Partygoers urged to sign up for FebFast

30 December 2011

Partygoers urged to sign up for FebFast

People getting ready to party as the country counts down to New Year are being asked to mark the first of February 2012 in their calendars.
That’s when the New Zealand Drug Foundation’s FebFast fundraising event starts – and FebFast coordinator Catherine Milburn says it’s a good opportunity for people to recover from the excesses of the festive season.

“As a nation we all tend to eat and drink a bit too much over Christmas and New Year, but in February we can make good on those New Year resolutions to cut back and get a bit of balance in our lives,” she says.

FebFast challenges New Zealanders to stop drinking alcohol for all of the month of February 2012 to raise money via online sponsorship for charities working with young people affected by alcohol or drugs.

Nearly a thousand people took part in the first FebFast in February 2011, which raised more than $100,000 for four youth alcohol and drug services. People can participate in FebFast as individuals or in teams of friends, family, workmates.

Information about how to sign up is available at www.febfast.org.nz.

Ms Milburn says FebFast isn't about giving up drinking forever.

“It’s about taking a break and thinking about how our own drinking, whether we’re drinking too much or too often, and whether we'd like to make any changes,” she says.

“It’s also about raising money for some very worthwhile community organisations. It’s a fun, healthy thing to do during the shortest month of the year.”

Previous participants have reported a range of benefits from taking part in FebFast, including weight loss, sleeping better at night, feeling more alert, and having more energy and purpose.

The recipient organisations for FebFast 2012 are:

• Evolve, a free Wellington service for young people aged 10 to 25 years. Evolve provides a wide range of general health, primary care and social services to assist youth. The funding it receives from FebFast will support a new programme for brief interventions with young people around alcohol and drug use. You can read more about Evolve at www.evolveyouth.org.nz.

• The ADHD Association, which educates, supports and advocates for people affected by ADHD. FebFast funding will support the development of a substance abuse educational resource for young people with ADHD. Research shows that this group are more prone to substance abuse. The DVD/study guide produced from FebFast funding will be a first in New Zealand for ADHD, and will be relevant to the many social agencies involved with this group. You can read more about the ADHD Association at www.adhd.org.nz.

• Rainbow Youth, Auckland. Queer and Transgender youth are more likely to drink often and heavily, more likely to drink alone, and more likely to have had family or friends tell them to reduce their drinking. Rainbow Youth wants to change the way alcohol and drug use is viewed, and will use its FebFast funding to raise awareness of the issues, for example through the use of blogs on the www.curious.org.nz and the www.rainbowyouth.org.nz sites.

• CareNZ, Waikato. Every year CareNZ helps more than 2700 people overcome addiction issues. FebFast funding will support an ongoing project that follows up focus group results collected from 14 schools. This will involve raising awareness of alcohol issues, the availability of help, and the need to diminish the harm caused by youth drinking in schools. You can read more about CareNZ at www.carenz.org.nz.

Ms Milburn says the four recipient organisations reach a wide range of young people in different settings.

“We’re delighted to be able to support the work they’re doing, and we’re encouraging people to really get behind FebFast in 2012 so we can raise lots of money to help these organisations achieve even more.”

ENDS

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