What is Dry July, and why am I doing it?
Did you know roughly 6 million Americans suffer from some type of anxiety disorder, and specific foods and drinks help naturally increase/decrease the side effects?
Featuring my new favorite *vegan* Otter's Fizzy Orange Juice from Diagon Alley, London. (OK, Universal Studios Resort Orlando)! This delicious drink blends orange fizzy soda with vanilla and a brown sugar and cinnamon rim.
To be quite honest, I thought I was clever and came up with Dry July all on my own- I wanted a fun way to tell the world I was taking some time off from alcohol. I have battled with anxiety for many, many years. I love to have a glass of wine with dinner, meet the girls for brunch on Sunday, or have a cocktail at date night. But, sometimes I also like to give my body grace, love, and affection and stay away from anything that could contribute to me not feeling 100% my best.
I decided to cut out all alcohol and lower my caffeine intake for Dry July! Having an office job for the first time in my life, I found myself drinking almost 5 cups of coffee during the day. When I’d get home, I’d un-wine-d with a glad of Cabernet while making meal preps. Little did I realize I wasn’t getting my body’s required amount of water intake either! Did you know we’re supposed to drink half of our bodyweight in ounces of water a day?! So if you’re 100 pounds, you would need 50 fluid ounces of water a day... And drinking alcohol and caffeine is almost like drinking a negative cup of water.
Featuring Kava from Speakeasy Central Kava and a Sugar-Free Red Bull from The Dog Bar.
Occasionally, I like to take breaks from drinking, just like I take breaks from my usual running track, or taking breaks from watching TV. We can get so caught up in our usual routines that our bodies just get used to it- like building a tolerance. If you drink your first glass of wine in your whole life- you’re going to feel pretty drunk! Likewise, if you drink a glass of wine somewhat regularly- drinking one glass of wine may not even make you feel tipsy.
Upon further research, there’s a great campaign in Australia called Dry July! Raising money for cancer foundations, people pledge their sobriety for one month while their friends and family donate to sponsor and support cancer foundations around the country. This seems like a lovely idea, maybe we’ll have one here in America, too! Have you ever thought about going dry for a cause?