean water.
Give your time
We’re not saying you should be avoiding bars and clubs during Dry January – after all, it was created to change our relationship with alcohol, so we should feel comfortable ordering soft drinks in a pub – but perhaps you could spend your Friday or Saturday evening volunteering instead?
Get yourself down to your local soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or even your community hall and give your time to help others. You might even meet some new friends or find a new hobby – so your alcohol-free month could benefit you in many more ways.
Of course, you don’t have to do Dry January to do good. Download the Toucan app, and you can make a difference every month of the year. The power to be a hero is in your hands.
