As winter rolls round every year, thousands of Aussies take up the catchy-named Dry July.
They quit the booze for a full month to not only improve their health but also their wallet. It's pretty surprising how much a couple of beers or wines every week can add up.
But there an alcohol specialist reckons that diving head first into an alcohol free life can have its drawbacks.
For some people, Dry July will be just cutting back on the odd drink they have every week.
Advert
However, for the people who drink a lot more than the average Aussie, going straight into no booze can mess with your body.
Addiction specialist Dr Christian Rowan has told AAP: "The body can develop a physical dependency to alcohol, in which it has adapted to regularly having high concentrations of alcohol in the blood."
The intensity of withdrawals can range from mild to severe.
Some of the psychological issues a person can experience after cutting booze include feeling jumpy or nervous, shakiness, anxiety, irritability or becoming excited easily, rapid emotional changes, depression and fatigue, according to Very Well Mind.
The physical issues are headache, sweating, clammy skin, paleness, rapid heart rate, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite and insomnia.
Those are hardly the things you want when you're trying to quit alcohol for a month.
While these warnings are meant for people who hit the booze hard, that's not to say that Dry July isn't beneficial.
Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education Chief Executive Michael Thorn says: "Each year, more than 3,200 Australians develop alcohol-attributable cancer," Mr Thorn said.
"Alcohol is a class 1 carcinogen. The alcohol in one bottle of wine has the equivalent cancer risk of smoking five cigarettes for men and 10 cigarettes for women."
Advert
Interestingly, the number of Aussies who drink to get drunk is growing.
"Since 2011 there's been an overall increase in the proportion of Australian drinkers who drink to get drunk from 35 to 47 per cent, with a quarter admitting to drinking to get drunk once or more a month," Mr Thorn said.
"Alcohol harm has continued to increase despite the fact that overall consumption has remained relatively constant over the past 10 years, with no significant fluctuations."
So if you're hitting Dry July, make sure you speak to a medical specialist to ensure you're putting your health as a priority.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Interesting, Alcohol, Community, Australia, Health