Photo: Suchej únor
February is here – and for some Czechs that means putting down their pint glasses and taking a break from alcohol consumption for the month. The ‘Dry February” campaign aims to shed light on the problematic reliance some have with alcohol, and encourages individuals to rethink their relationship with it. To learn more about the campaign, I spoke with Petr Freimann from the Dry February organization.
For our listeners who may not be familiar with the concept of ‘Dry February’, could you explain it?
“Dry February is a campaign that sheds light on the fact that over one million people in the country are considered ‘risky drinkers’. Most of these people do not know if they control alcohol or if alcohol and other addictions control them.”
You said one million people here?
“It’s actually over one million. Addiction experts talk about the number being closer to 1.3 or 1.5 million people.”
And you said ‘risky drinking’ – is that drinking that could be classified as alcoholism?
“Alcoholism or heavy drinking is considered to be a different thing, but risky drinking means that an individual could be one step below what we would consider an alcoholic. That’s why Dry February is the perfect occasion to try and experience if we control alcohol, or if it controls us.”
See the rest here.
Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt