It’s Dry July, but not everyone wants to completely cut alcohol forever. We look at strategies for reducing the amount we drink.Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.Many people like the positive effects they feel after not drinking for Dry July – but what about when July is over? Wine plays a big part in the Central Otago lifestyle, as do locally brewed beers, ciders and spirits.Safe drinking is moderate, appropriate drinking. The liver can only break down a certain amount of alcohol per hour, which for an average person is around one standard drink. The alcohol.org.nz website has a lot of interesting information about factors that affect the speed at which we metabolise alcohol.The Central App asked a group of people who are participating in Dry July for their suggestions for moderating alcohol consumption going forward. We’ve summarised the answers we received.Many beer manufacturers are now offering low or no-alcohol alternatives.Slow down!Nursing a drink and pacing yourself allows you to enjoy the fun of drinking in a social setting, with the comfort of staying in control. If it takes one hour to metabolise one standard drink, then this is a good rule of thumb. Pace yourself at one standard drink per hour.Watch how much you pour.Pay attention to the drinks you’re pouring. If a bottle of wine states it contains eight standard drinks, you’ve poured four and the bottle is empty, each of those four drinks you poured contains approximately two standard drinks, or 20 grams of pure alcohol.Measure your alcohol.Eat both before and while you’re drinking.After a drink is swallowed, the alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the blood through the stomach and the small intestine, with effects felt within 5 to 10 minutes after drinking. It usually peaks in the blood after 30-90 minutes and is carried through all the organs of the body.Food in the stomach dilutes the alcohol and dramatically slows its absorption into the blood stream by preventing it from passing quickly into the small intestine.Eat before you go to a party or social gathering where you will be drinking, don’t start drinking on an empty stomach. Then, eat during the evening while you are drinking.Plan on one or more regular alcohol-free days per week.If you have a day where nothing special is happening, where no social events are planned, don’t drink. You’ll feel better for it.A few people commented that even just a week without alcohol, a few drinks at a social occasion was a reminder the next morning about how good your body feels when you have a break from alcohol.Find low alcohol or no alcohol alternatives.There are a lot of options out there. You can go no-alcohol, or low-alcohol and no-one else would notice the difference at a social occasion.Alexandra Super Liquor’s Mel Ferguson says there’s a wide range of options, something to suit all tastes.“Even just going low alcohol, we stock a lot of great options, and also a lot with zero alcohol.“There’s so much more than there used to be.”Images Mary HinsenAdvertisement

Dry July has a focus on getting us all to look at how we drink, and how much we drink.Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.The official alcohol drinking advice from Te Hiringa Hauora Health Promotion Agency to reduce long-term health risk is two standard drinks daily, no more than 10 standard drinks per week for women, three standard drinks daily and no more than fifteen standard drinks per week for men, and at least two alcohol-free days per week for everyone.It’s a matter of personal choice, but knowing how much you’re actually drinking can help.So, what exactly is a standard drink, when translated into your favourite alcoholic beverage?One standard drink in New Zealand contains 10 grams of pure alcohol.All bottles, cans and casks of alcoholic drinks have to be labelled with how many standard drinks they contain. Looking at labels and counting standard drinks is a reliable way of knowing and controlling how much alcohol you are drinking.But what if you’re pouring a drink, or someone is pouring drinks for you? It’s not necessarily the amount of liquid you’re consuming, it’s the amount of alcohol.If you drink a 330ml bottle of beer at 4% alcohol, 100ml of wine at 12.5% alcohol, or 30ml of straight spirits at 42% alcohol, you are drinking approximately 10g of pure alcohol, or one standard drink.If a bottle of wine contains eight standard drinks, you’ve poured four and the bottle is empty, each of those four drinks contains approximately two standard drinks, or 20 grams of pure alcohol.Let’s take a look at the number of standard drinks contained in common servings of beer available here.How many standard drinks are there in your beer?A 330ml can of beer at 4% alcohol is a standard drink. Compare this with a 750ml bottle of beer at 4% alcohol, and you have 2.4 standard drinks.Some craft beers can have higher alcohol concentrations, so it pays to check on the label.As with beer, the amount of alcohol in your bottle of wine can vary, and even small changes in percentage matter. How many standard drinks are in your bottle of wine?A 750ml bottle of wine at 13% alcohol contains 7.7 standard drinks, whereas the same size bottle of a wine at 14% alcohol contains 8.3 standard drinks.Different spirits have a wide range of alcohol concentrations, so it definitely pays to check on the label.Check the label on your favourite tipple to find out it’s concentration of alcohol.Drinking 50ml of spirits at 37% alcohol means you’ve had 1.5 standard drinks, whereas drinking 50ml of spirits at 47% alcohol means you’ve had 1.85 standard drinks.And what about RTDs, or Ready To Drink spirits?There’s 1.7 standard drinks in every 335ml bottle of RTD at 6% alcohol. However, a quick check of RTDs on sale locally, showed a wide variation in alcohol concentration.The message - it pays to check.Knowing how many standard drinks you’ve actually consumed is important information. It’s easy to pour a drink larger than standard size.In pubs and bars, serving sizes are usually consistent. At home, you’re probably pouring different amounts each time.Knowing the number of standard drinks gives you an idea of how many drinks you should get out of each bottle, can or cask.For further information and resources click here.Images from alcohol.org.nz website.Advertisement

