So the Dryathlon is again upon us. As well as marking a years anniversary for my blog, it is also a fantastic annual idea to get people raising money and awareness for Cancer Research. You can sponsor me here:  https://www.justgiving.com/ConfessionsOfASoberEssexGirl/  by the way.

So as someone you all see with a Prosecco or Shiraz in hand pretty much anytime I’m not at work, what do you think keeps me going through these long 31 day’s without alcohol?

Here are 8 great reasons you should do the Dryathlon.

1. You save money. 

(Image from: www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-blogs/lucylovescruising/2014/07/30/theft-on-po-ship/ )

Even if you are not one for frequenting night clubs and bars and waking up realizing you have spent £150 on your debit card purely on Jagers, even having a few glasses of wine through the week can set you back. You won’t see how much until you actually STOP drinking. Those casual bottles of red you buy now and again on the way home because you have had a stressful day, can soon add up to £30-£40 a week. That’s a £160 a month and could easily be a holiday deposit, or, if you are less fun, pay a bill.

2. You will actually come home, and take your make up off. 

(Image from: www.beautyrepublicasalon.co.uk/latestnews/?cat=10 )

If you are anything like me, no doubt when you come home late and drunk, you perform a striptease, take out the one earring you have left and crawl into bed in your underwear and t-shirt. Not only is it not good for anyone who lives with you to come in and witness when they come into your room to wake you up, it’s not great for your skin. Leaving make up on over night clogs pores terribly. If you are coming home sober, no matter how late it is, you can guarantee you will remember to remove your make up AND do your wrinkle cream.

3. You won’t get hangovers. 

(Image from: http://singlemindedwomen.com/womens-health/five-great-cures-for-hangovers/ )

Ah yes, hangovers. Those gorgeous things you don’t suffer from at the ages 18 to 25, and then suffer really badly with from 25 over. You can have a whole month without waking with a pounding headache and wanting to drink everything in the fridge (even that slightly pale substance you THINK is Apple juice) and throw up and binge eat in rotation. Rather than writing off a whole 8 days in January, you can wake up fresh and non-hungover and actually DO things. You may even be able to take these fresh sober Saturday mornings to take up a new hobby. Lot’s of people seem to be gluing glitter to stuff and selling it, why not try that?

4. You don’t wake up cringing. 

(Image from: www.entrepreneur.com/dbimages/article/h0/seven-cringe-worth-business-plan-mistakes1.jpg )

When I’m sober, I tend to border on being slightly offensive, so when I’ve had a drink it gets ten times worse. The problem is, at least when I’m sober I remember it, or correct myself instantly by reminding my conversational counterpart that that’s just my sense of humor. Once you have had a few drinks, reason goes out of the window and not only are you going round the pub like a bull in a china shop offending everyone in sight, you won’t remember it to be able to make amends the next day.

I’m sure we’ve all woken up with that feeling of ‘I did something last night and it was bad but I don’t know what’, and I’m sure we all agree a month without it will be pretty welcome.

5. You raise money for Cancer Research. 

(Image from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/43/Cancer_Research_UK.svg/1280px-Cancer_Research_UK.svg.png )

Cancer research is a fantastic charity that was formed in February 2002 to kick Cancer’s bum! So if staying sober for a month can even have a small, tiny effect on the great work they do, then I’m up for it, are you?

As someone who did this last year, I can assure you that once you have started getting a few sponsors in, there’s no way you will want to let them down by flaking.

6. You will probably smoke less too. 

(Image from: http://news.yale.edu/2012/09/24/smoking-bans-bars-help-drinkers-drink-less-too-yale-study-shows )

A lot of people smoke more when they have had a drink, and a lot of people ONLY smoke when they are drinking alcohol. If you are one of these people then it’s obvious another great benefit to a sober month is that you will smoke less too. If you have gone a month without smoking, you may even be able to go the whole hog and give up all together. Then you will have lots more money to spend on clothes and holidays and you won’t smell like Bette Lynch.

7. You will probably injure yourself less.

(Image from: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2014/01/29/one-factor-behind-most-super-bowl-crowd-injuries/ )

I don’t know what drunk injury is my favourite out of my personal catalog, but I’d say falling top to bottom down some stone steps after a bottle of Ouzo and not being able to move my foot properly for months was probably up there. I also cut myself and bled all over a girl I worked with’s white top, RIGHT before a white party (if you ever read this Mariana, I’m still REALLY sorry). So if, like me, you are a clumsy person any way, maybe giving up the sauce for 31 days will be beneficial to your general welfare. Not me though, 2 days into January and I’d already set fire to the oven gloves.

8. You realize you don’t NEED to drink to have a good time.

(Image from: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-20376582 )

As someone who likes a wine to relax, I do often worry that I RELY on alcohol. Completing the Dryathlon last year gave me not only a massive sense of achievement, but it reminded me that although I really do enjoy a drink, I don’t actually NEED it. There’s a huge difference between not even being able to spend 31 days sober and enjoying having a glass of wine or two to relax after a long day. I know I’d worry if I fell into the first category so if you do, maybe you should do the Dryathlon as a little test and use it to make some longer term lifestyle changes.