This month is Febfast, and I along with many others are deciding to say no to alcohol. Instead of having that beer or two with a mate last weekend or the glass of red with my evening meal, I have decided to give up alcohol for a month to raise awareness of alcohol abuse and support a number of relevant foundations, including Australian Drug Foundation, YSAS (the Youth Substance Abuse Service in Vic), Mater Health Services Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal Service (Qld), The Ted Noffs Foundation (NSW and ACT), BushMob (NT) and Mission Australia.

A month without the amber coloured ale is essentially about community awareness for me, but there are other numerous benefits which made it very easy for me to commit. These benefit include:

* Your liver will thank you for giving up the plonk;
* Your skin will start to look more refreshed as you realize how dehydrating drinking can be;
* Your waistline may also be little a better and bring a smile to your face. As we all know the excess calories in vino and other alcoholic beveradges can sometime add a pound or two over a month;
* You can also be assured that you will have healthier brain cells as even the most moderate of drinkers will have some sort of memory loss from drinking; and
* Think about the dollars the you will save.

The impact of alcohol problems upon workplaces in Australia is signficant, costing business $3.5 billion per year (Collins and Lapseley 2008). Over the past three years FebFast organisers have seen more than 10,700 people take up the FebFast challenge to live February alcohol-free, this has raised than $1,700,000.

So there is my goal for February. I am confident that I will feel better and in the process raise funds for projects that support and help young people that have been adversely affected by alcohol and drug related problems. If anyone would like to donate, visit www.febfastfundraising.com.au or you too could consider Dry July, Alchohol-free August, or Ocsober.

Yours in health and fitness,