Dry February – “Suchej únor”

You have probably heard of “Dry January”, a public health campaign that encourages people to abstain from alcohol for one month – the whole January. This campaign is known especially from countries like the United Kingdom and France. There is a similar campaign run in the Czech Republic – however, the month the campaign is concerned with is February. The campaign is called “Suchej únor” (= Dry February) and its aim is to encourage Czech people to find out how they feel without alcohol. It motivates people to stay sober the whole February and focus on physical and mental health instead. This year is the 9th year this campaign is running.

Why is this campaign more important than ever?

The current Covid-19 epidemic has had a substantial impact on our lives and has brought an increased level of stress in our population for many reasons, including existential problems, mental health issues and ongoing uncertainty of what will happen next. It has been shown that the current situation worsened problems of people who are addicted to alcohol and/or who engage in harmful alcohol drinking (drinking alcohol that causes harm to the body and mind) and/or risk  alcohol drinking (frequent drinking even of small amounts of alcohol or binge-drinking). Significant proportion of people addicted to alcohol experienced worsening of their addiction, decompensation of their state and related problems.

Trying to stay sober for one month can help in assessing how much under control you have your drinking. And also, one month without alcohol will help you in many areas of life: your concentration and thinking will improve, your liver will have a rest, you will feel more relaxed and you will have more energy. Your sleep will improve, as well as your mood and sex. Your complexion will get better, you might lose some weight and you will feel healthier and refreshed. And of course, you will save much more money each month when not spending for alcohol.

If you have no problem in staying without alcohol for one month, congratulations! Maybe you will abstain from alcohol for the next month as well or you are more comfortable when drinking alcohol less than before.

If you feel you might not have drinking under your control or you struggle with alcohol addiction, know that you are not alone and that there are many people, specialists and ex-addicts who are here to help you.

If you want to talk about your problems with a specialist, feel free to contact us – we are here to help you.