Madeleine: Prior to Dry July, how would you describe your relationship with alcohol? What role did it play in your life, and has this relationship evolved as you’ve grown older?

Maggie: I’d describe my relationship with alcohol as contentious – for family reasons. I’ve never been a big drinker myself; I was too much of a goodie-too-shoes at school to ever push the limit, and as an adult I’ve never exceeded my limit. I know when to go home. But with some family and friends in my life I’ve experienced how devastating it can be when a person doesn’t have a healthy relationship with alcohol or doesn’t exercise those same boundaries. It really does ruin lives.

MW: What was the seed for doing Dry July? What inspired you or incentivized you to do it?

MH: There were two main drivers! The first was that by the end June - post Australian Fashion Week and more travel and work than usual - I was a shell of my normal self. I’m someone who wears stress physically, and I just felt burnt out and depleted, so Dry July felt like a good chance to reset and re-build good habits around things like sleep and fuelling my body. Basically to get my system out of fight-or-flight. The second reason was that I love a challenge! I’m still relatively new to Sydney and it’s undeniable that alcohol is a good lubricant when you’re living in a new city, meeting people and wanting to make a good impression. I knew that I was capable of meeting someone for the first time or going to dinner without having a drink, but when you haven’t done it in a while you start to have this inner dialogue of, “What if this person doesn’t think I’m fun? What if I come across as boring?”.

MW: On that topic - the social component of drinking always fascinates me because in New Zealand and Australia it’s so intertwined with how we catch up with friends, meet new people, go on dates etc. You’re incredibly social, so I’m interested to know if doing Dry July impacted your social life? Did you feel like you pulled back or retreated?

MH: Honestly, I think it would’ve been more interesting to a do month off alcohol in summer! There’s so many advantages to doing it in the middle of the year when it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere and Aussies/Kiwis generally hunker down (or flee to Europe!) and don’t socialise as much. If I’d done it in summer I think it would’ve been a lot more challenging. But circling back to what I said earlier about alcohol being a good lubricant for confidence; doing Dry July made me realise that in adulthood we really don’t put ourselves in vulnerable experiences as much as we did as kids. At school you’d start a new year with new classmates, teachers, and subjects, and have to summon the courage to be yourself and show up, but in adulthood we have this “out” of having a drink – so to commit to being in those situations where I felt nervous but couldn’t turn to alcohol as a buffer felt really empowering.

MW: I think new behaviours about one's health can sometimes be kind of triggering for those around them. We’re all such mirrors for each other. What was the reaction from your friends and family when you said you were doing Dry July and did any of their reactions surprise you?

MH: Again, it reminded me of childhood - I spent my teenage years having sleepovers where we’d watch movies and share secrets and bond, but in adulthood when you meet up with a group of friends for dinner it’s easy to wonder if the conversations would go as deep if you were all sober? I found myself taking stock of the friendships in my life that were centred around partying, or opening a bottle of wine on the couch, or meeting up for cocktails, and examined whether those relationships would stand on their own if we never drank with each other. Am I really close with this person? It’s something that I think I’ll continue to reflect on.

MW: The benefits of limiting alcohol consumption are well-documented. But you’re already someone who has a pretty healthy, balanced life, so did you notice any subtle or meaningful improvements in your mood, sleep or stress levels?

MH: I remember saying to you recently that what I’ve learnt about my health as an adult is that living in alignment isn’t about being a purist (which is something I’ve never resonated with) but instead about noticing the domino effect that comes from making a single good decision. From something as simple as not drinking on a Saturday night; I’m more likely to show up at Pilates on Sunday or go for a swim at Bondi, and those endorphins mean I’m less likely to stress about the work-week ahead, which means I’m less likely to doom-scroll on my phone, which means I’m more likely to have the motivation to cook my own dinner rather than order takeout etc etc. One good decision follows the next.

But more specifically; as you know I’m someone whose stress manifests in my gut. My frame is small and my system is hyper-sensitive. I get such an acidic stomach when I’m under stress – the inside of my stomach literally feels raw, and anything I eat or drink feels abrasive, which is why my appetite disappears. Alcohol is super acidic, so my system has definitely felt happier this month. And then my skin! You kept saying to me that my skin’s never looked clearer.

I guess it’s true what people say: If you want to live a good and long life, you can’t abuse your body - and I plan on working until I’m 90.

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