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6 reasons to go alcohol-free to start the new year!

If you’re reading this, you’ve made it through the holidays, and if you’re feeling saturated and foggy, you’re not alone. Too often, the end of the year can overrun our minds and bodies, so that by the time the new year rolls in, everyone’s ready for change.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! There’s no better way to start a fresh, new year than by changing your lifestyle to live healthier. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Go Dry, a fundraising campaign that challenges social drinkers to change their habits during the first month of the year. It may sound daunting but trust us – the benefits will help shape this year into your best year yet. Here’s why:

Sign up for Go Dry

1. You'll help people affected by cancer

Going alcohol-free is a win-win situation. Your decision to go alcohol-free will kick-start your healthy lifestyle AND support people living with cancer across Canada. Signing up for Go Dry gives you the incredibly rewarding experience of fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society to support game-changing cancer research and compassionate support services, like transportation to appointments or wigs for individuals who have undergone cancer treatment.

When you participate in Go Dry, you help ensure that no Canadian has to face cancer alone.

2. You’ll challenge yourself in a whole new way – and you can do it with friends and family!

Go Dry gives you a great opportunity to set new goals for yourself. Plus, you can create teams, which allows you to join forces with family and friends to work together towards a common goal. Never mind the sense of achievement you’ll feel when you’re on the path toward healthy change!

3. You could reduce your risk of cancer.

The truth is unsettling, but it’s a fact: drinking any type of alcohol can increase your risk of head and neck, breast, stomach, pancreatic, liver and colorectal cancer.

Drinking about 3.5 drinks a day doubles or even triples your risk of developing cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus. Drinking about 3.5 drinks a day increases your risk of developing colorectal cancer and breast cancer by 1.5 times.

But the good news is, cutting your consumption of alcohol can reduce this risk and lead to overall healthy changes.

4. You’ll experience other healthy changes too! Like what?

Well, curbing your alcohol intake can lead to health benefits galore – both mentally and physically! Each year participants of Go Dry report back with amazing results, like a general sense of well-being, better quality of sleep and even increased energy levels.

5. Not only will you improve your health, you’ll improve the health of your bank account, too!

Yes, drinking is social and generally associated with a good time, but frequent visits to the liquor store and the pub is no fun for your bank account. Test out no booze for one month and you’ll save plenty of cash to keep your social life buzzing and your bank account liquid.

6. You could win amazing prizes!*

When you fundraise for Go Dry in support of the Canadian Cancer Society, you have the opportunity to win some legendary prizes for each fundraising level you hit.

So while you may be giving something up for the month of January, you might also be on the receiving end as well! Check out all the prizes here.

*Open to age of majority residents of Canada (excluding Quebec)

This article has been republished with permission from the Canadian Cancer Society's website.

Important Note

Go Dry is a fundraising campaign aimed at challenging social drinkers to change their habits for a month and make some healthy lifestyle changes. We would encourage people to drink responsibly and stick to the recommended daily guidelines for the rest of the year. We advise heavy drinkers or people dependent on alcohol to speak with their healthcare provider before signing up to Go Dry.