How much do you really know about alcohol? Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.How much do you really know about alcohol? Our ten quick quiz questions and interesting facts will help you identify the truth and the science behind that banter around the bar.Which country has the most lenient recommended weekly alcohol limits for men?AustraliaCanadaSouth AfricaHow many standard drinks can Kiwi men have per week, under Aotearoa New Zealand’s recommended limits?21159How many standard drinks can Kiwi women have per week, under Aotearoa New Zealand’s recommended limits?15107What does ‘standard drink’ actually mean?One pour in the appropriate glass for the type of alcohol25g of alcohol10g of alcoholWhat does the ‘French Paradox’ mean to people who study the health effects of alcohol?When beer is consumed in small servings, drinkers are less likely to become drunk.Low levels of heart disease in France, despite relatively high alcohol intake.Drinking alcohol with meals from a young age results in less lifetime alcohol consumption.When people tell you how much they drink, by how much do they tend to underestimate the true amount they consume?Underestimate by 40%Underestimate by 25%Underestimate by 15%On average, how fast can your liver break down alcohol? At the rate of:1 standard drink per hour2 standard drinks per hour2.5 standard drinks per hourHow many adult Kiwis have consumed alcohol in the past year?4 in 5 Kiwis - around 80%.3 in 5 Kiwis - just over half.2.5 in 5 Kiwis - half of us.How many of our young adults drink hazardously?1 in 4 young adults - 25%2 in 3 young adults - 60%2 in 5 young adults - 40%It is illegal to supply alcohol to people under the age of 18, unless:You are the parent or guardian AND supply the alcohol in a responsible manner.You have the express consent of their parent or guardian AND supply the alcohol in a responsible manner.Both A. and B. are true.How good was your general knowledge about alcohol? Check the answers at the end of this article.Did you know?43% of all alcohol-related deaths are due to injuries, 30% to cancer, and 27% to other chronic diseases.35 million litres of pure alcohol is available in New Zealand each year - enough for an average of two standard drinks, per person, per day.Ministry of Transport Te Manatū Waka statistics show that in 2019, there were:137 fatal crashes286 serious injury crashes1,409 minor injury crashesWhere driver alcohol or drugs were a contributing factor.From these crashes:160 people died391 people were seriously injured1,936 people suffered minor injuries.Answers to the quiz questions:B. Canada.B. 15 standard drinks per week for men.B. 10 standard drinks per week for women.C. A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol - this is the amount of alcohol your body can process in one hour. It equates to one 330ml bottle of 4% beer, or 100ml of 13% wine.B. There are low levels of heart disease in France, despite relatively high alcohol intake.A. People tend to underestimate their true level of alcohol consumption by 40%.A. It takes one hour for your liver to break down the alcohol in one standard drink.    A. 4 out of every 5 Kiwis have consumed alcohol in the past year.C. 2 in every 5, or 40% of our young adults drink hazardously.C. Both statements are true.To understand more about standard drink sizes for different alcoholic drinks, click here.For more information and links to resources, click here. Images UnsplashAdvertisement

It’s the first week of Dry July - I won’t drink to that!Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.The campaign that challenges Kiwis to give up alcohol for the month of July, for themselves, for a mate or to raise funds for people affected by cancer, is underway for another year. Are you going dry for July?Going alcohol free for a month is a small sacrifice to help improve the lives of people affected by cancer - but it’s a sacrifice 44,000 Kiwis have been inspired to make since 2012 when the Dry July campaign first arrived here. Since then, Kiwis have raised over $6 million to support cancer patients, their families and carers.CEO of Dry July NZ Trust Katie Evans says being dry for the month of July doesn’t mean you have to miss out on social events - quite the opposite, in fact.“Hence our 2021 catch phrase, ‘I won’t drink to that!’“We want to highlight that people are allowed to not drink, while continuing to give them a way to celebrate and say ‘Cheers!’”Katie says although Dry July participation is primarily about helping others, the individual health benefits can’t be ignored.“Increased energy levels, weight loss, a better night’s sleep, more productivity and a clearer head are just a few of the positive results you might see throughout the month.”Having a team to support and encourage you during Dry July makes all the difference, Katie says.“So, reach out to your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours and join a Dry July team together, or fly solo with an individual campaign.”The Central App will be with you every step of the way through Dry July, with information and hints to help you through.One of my favourite non-alcoholic drinks is a ginger blackcurrant mocktail.It’s simple: add ice to your glass, pour some blackcurrant fruit syrup over the ice and top up with your favourite ginger ale. Cut a wedge of lime, squeeze the juice over the drink, then put the wedge into the glass as a garnish.Go extra fancy with a slice of lime on the edge.Simple and delicious!

