A ‘MOLS’ is not a lot of moles.
READ ALL ABOUT IT!! BREAKING HEADLINES…
Antipodean Alcohol Aficionados Give Up Drinking!
Ozzies and Kiwis Party Booze-free!
Big Banks Cut Home Loan Interest Rates To All-time Low?
I know.
Some crazy headlines are impossible to believe. But it’s true. In a couple of days hundreds, maybe thousands of Australians and New Zealanders will do something they normally never would.
For a whole month.
No, they won’t stop poking fun at each other over how to say ‘fush un chups’—or who has a better rugby team (as an Ozzie I guess I should say us, but to be honest I don’t really follow rugby), or who can rightly claim Russell Crowe as one-of-their-own (one country bore him, the other ‘made’ him)—all those habitual behaviours will go on. However, another shared interest, perhaps shared love, will not continue. I’m talking about…
…drinking.
Drinking alcohol—to be precise.
Now, and as anyone who’s been to the Walkabout pubs in London (and their equivalent drinking barns in America and around the world) will attest to, Ozzies and New Zealanders LOVE a drink. That’s why it’s especially interesting how for a whole month, and as part of a ‘Dry’ July, big drinkers from both countries will voluntarily submit to a MOLS.
‘Dry July’ is pretty self-explanatory (and you can check out their website HERE for what they’re all about) but exactly what is a MOLS?
In this blog called Year of Living Sober I often abbreviate my personal current mission to not drink any alcohol for a year by referring to my ‘YOLS’. Obviously then, if you are not drinking for one month you are on the equivalent acronym of a ‘MOLS’: a Month of Living Sober.
“I’m not drinking for a month. I’m on a MOLS.”
But a word of warning for anyone thinking about using #mols on Twitter or updating their Facebook status to “I start my MOLS today!” Be careful not to let your MOLS be confused with ‘molls’ or ‘moles’.
In America a moll is a ‘gangster’s female companion’—but it is also the generic name for a mexican sauce (not sure if there is an ingredient relationship there!). And, although spelt differently, a ‘mole’ is also a cute creature that burrows underground (something some MOLLers might feel like doing after week one sober!).
In Australia a mole is a lady at her worst. The phrase “You f*ckin mole” was a common one in the suburb I grew up in (the fact it was so common possibly being a contributing factor to why I moved to London for six years. But I digress).
A moll and a mole may be animals of their own making but somebody—of either sex—doing a MOLS is a whole new creature, a re-created self, emerging from the pubs, clubs and parties to boldly go where no moll and few moles have ever been before:
Temporary Teetotalsville.
And for anyone thinking about doing a month of living sober (MOLS) some time soon (whether as part of Dry July which starts on 1st July—this Sunday) or like me, off your own bat) you might enjoy a post which became a page on this blog.
Early on in my YOLS I came up with a list of ’10 Reasons To Give Up Alcohol For 1 Year’. It occurred to me this morning how you can pretty much replace ‘Year’ for ‘Month’ in that list and it works just as well. Cool, hey?
And finally fellow drinkers-intrigued-by-the-notion-of-not-drinking-for-a-while, if and when you do decide to take a break from booze for a month, and if somebody should unwittingly tempt you off your month of sobriety by offering you a drink, simply look them in the eye, smiling as you reply…
“Thanks but no thanks. I’m on a MOLS.”
“Huh?”
“A month of living sober.”
My name is Ben and I’m a dipsomaniac.
Today is Day 232 of my Year Of Living Sober.
N.B. In a future post I’ll explore what it means to be on a DOLS. And for those on TWITTER using #mols, also look out for the hashtag #soberday whenever you feel like having one.
☆
Little Booze Joke
A mole scurries into a bar and the barman says, “Sorry, we don’t serve animals here.” The mole, undeterred, claws his way up onto a bar stool and whacks a fifty-dollar-bill onto the bar and says, “That’s okay, I’m a VEGETARIAN. Besides, I’m not hungry. Now GIVE ME A BEER!”:)
How about you? Have you ever had a month off the booze? Love to get your comment.
[...] for a month (Month of Living Sober=MOLS) [...]
[...] first Pena wasn’t sure how long she’d go off the sauce so she decided on one MOLS—a Month Of Living Sober. Then, to her surprise, and though she found not drinkin ANY alcohol a [...]
Just completed my MOLS today. Still can’t believe it’s only been one month. Felt like a lifetime! Not sure if and when I’ll drink again. Not enjoying a glass of red wine with a meal is nearly sacrilegious for a devoted cook and foodie like myself. Major changes? Waking up at 6 am instead of 9 am. Thinking clearly. Exercising more. No more 11 pm food binges. Much happier. Less stressed. Thanks for the 12 DD’s. They feel so much more appropriate for my life than any other “steps” I’ve ever read. I couldn’t really be classified as an alcoholic, but I certainly abused alcohol to deal with stress and emotional problems. Eliminating alcohol from the equation helped me to understand what my “normal” is. I think your blog is really important. Everything else I’ve read classifies alcohol consumption as an “all or nothing” instead of accepting that everyone is different and people choose to reduce consumption for different reasons.
Congratulations on your MOLS! Getting up early is great, isn’t it. Exercising without a hangover is cool too. As is not having the post late-night fridge raid blues
I’m really glad you appreciated those Dipsomaniac Declarations (the 12 DDs). Just the other day I was thinking about them and how I wasn’t sure if readers of the YOLS blog liked the angle I took. For me it was all about finding, and hopefully articulating, a positive focus for anyone who might be worried they’ve been drinking too much alcohol and want to reel it in—without having to label themselves as an Alcoholic.
I agree with what you said about how ‘everyone is different and people choose to reduce consumption for different reasons.’ I think some people might even give up booze, at least in part, to join a new group of ‘chosen’ folks. I’ve never been much of one for exclusive clubs. I much prefer inclusive philosophies. Positive, life affirming philosophies; guilt and judgement free