Go booze free for dry February

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: MITCH VOLLMER
The CCS invites participants to go without booze for the month of February to help raise money for organization.

This February, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is giving us the chance to contribute to something great and offer benefits to its contributors as well.

Dry February is a month long online fundraiser that challenges participants to go alcohol free for the month of February to help raise funds for the CCS, and raise awareness to the lives of people who have been affected by cancer.

“The Canadian Cancer Society wants to promote the idea that we can moderate our alcohol consumption to help reduce the risk of cancer and at the same time raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society’s work,” said Susan Flynn, senior manager of cancer prevention at the CCS.

This is the second year in Canada that CCS has held the fundraiser and they are hoping to build on the same success and let more people know that the opportunity to give up drinking for the month can modify our alcohol consumption and help lower the risk of cancer.

“From a survey conducted after our first Dry February, 75 per cent of people said that having gone booze free for the month really made them believe they could more easily moderate their alcohol consumption,” Flynn said.

There are many benefits to taking a break from alcohol that the CCS points out, such as; better concentration, better sleep, better skin, feeling a sense of achievement and perhaps one of the most important reasons, no more hangovers.

“A big part of the challenge is still going out and doing everything you would normally do, we want people to learn that just because you can’t drink socially, doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time,” Flynn said.

A third party fundraiser called Clear Heads International Limited has run similar booze free months in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and have raised over $30 million in those countries.

“Last year we raised $48,000 in support of CCS and that money goes to support our work in terms of research, prevention, support services for Canadian patients and their families and other important work that the society does so that fewer Canadian citizens are touched by cancer,” Flynn said.

Through a survey conducted in 2015 by the CCS, they learned that many Canadians don’t realize that the alcohol in beer, wine and spritzers is cancer causing, more so then pollution, stress and exposure to microwave ovens and cell phones as a cancer causing substance.

“One of our mandates is to insure that we encourage people to make informed decisions about their health and to make good choices, so this fundraiser is a great way to educate people,” Flynn said.

February is also the perfect month for participants who are still in tune with their New Years resolutions to lead a healthier, more beneficial lifestyle.

“It is a good month not only because it is the shortest month, but in January while people are still celebrating, or getting back to work and school, February is a good month to start another new resolution that isn’t affected by distractions,” Flynn said.

Last year, as many as 10,000 cancer diagnoses in Canada were related to alcohol.

So this February if you’re looking for an excuse to cut back on drinking or quit entirely all together, February may be the month you’ve been waiting for.

For more information about the fundraiser and to sign up, go to dryfeb.ca.