Prepare to go Dry
Preparing for your Dry Feb® challenge
You’re doing something amazing
Improving your own health, and helping to change the lives of people affected by mental illness.
We're with you every step of the way for your Dry Feb® challenge, so don't be daunted by an alcohol-free month.
Plus, every dollar you raise will help the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health fund better mental health care where directions are clear, treatments are more effective, and every step forward forges a better path forward.
Our top tips
Here are our top tips to help you prepare and stay dry
In preparation
In the month before, try to slow down your alcohol intake to half of what you would normally consume.
Plan your week. If you have a (physically distanced!) special occasion, ask someone to buy you a Golden Ticket. It will give you a night off, while also raising more funds for a great cause!
Plan your drink substitutions. There are mocktails, ginger ale, soda water and lime, non-alcoholic beers and wines, herbal tea…
Plan your meals and your shopping list so there are no surprises during the week.
Remove all alcohol from your house. Ask a friend or family member to store your alcohol for you during your challenge.
Prepare your mind as well as your body for abstaining from alcohol for a month (or more!).
During the challenge
Get support from other participants; create a Dry Feb team with friends and family.
Keep yourself busy – make the most of your weekends! Try a new hobby or go on an adventure outside.
Fundraise! What better motivation to stay dry than knowing you’re raising vital funds for the CAMH?
Use our Dry Feb checklist to countdown the month and see how much you've achieved.
Get active. Why not pair your dry month with a new exercise routine?
Remember why you started! Whatever your motivation was for signing up, remind yourself of it throughout the month to help stay strong!
Dry Feb® is a fundraising campaign that challenges people who drink alcohol socially to change their patterns for a month and make some healthy lifestyle changes. We encourage people to stick to the governement recommendations for the rest of the year. We advise people who drink 5 or more drinks a day or people who are dependent on alcohol to speak with their healthcare provider before signing up for the official Dry Feb® challenge.
Go Dry this Feb
Feel the difference, be the difference
Challenge yourself to go alcohol-free for 28 days this February and raise vital funds for CAMH and help to forge a better path for mental health care.