How Dry July changed my life before I knew it
Frequent Dryer: A new path in life can be as simple as starting with one month.
Detox to restore body and soul
I approached my first Dry July a few years back like a lot of blokes.
I was after a detox before a planned European summer and in a moment of vulnerability (let’s not call it weakness) I got on the Dry July website and registered. I was committed.
I’d done stints of going dry before, especially at stressful and poignant times in my life when I wanted 100 per cent clarity and focus. But let’s face it, I’d been a good drinker for decades and I figured a month sober would help restore body and soul.
I never thought it would lead to where I am today.
The days and weeks ticked by. I didn’t relent, and personality wise I knew having made the decision I would see this sabbatical through.
Dry July finished, and the next day I hopped on the plane. I “rewarded” myself with a few champers and we were back on the wagon (or is it off, that one always confuses me?).
The next year I signed up again with the confidence I would smash it again. But old mate Ken declared to everyone at our weekly session at the pub that I was going to go a whole year. Hmm. He was either taking the piss or I’d accepted some dare in a semi-drunken stupour.
But I did Dry July again. Only this time I kept going. And going. Months. And now years.
I feel great. It’s been one of the greatest change ups in my life.
Banking the benefits
Like many folk, I immediately slept better after giving up the grog. I lost weight. My heart was healthier and, on doctor’s advice, I dropped my level of blood pressure medication. I saved big bucks.
Best of all, I have a new bank of energy, and I’m energised like that battery bunny in the ads.
When I spoke to friends and colleagues curious about the new and improved Stuart, I’d say I reckon I got an extra 25 per cent out of my day.
Which got me thinking. Could I quantify that, as a way to motivate myself, and to show people who were sober curious about the life-changing benefits of going alcohol free?
So, I launched my Energy Gain Calculator, an online tool that will estimate your Time Gain and Energy Gain for every day you don’t drink.
As an example, if you drink three days a week at a moderate level, and considering your usual fogginess and mood the next day, you could regain 15 hours of productive time to use every week. Wow.
In a month, that’s more than two additional days of time to spend productively. Imagine what you could use that for.
Conversely, if you keep drinking, this represents the lost opportunity in your life.
Taking the plunge
My hope is that this tool might convince those considering giving up drinking or reducing their alcohol consumption to take the plunge. (The latest research says there is no safe level of drinking, and my experience is that it didn’t bring me one benefit.)
The calculator sits with a bunch of other resources on my website, including blogs that tell the story of:
why I broke up with booze (the minx lied to me for all those years)
Every day I don’t drink, I continue to bank additional time and energy for the things I love.
Thankfully for our nation’s collective health, there’s a growing movement of people across all generations who are challenging the Australian culture of drinking.
For me, it all began with Dry July.
Support me on my 2026 Dry July campaign here. This year, all donations to me go to Bowel Cancer Australia.