Febfast, the month-long pledge for less YOLO and more No-Lo starts tomorrow
Thousands of sober curious Australians have flocked to the famed national febfast fundraiser opting for no or low alcoholic alternatives this February to improve their fitness, drive better health and well-being outcomes and raise much-needed funds for disadvantaged Aussie youth struggling with addiction. Febfast comes at the perfect time as momentum continues to grow for lower alcohol consumption and abstinence rates in Australia reach an all-time high.
The popular phrase and aphorism You Only Live Once (YOLO) is fast becoming dormant as NoLo which refers to beverages that traditional beverages consumed with no or low levels of alcohol, takes off. But does drinking low or zero alcohol really stop Australians from having fun? Experts back the call for more health-conscious lifestyle choices.
Andrew Bruun, CEO of Youth Support + Advocacy Service major febfast beneficiary said it’s incredibly heartening to see so many Australians supporting febfast, not only because it has immense personal health and wellness benefits, but also because every dollar funds critical youth outreach and drug and alcohol treatment programs for disadvantaged Australian youth.
“With the right mix of tools, care and opportunity every young person can live a healthy and fulfilling life free from abuse and neglect. Sometimes I’ve seen young people up against serious odds come through in a way that I’m really inspired by.”
“The beauty of febfast has always been the chance to bring together thousands of Australians to feel good about setting new health and fitness goals while doing good for so many young people in need.”
“Over the past 18 years 60,000 febfaster’s have funded critical services like our youth drug and alcohol advice hotline for parents, teachers and professionals, crisis housing support and education and employment opportunities” Bruun said.
It’s no surprise that as a non-alcoholic drinks company takes out the number one spot for Australia’s fastest growing company (AFR Fast 100 2022) the number of abstainers from alcohol all together have reached the same rate of Australians who drink one alcoholic beverage per week (AIHW 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey) with almost one-quarter (23%) of people nationwide choosing to opt-out from booze.
David Andrew, founder of Naked Life Non-Alcoholic Spirits and winner of the Australian Financial Review’s 2022 Fast 100 company said that the sober curious community are sick of settling for sub-par alternatives to alcoholic beverages.
“Naked Life is declaring war on lemon, lime and bitters! We wanted to give Australians a better option when it comes to going alcohol-free that wasn’t packed with sugar and tasted really great. It’s not good enough to say just drink water or Cola for those who don’t want to drink.”
“Australians are realising more and more that you don’t have to make a choice between drinking alcohol, having fun or staying fit and healthy, which is why we are so proud to be partnering with febfast this year” Andrew said.
Irene Falcone, official Ambassador of febfast 2023 and owner of Sans Drinks, Australia’s first zero-alcohol superstore says the trick avoiding alcohol is to switch your drink of choice each night with a non-alcoholic taste-like drink.
Sign-ups for this years’ 28-day febfast challenge to go without a vice have doubled since last year with 3,950 febfaster’s taking time-out on alcohol, sugar or starting the brand-new febfit fitness option to move for 25 minutes per day.
Individuals can sign up and ask friends and family to sponsor their journey to take on healthier habits for a month and businesses can sign up their teams to take the challenge together. Register here: www.febfast.org.au
About febfast and febfit
This February, you get to choose how you’ll change young people’s lives. Pick febfast, and you can give up a vice of your choice for the whole month, and raise funds for critical drug and alcohol, education and youth leadership programs.
Choose febfit, you can get moving for 25 minutes a day to help young people walk away from addiction.
Across Australia, thousands of people take on the 28-day challenge for the month of February to raise funds for young people experiencing serious disadvantage to access the resources and support they require to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Find out more or register at www.febfast.org.au
About YSAS (Youth Support + Advocacy Service)
The Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS) is Australia’s largest, youth-specific community service organisation. Operating since 1998 as Victoria’s flagship Youth Alcohol and Other Drug service, YSAS now employs over 370 skilled staff across 19 sites in metropolitan and regional Victoria. While the prime focus of YSAS remains on effective Youth AOD treatment and sector leadership, the organisation also has extensive experience in providing young people and families with services that support improved mental health and improve meaningful community participation.