Sober October
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘going sober for October’ and wondered what it was about exactly? Or have you toyed with the idea of going for it yourself but not yet made up your mind? If either of those is a ‘yes’ (or if you have a spare 5min and fancy a bit of self-education), then this article is for you!
Sober, Red Rover, What-Ober?
For those not in the know, Sober October is fund-raiser MacMillan Cancer Support1 runs every year in the month of the same name. The aim is to raise money for the charity to support people living with cancer: ‘soberheroes’ give up booze for a set time period in October (sometimes the whole month) in exchange for sponsorship from friends and family, then and pass the earnings on to MacMillan. Soberheroes who are already teetotal might abstain from their morning cuppa instead.
And of course, apart from being done for a great cause, Sober October has multiple other health benefits as well. In particular, for those who have found that they may be turning to booze just a bit too often for their liking, it’s a great way to kick-start a fresh habit of drinking less. If you’re not sure if this might be you or not, here’s a handy summary2 of our Government’s latest guidelines around units:
- Men and women should not drink more than 14 units/week on a regular basis.
- If you drink as much as 14 units/week, it is best to spread this out evenly over 3 or more days
[my edit: this one often gets missed but is important! And no, increasing your consumption during Mon to match Fri/Sat doesn’t count – though you definitely get points for creativity! ?]
Risk-ohols…
Apart from having the sheer pleasure of getting paid to make rules for us good citizens, the other reason the government has set the above guidelines is of course, for our health. For starters, alcohol probably doesn’t have the same sweeping health benefits we once thought (unless you are a woman over 55y – in which case, don’t get too smug as even then your max benefit is at around 5 units/week2).
Soberingly (pun intended), there is evidence that even drinking low levels of alcohol have a greater risk of getting certain types of cancer compared to those that don’t drink at all3. Scary, huh? It’s good to remember that this is all to due with risks and not certainties, but still it is helpful to be informed! If you don’t fancy reading through all of the 69 pages in the publication I’ve referenced below (3), there’s a handy lay summary at the start. And an even briefer synopsis is as follows: essentially, drinking at low levels increases the risk of mouth and throat cancer, gullet and female breast cancer. Mid-levels (10.5 units/week) put your risk of voice box and large bowel cancer up. High levels (>42 units/week) are linked with liver and pancreas cancers. Also, the risk of getting a cancer increases with the amount drunk, and decreases over time in people who stop drinking. (*Phew* finally a bit of good news!)
Benefits
Apart from reducing cancer risks of course, there are also other potential health and lifestyle benefits to limiting excessive alcohol consumption. Briefly, these MAY include:
- Improved liver health (where the liver has been affected by alcohol).
- Improved wallet health (money saved!)
- Improved quality of sleep
- Improved mental health (alcohol is a depressant and can also make anxiety worse4)
- Improved relationship with alcohol – enjoying a drink vs feeling dependent
- Reduced drunk-dialling (no excuses now for those late-night texts you sent/received!)
A word of warning: if you’re aware that you’re drinking quite a bit at the moment, it may not be safe to suddenly stop as you may have dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Of course, it’s fantastic that you want to cut down; to do this safely I would recommend speaking to your NHS GP, to your local support team5, or to one of our GPs first, to make a plan together.
Don’t shoot the messenger!
Also, just a little disclaimer – I’m aware that this article may come across as overly negative towards alcohol! I am fond of the occasional glass of prosecco myself and am not anti-booze by any means. Obviously, it goes without saying that those who abstain completely due to their own cultural, health, personal or religious reasons are absolutely doing the right thing. If this doesn’t apply, then having a nice glass of wine or a G&T after a long day at work certainly meets no judgement from me! To even take it further, I’d pose that alcohol can be seen and enjoyed even as a part of British culture for some (champagne at a wedding, Pimm’s in the summer, a pint at the pub, or Buck’s Fizz on Christmas morning anyone?). However, getting the facts as to what risks there may be with regular alcohol consumption so that we may all make our own informed decisions is only a good thing. Hopefully this article has been helpful to that end.
To learn more, please have a little look at the resources I’ve included below. If you’d like to join MacMillan in fundraising this month, check out the first link (we’re not an associate). Or, if you’d like to talk more about any of the health issues I’ve raised here, please feel free to download the CheckUp Health app now and book a video or audio call with one of our private GPs, daytime or evening, 7 days/week.
References
- https://www.gosober.org.uk/
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/545937/UK_CMOs__report.pdf
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consumption-of-alcoholic-beverages-and-risk-of-cancer
- https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-and-anxiety
- https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-services
