“Get your year off to a great start by taking part in FebFast,” says FebFast Coordinator Catherine Milburn. “It’s a really good way to kick start those New Year resolutions about taking better care of our health, and it’s also a chance to give youth charities a helping hand.”

FebFast, which starts on Wednesday 1 February, encourages people to give up alcohol for the whole month of February to support charities working with young people struggling with drug or alcohol problems.

Participants raise money via online sponsorship and donations, and can enter as individuals or as teams of friends, family, workmates and so on. FebFast was held in New Zealand for the first time last year and raised more than $100,000 for youth charities.

Details on how to register are available at www.febfast.org.nz.

A number of high profile ambassadors are supporting this year’s FebFast, including gay Olympic speed skater Blake Skjellerup.

Along with Rainbow Youth, thie year’s FebFast charities are: Evolve, a free service for young people in Wellington; The ADHD Association, which also provides substance abuse support; and CareNZ in Waikato, which provides addiction services.

“These organisations do a lot of worthwhile work with young people who are affected by drugs or alcohol, and the funds they will receive from FebFast will help their community programmes grow and develop,” says Milburn.

“FebFast isn't about people stopping drinking forever. It’s about taking some time out from alcohol so that we can raise money and also think about ourselves, taking care of our bodies and our goals for the coming year. If we want to reflect on our own drinking habits, then FebFast provides an opportunity to do that.”