While the official total of Dry July participants this year is only 3,234 there are many more people jumping on the dry wagon for a myriad of personal reasons, without officially registering. For some, the last couple of weeks have been a real struggle, which can be an indication of alcohol dependence.
"All things in moderation" may mean one glass of wine after work a couple of nights a week to one person, but could be six beers and a whisky chaser every night of the week for another - it's completely subjective. You may identify an alcoholic as someone who is constantly plastered, but drinking problems can manifest on many levels - from a single incident when something bad happens, to frequent nights on the turps when nothing good happens. If your drinking is encroaching on your everyday life (work, family, study or friends etc) then there is cause for concern.
Putting the social (or anti-social) aspect aside, there is a bigger problem with excess alcohol consumption when it comes to your insurance. It's logical to expect that if you crash your car while under the influence then your car insurance won't pay out … but did you know that it's possible your medical insurance won't cover you for an illness that is due in part to you hitting the bottle? The policy wordings can be quite broad - exclusions for "Disability or illness arising from the misuse of alcohol" could be interpreted a dozen different ways, which could mean the difference between your claim being accepted, or not.
It's not just medical claims that are affected either - if you have a trauma claim, there are a number of conditions that are specifically excluded if alcohol or drug abuse is deemed to be part of the cause of the illness. You would expect Chronic Liver Disease to be on this list (and it is), but so are things that are seemingly unrelated, like Head Trauma.
So how much is "too much"? Where does your insurer draw the line? The NZ Ministry of Health guidelines recommend up to 10 standard drinks a week for women, and 15 standard drinks a week for men with at least two dry days thrown in. If you are applying for new insurance cover, it is important to be honest when it comes to the alcohol question. I asked a couple of underwriters from insurance companies to give me an idea of when they would start questioning booze intake, and I have to admit I was really surprised with the answer. From an insurance perspective, the threshold is quite a bit higher. Once you hit around 6 standard units a day, any new insurance cover will likely attract a loading - i.e. you will pay an extra premium as you are judged as a higher risk of claiming.
If you or someone you know needs support and treatment to reduce their alcohol intake, call the Alcohol Drug Helpline on 0800 787 797 or visit their website.