So you’ve taken the FebFast challenge and committed to 28 alcohol-free days – well done. Far from a well-meaning charity gesture and test of your self-control, drinking less may just come with a bunch of health benefits.
Alcohol is an accepted part of the social structure in Australia, but it is a substance that has the potential to cause a great deal of harm. The effects of alcohol on health are well described and unfortunately, most of it is on the negative side of the health ledger.
Alcohol is a major cause of road injury and a significant contributor to domestic violence while higher rates of heart disease, liver disease, cancer, mental health problems and excess weight are all consequences of long-term heavy drinking. And let’s not forget about the ‘next day’ ill effects from an evening of over-exuberance.
Fortunately, most Australians who drink alcohol do so at levels that have few adverse problems. Low levels of drinking may have some favourable benefits on cardiovascular disease risk (at least in middle-aged people), but other health activities like exercise and eating well can give even greater benefits for a whole range of health issues.
Instead of treating your alcohol FebFast as just an exercise in willpower, use it as a chance to give your attention to other healthy changes you can make in place of the alcohol you are giving up. If you feel you are drinking too much and it has become a habit, FebFast may just be the way to kick-start changes to that habit.
The key to changing a habit is not eliminating it, but replacing it with something else. And that something else will be a healthier habit. Using these swaps gives you a ‘go to’ when faced with triggers for the habit you’re try to break.
With habit swapping, focus on what you are gaining, not what you are losing. Here’s some tips to help you with this.