Wine not? Czech Dry February campaign returns to promote break from alcohol
Alcoholic drinks are a constant presence in Czech life, with some, especially beer, achieving the status of a national symbol. Yet the ubiquity and normality of drinking alcohol can easily lead to a variety of problems. Danny Bate spoke to Petr Freimann from the national Dry February campaign (‘Suchej únor’), which is running for another year to help Czechs to take a month’s break from booze.
Could you tell me first about the context for the Dry February campaign? Why is it necessary in Czechia?
“It's pretty necessary, actually, because we know that we have here in the Czech Republic over one million people who are heavy drinkers or at least at-risk drinkers. That makes a big impact on your social situation, your economic situation or your health situation. So we are here to somehow offer people the experience of one month being sober, and to try and see if we control alcohol or some other addiction, or if that addiction actually controls us.”
And when people do have this break from alcohol, what are the effects?
“Mostly people appreciate that they have much more energy. Then there is definitely better sleep, and people also start having dreams, if they did not use to before. Then definitely some people, the girls mostly, lose some weight, and smokers stop smoking. There are many, many other effects, for example money. You save because you are not spending a lot of money on alcohol and so on. All the body and all its systems are regenerating, and people are just feeling better. They enjoy it.”
So, how does this campaign work, for people who might be interested?
“There are two ways. Many people just say ‘okay, I accept the challenge’, and they keep Dry February with no registration on our webpage. But many people join us on suchyunor.cz, or in Slovakia at suchyfebruar.sk. We support those people with newsletters. We have some benefits from our partners. Then there is a big community on Facebook, where people can share what is working, what is not working. We are just offering these two options, and people will decide if they want to join officially or if they will keep Dry February on their own.”
The Dry February campaign has been going on since 2013. Have you found that for some people who take part, Dry February is just the start of something? That it leads to a greater change in their lives, longer than just one month?
“Definitely. We track people and ask them questions three months after the campaign, and also one year. People claim that even one year after Dry February, 48% of people are drinking less or are moderating their consumption. So, there is definitely a long-term impact, and that’s one statistic that we are proud of.”
