I’m not drinking alcohol for three months to support Hello Sunday Morning, a program set up by my friend Chris Raine.
Chris decided he wasn’t going to drink for a year, started blogging about it and soon enough, he was a national news story and 1500 people had joined the cause to start a discussion about alcohol and the way it affects young people in particular.
Australia is defined by its drinking culture. We drink to watch sport, at BBQs, with dinner and at parties. The general narrative of teen life from the age of 14-15 onwards is drunkenness. How drunk did you get and what insane situations did that lead to? Drunkenness is tied to a bunch of teenage firsts.
Once you hit university, the intensity increases. Binge drinking amongst university students is standard. And for lots of people in the workforce, the ‘weekend warrior’ drinking is the high-point of the week.
When I say drinking, I don’t mean European, bottle of wine over dinner and conversation drinking. I mean pubs and clubs, 13 vodkas, withdraw $250 from an ATM and pass out on your bathroom floor drinking.
I think Australia has a drinking problem. It’s people’s right to choose how and when they drink. But I also believe that choice architecture – the way decisions are influenced by how choices are presented – also plays a huge role. And the social norm that drinking has become skews the choice architecture unnaturally towards getting smashed.
Alcohol has never been a problem for me. I’ve always enjoyed it. I have some amazing, blurry memories from all around the world for which I can thank alcohol. But I do think most people don’t realise the impact alcohol has on them and I’m doing this to start a few conversations about exactly that.
In short, I’m not drinking for 3 months. I’m already 2 1/2 weeks into that commitment. I don’t drink a great deal anyway, so this isn’t going to be hard, it’s just going to be sporadically awkward. I don’t anticipate losing friends, but I’ve already found that I’ve had to explain myself a lot more than I first thought.
In the short space of time I’ve been doing HSM, I’ve turned down 10-15 opportunities to drink and I’ve had a number of conversations with people about their drinking. I’ve been surprised at how people respond. It’s amazing to see that basically everyone has a point of view on this topic. I get a sense that the social norm of drinking could be due for a rethink.
Long-term, I think cold beer and good wine has a healthy role to play in my own life.
For now though, it’s Hello Sunday Morning.
I applaud Chris for what he’s doing. I think it’s brave and I think it’s working. I’ll be video-blogging about my experiences every week over at HSM Headquarters.
If you’re interested in knowing more – get in touch with Chris here.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Very well put Nick and thank you so much for the kind words.
It’s so awesome that you are giving it a crack. I know that you will have some incredible insights to share, evident by the thinking behind your post.
Looking forward to watching your adventure unfold.
Nice man! Remember the “This is happiness” series? I think it says a lot about the role alcohol played in our social lives in college. I just finished my 3 month HSM the week before last and I’ve felt the same way. The conversations I have had have given me more of an insight into drinking culture, than the challenge of refusing a drink itself. I still haven’t had a drink since finishing and am on my way to making it a 6 month stint to see what happens. Hope all is well in NYC, and good luck with the HSM!
I think this is a very good conversation to be had. The costs of alcohol to a person are rolled out in advertising but very rarely analysed in context. This topic needs to be talked about much more.
That said, I’m not so sure about abstinence. Most of the bingers I know have no difficulty taking a month or two off and frequently do, some several times a year. The concern expressed is not that they can’t enjoy a night out without alcohol, but rather than they can’t enjoy a night out just have one or two beers. That to me seems the real challenge in the choice architecture. Everyone except the alcoholic knows how not to drink.
I agree. Long-term, that’s what I think is the healthiest option.
The thing is, abstinence is the best way to start a conversation with someone about drinking.
I had the ‘This Is Happiness’ series on my mind when I wrote the post! That whole time of my life gives me a different perspective on the HSM experience.
I’ve signed myself up for HSM as a result of this post. I have to agree that I certainly had an interesting discussion (argument) with myself before I sent off an email to Chris, but I’m looking forward to the future dialogue, both internal and external, it will bring. I’ll be tuning in to your blogs!
Hi Mariko – Long time no hear from. Glad you’re signing up. Good luck!