Drinking songs are a dime a dozen but a Dunedin musician has written a ditty about abstaining from alcohol for a good cause.
You could work up a thirst naming drinking songs - Bliss, by Th' Dudes, Gin and Juice, by Snoop Doggy Dogg, One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer, popularised by John Lee Hooker, Red Red Wine, by Neil Diamond, Tequila Sunrise, by The Eagles and Whiskey in the Jar, as performed by Thin Lizzy.
Dunedin musician Dave Coleclough's favourite drinking song is Duncan, sung by Slim Dusty.
Mr Coleclough (49) loves to have a beer with his mates but for the first time is doing the Dry July challenge, a month off the booze to raise funds for people affected by cancer.
He had doubted he could abstain for 31 days but decided to give it a go because it was for a good cause.
"I thought this isn't going to be easy, there's too much social stuff going on.''
The last time his band, Valley Bluegrass, performed at Otago Farmers Market, it was next to a moonshine merchant, who gave the band a bottle to thank them for the music.
That night, as the other band members drank the liquor, he sipped a tomato juice.
The hardest days had been Thursdays and Fridays, when he usually "chilled out'' with a beer.
Instead, he was reading books and writing songs including Going Dry about his challenge.
So far, he had raised $229.
Dry July chief executive and co-founder Brett Macdonald said 155 people in Otago and Southland had signed up for Dry July and had raised nearly $13,000.
Last year, 265 people in Otago and Southland raised nearly $45,000.
"We're encouraging everyone to sign up for Dry July. Not only do you get to make a real difference to people affected by cancer but you'll also notice your own drinking habits and the value of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.''
To give to Mr Coleclough: www.dryjuly.co.nz/users/dave-coleclough
