What A Dry Month Could Do For Your Longevity Prospects

As alcohol loses its health halo, more people are re-evaluating their relationship with it

- Amos Barshad

The first time I remember hearing about the concept of not drinking in July, I was with my basketball mates after a pick-up game in an area of my home city known for its night-life. This was a winter evening more than a decade ago, over a table of chicken sandwiches. One guy, who worked in commodities, was explaining to a group of us how, after the excesses he tends to fall prey to during the colder months, he liked to take a month off drinking. To detox. To refresh. To healthify. It felt like a strange secret from a better, more progressive place – particularly coming out in this post-game huddle. That night, the sweaty dude was just full of rarefied wisdom. And I was curious.

Nowadays, the concept of a sober July doesn’t feel so exotic. In fact, as known by its poplexicon title, “Dry July”, it’s practically a brand. According to the Dry July Foundation, in 2019 more than 43,000 people signed up to go grog-free. And, chances are, double or even triple that number would have sworn off the drink unofficially.

I have what I consider to be a pretty good relationship with drinking. Plainly, I’m a fan. I wasn’t a young drinking prodigy. It was when I moved to a big city, at 21, that I fell in love with bars and the things that can happen in them. I met some of my best friends that year. I also puked more that year, quite possibly, than in the rest of my life combined. Over time, I’ve calibrated my intake choices and minorly dabbled in drugs, from gateway to stronger stuff. It’s all brought me back to the same initial conclusion: in drinking, I have all the vice I ever need.