YOU MAY HAVE seen friends, acquaintances and strangers on social media state that they’re going “sober for October” or participating in “Ocsober”.

It’s been a thing for the past couple of years, but this year it seems to have taken on a whole new lease of life. Between this and Stoptober, an initiative to encourage people to give up smoking, October has officially become a month for abstinence and purity.

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Others aren’t so keen.

But what is it? When did October become the month to abstain from the demon drink?

Allow us to explain.

What is this Ocsober business?

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Ocsober is a charity movement that was founded in Australia back in 2008. The movement encourages participants to go alcohol-free for the month of October and raise money for Life Education, an organisation that delivers health education to schools.

This year, the campaign is aiming to raise $1,000,000. As of October 2nd, its running total stands at $178,804.25. Not too shabby.

Aren’t there loads of similar movements?

There are several. Many people traditionally go dry for the month of January after indulging at Christmas. Indeed there is a fundraising campaign in the UK called Dry January.

Elsewhere, there’s an annual campaign in Australia called Dry July that raises money for cancer-related charities.

It was from this campaign that Macmillan Cancer Support took their cue and decided to establish Go Sober for October in the UK.

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Go Sober for October was launched in 2013. This year, £919,307 and counting has been raised. Twitter is filled with people asking followers to donate to their fundraisers.

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Meanhwhile, on the official website, Go Sober for October encourages prospective participants to stop drinking by listing out the myriad benefits associated with going booze-free.

And they would be…?

Increased energy levels, clearer skin, weight loss, more productivity, better sleep, healthier bank account balance – to name but a few.

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Sounds like a win/win.

So you would think. But the campaign has come in for some criticism from UK commentators.

Writing for The Independent, Chloe Hamilton expressed her doubts about how worthwhile and effective the campaign is when it comes to changing people’s attitudes towards alcohol consumption.

Abstaining from alcohol for one month actually promotes an unhealthy attitude towards drinking, suggesting it’s better to stop and start than to drink in moderation.

A more sensible approach might be to gradually reduce the number of units we consume across several months and encourage a healthier approach to weekend debauchery. OK, it might not be as catchy a campaign as “Go Sober for October”, but in the long term the slow and steady method will prove infinitely more beneficial.

Similarly, Nell Frizell of The Guardian called the campaign for the false sense of heroism it promotes.

And yet, Macmillan’s Sober October campaign seems to have been brewed on the very idea that not drinking should be some publicly declared, universally admired, valiantly fought battle. Something to scream from the social media rooftops and compensate with sponsorship.

We have become so used to drinking, eating, buying and downloading ourselves into a state of milky infant satiation that we have started to see self-restraint as something worth writing home (on Facebook, Twitter, email circulars) about.

And of course, there’s this argument.

And this one.

Hmm. Is there an Irish fundraising equivalent?

Nothing that has gained much traction anyway. Much as we were sort of late to ice bucket challenges, the notion of giving up drinking for October hasn’t quite caught on here in the same way as it has in the UK.

Part of that can likely be attributed to the stigma attached to being a “non-drinker” in Ireland. As The Journal noted earlier this year, one in five Irish adults have not had a drink in the last year. One non-drinker told The Journal:

It’s gotten to the stage where I dread being asked to go out.

Another claimed that being “the sober one” on a night out wasn’t always enjoyable.

The problem I have is that you notice everything. You can spot trouble coming your way and everyone around you is blinded to it. That leads to paranoia.

That said, more and more Irish people are giving it a go.

At least we don’t have to deal with the same deluge of smug statuses about not being hungover then.

Until next year anyway.

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