Dry July and the problem of “Drinkwashing"

Research from Torrens University Australia’s Associate Professor Belinda Lunnay and Dr Kristen Foley, along with colleagues at Adelaide, La Trobe and Monash Universities, challenges the idea that what we drink is simply a matter of personal choice. Their work shows that drinking is deeply embedded in our social, cultural and commercial environments — from a default expectation to manage workplace stress or signify time off, to marketing that reinforces these social norms amidst the everyday availability of alcohol.

They have explored how Australian women, in particular, form relationships with alcohol like they would with a “trusted friend.”

Women aren’t drinking because they don’t understand the risks. Australians are drinking because alcohol has become embedded in how they cope, connect and reward themselves. — A/Prof Dr Belinda Lunnay.

How alcohol is marketed to women

Dr Kristen Foley’s research adds another layer: the way alcohol is marketed to women.

Alcohol brands use stereotypical femininity, empowerment, humour and ideas of self-care to make drinking feel normal and desirable for women. — Dr Kristen Foley

Together, their work moves the conversation away from individuals and towards changing the broader systems that make alcohol feel like an answer rather than an option — from gendered marketing to social norms and the everyday availability of alcohol.

This is where the concept of drinkwashing becomes useful.

Much like greenwashing shifts responsibility away from corporations and systems, drinkwashing frames alcohol harm as an individual problem to be solved through willpower, moderation or month-long abstinence. It obscures the role of industry marketing, social expectations and policy settings that make drinking easy, visible and culturally celebrated.

Lunnay and Foley’s research points us towards a broader conversation: one that moves beyond asking people to drink less and starts asking how we can create communities, workplaces and public policies that make drinking less easier and more sustainable.

Dry July remains a valuable moment for reflection. But lasting change requires more than behavioural campaigns, it requires policy and social change backed by research and evidence. Torrens University is providing this evidence through ongoing research.

A different question to ask this Dry July

Perhaps the question isn’t only “Why do people drink?” or “How can I drink less during July?” It’s also:

What makes it challenging to drink less, and why? What can we do to change those things?