GQ Australia - 08.2018

T

here is an old Scottish

proverbthat goes, ‘They

speakofmydrinking

but never of my thirst’.

Australianshaveathirst

for drinking that few countries can

match.Formostofus,thatthirst

rarely comes into question until either

somethingreallybadhappenswhile

we’re drinking (and we remember it)

orwegettoapointwherethewaywe

drinkstartstoimpingeonourthirst

for other things that become more

importanttous.Thingslikeour

health,ourdignityorourSunday

mornings.Mostofusbelievewe’ve

earnedourthirst;wedeserveit.

But sometimes, a hard-earned

thirstneedsabigcoldbreak.

Weallknowthatdrinkinglessis

agoodthingforus.It’sgoodforour

bodies–nevermindourhealth–as

wellasourmindandourpockets.

Ifyouneedanymoreproof,doa

searchfor‘alcoholandhealth’online

andyoucanindallthereasonyouneed,invividinfographic

detail.WiththeriseoforganisationslikeDryJuly,FebFastand

HelloSundayMorning,takingabreakfromdrinkinghasnow

become as much an accepted part of our drinking culture as

shouts, shots or shoeys. It’s never been easier to get help to do

so. Yet as many of you may have already found out – taking

abreakfromdrinkingisstillbloodyhard.

I’vebeentheCEOofHelloSundayMorningfornearlyeight

yearsnow.Ourteamhassupportedtensofthousandsofpeopleto

takeabreakfrom,orquit,alcohol,andI’vepersonallytakenseveral

breaksfromdrinkingformonthsandevenayear;butevenIstill

inditatoughproposition.Ifyouthinkyourhangoversarebad,try

beingtheCEOofHelloSundayMorningandwakingupwithone

yourselfonaSundaymorning.It’ssoeasytogetsweptupinthe

drinking culture, sometimes we just need a rope to pull us to

dry land for a spell to catch our breath. But what are we so

afraid of missing out on?

Firstly,drinkingisfun.Thereasonit’sfunisthatalcoholis
adrugthatneurochemicallyremovesinhibitionsinourthinking

inawaythatletsusdoallthosethingsthatourbraintellsusnotto.

Drinkingisfreedomfromthought.Ithelpsusdance.Ithelpsussing.

AndifyouhavethekindofanxiousintensityIhave,ithelpsus,

toparaphraseSartre,dealwiththehellofotherpeoplejustlong

enough until it’s socially acceptable to say what we really think.

Sowhenwetakeabreakfrom

drinking, the fear we have is that we

loseallthatfun,allthoseexperiences,

all those friends. The truth is that

drinking can often make things that

aren’t actually that fun, bearable. My

irstpieceofadviceonyourbreakfrom

alcohol is to hold your idea of ‘fun’ to a

higherstandard.Youdon’tneedadrug

todanceorsingkaraoke–itjustmakes

iteasier.Butnothinggoodcomeseasy.

There’s nothing like the feeling of

dancinguntilyouareoutofyourhead.

Orthefeelingofsteppingontothat

karaokestagewithyourheartbeating

throughyourchestasyoubeltout

‘Flame Trees’ in the wrong key to the

half-cut,swayingcrowdinfrontof

you. Life doesn’t get much life-ier.

Secondly, drinking helps get us laid.

Somanypeoplewhotakeabreakfrom

drinking talk about going on dates or

meeting people sober and how the

object of their affections recoils as

soon as it’s revealed they aren’t

imbibingfortheevening.WhenItookmyirstyearoffdrinking

(eightyearsago),wedidn’thaveanyoftheappsavailabletousnow,

someetingnewpeoplerequiredgoingout.Youcanonlytake

so much ear-to-ear shouting without getting terribly bored.

Butthankstotechnology,nightclubsnolongerhaveamonopoly

over irst encounters. The very best, and the very worst dates,

are best done sober.

Finally,andmostimportantly,thatleavesuswithourwell-

meaning, arm-twisting mates. ‘Coming out’ to friends about

notdrinkingisthegreatestfearofall.WhenItookmyirst

extendedbreakfromdrinkingIfoundmyfriendshipschanged

quitedramatically.Astheyshould.Takingabreakfromdrinking

oftensortsoutwhetheryoureallywanttobearoundcertainpeople

andviceversa.It’shard,butasCSLewisputit,‘donotletyour

happinessdependonsomethingyoumaylose’.Thequestionwehave

toaskis–doyouwanttobehappyordoyouwanttobeliked?

Toallmyweekendwarriorsouttheretakingabreakfrom

booze this month or even this year – it ain’t an easy decision,

butit’salwaysworthit.Don’tworry,alcoholwillstillbethere

readyandwaitingforyouwhenyou’redone.Butthebestthingis,

ifyoudoitwell,you’llbeabetterdrinkerforit.Becauseit’s

only in taking a break from drinking that we can understand

our thirst for it.

For more information or support, head to hellosundaymorning.org

THE AGENDA

STRUGGLING THROUGH DRY JULY?

THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF NON-

PROFIT HELLO SUNDAY MORNING

EXPLAINS HOW TAKING A BREAK

FROM BOOZE DOESN’T HAVE TO

MEAN PUTTING YOUR LIFE ON HOLD.

BYCHRIS RAINE

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES.

24 GQ.COM.AUAUGUST 2018