Every year thousands of Kiwis take part in Dry July, a one-month-long break from the booze to reset. After doing it last year, I can attest to it being surprisingly hard but also incredibly beneficial.
But after the rough start to 2020 we've all had, many Kiwis may think 'f**k that' at the thought of going a month without wine or beer - especially as we all start to see friends again.
The Dry July NZ Trust has subsequently reimagined this year’s campaign, saying they recognise that asking Kiwis to give up alcohol for an entire month may be too big of an ask in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
As such, the 2020 campaign has been renamed Dry(ish) July, with participants able to give up alcohol for an amount of time that suits them - be it 14, 21 or 31 days.
“We get it, Kiwis have had a really challenging first half of 2020. But what remains unchanged is that people affected by cancer still need our support. In fact, they need our support more than ever,” said Dry July NZ Trust CEO and co-founder, Brett Macdonald.
“We need as many people as possible to get involved with Dry July this year. That’s why, for the first time in Dry July NZ’s eight-year history, we're giving Kiwis the opportunity to choose how long to go dry for, to help raise much-needed funds for cancer patients and their families.”
Two new beneficiaries have also been added to the charities supported by the cause.
“Bowel Cancer New Zealand and Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand will join Look Good Feel Better as our major beneficiaries of the campaign and we look forward to working with them and raising funds for those affected by cancer,” says McDonald.
More than 37,000 Kiwis have taken part in Dry July since its launch in 2012 raising $5.1 million for people affected by cancer in New Zealand.