It starts today: Dry July is a chance for us to take a break from alcohol, improve our health and raise funds for people affected by cancer.You can do Dry July for your own benefit, do it to support a friend or family member, sign up to the Dry July website and do it for a good cause, or for all of these reasons.If this is your first time going dry, or you’re going to need some motivation to get you through a dry July, you’ve come to the right place. The Central App will be posting articles and resources throughout the month, designed to help you navigate July without alcohol, help you improve your health, and reset your relationship with alcohol.There are proven, widespread benefits from having a month-long breakup with booze, so why not take up the challenge?To kick off the month, here are our six top tips for staying dry this July.Tip 1: Focus on the money!Set yourself a savings target for the month. How much do you normally spend on alcohol? Be realistic. Save that amount each week, and reward yourself at the end of the month with something you enjoy and wouldn’t normally be able to afford.Tip 2: Get fancy.So much of our alcohol consumption revolves around social settings. During July, sip your non-alcoholic drinks from a fancy wine glass – there is something about drinking from a nice glass that makes drinks so much more enjoyable.Tip 3: Do it with friends and family.Tell your friends and family you’re doing Dry July and recruit them to join you. Together, you can motivate and encourage each other, help raise funds if you choose to sign up to the website challenge, and reap the many benefits of taking a month off alcohol.Tip 4: Remove temptation.Try to remove temptation by not having a perfectly chilled, ready to open bottle of wine or beer sitting in the fridge. It might be far too tempting to crack it open (just this once) after a long day at work. Do yourself a favour by cleaning out your alcohol supplies and storing them somewhere else for the month.Tip 5: Stock up and make it easy to stay on track.Now you’ve removed temptation, what about those times when you’re craving your favourite alcoholic beverage? It’s a good idea to stock up on supplies that will help you go the distance when the temptation is strong. Make sure you’ve got plenty of alternatives you enjoy, and get ready to experiment with mocktail recipes, kombucha, sparkling water or herbal teas.Tip 6: Get inspired.Need some inspiration? Help to stay motivated? A reminder of the benefits of Dry July? The team here at The Central App will be posting resources, recipes, inspiration and information throughout the month, so keep checking out our Dry July resources inside the ‘Be Better’ section on the App.We’re in this together.To find our Be Better and Dry July resources, click here. Find the official Dry July website here.Advertisement

Get involved with Dry JulySimply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.Dry July is coming up - but what are the options if you still want an enjoyable drink, something that’s a bit special?Move in the mocktail. Here at The Central App we are working with CODA to make your Dry July a whole lot of fun, without the alcohol.The good folks at CODA are also offering a Benger goodie basket to the best mocktail recipe sent in to us. Read on for a couple of our favourites just to get you inspired, and details of how to enter to win.The Mock Mojito and the Piña Mock-ladaThe Mock Mojito - an oldie but a goodie.Muddle 1 tablespoon of sugar with leaves from a bunch of fresh mint using a mortar and pestle, or use a small bowl and the end of a rolling pin.Put a handful of crushed ice into 2 tall glasses. Divide the lime juice between the glasses with the mint mix. Add a straw and top up with soda water.The Piña Mock-lada - packs a tropical punch.Start by making a mock rum syrup. Put 100g of dark brown muscovado sugar and 200 mls of water into a saucepan. Stir well and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Add a few strips of skin from a pineapple, add 5 black peppercorns, 5 cloves and a cinnamon stick, then bring to the boil.Turn off the heat and leave until cold, so the flavours can infuse.Strain into a jug and keep in the fridge until you need it. The mock rum syrup will keep up to three days in the fridge.Pour 150 mls of pineapple juice into a tall glass. Add 50 mls of coconut milk and 25 mls of freshly squeezed lime juice. Stir gently.Fill up the glass with a handful of ice, then slowly add 25 mls of the mock rum syrup so it sinks to the bottom.Finish by garnishing with pineapple leaves and fresh or marinated cherries.ENTER TO WINEmail us your favourite mocktail recipe at [email protected] for the chance to win a goodie basket to help you get through Dry July. Entries close at midnight on Friday 18th and the winner will be announced on Sunday 20th June.We will publish some of the best recipes throughout July, as selected by our discerning mocktail testers aka The Central App team, so watch out for more inspiration and Dry July news.Also, keep a regular eye on The Central App Facebook page for Dry July updates and fun.