Anna Turner - No-wine-vember | Canterbury Opinion | Local Voices from Canterbury, New Zealand

Forget Movember, I've decided to give up wine for the month.

My friend and I have made a pact, mindful of the fact that our running races are now less than a month away, that not a drop of alcohol will pass our lips for the next 30 days.

We've even given our challenge a catchy name - No-wine-vember- and put up a calendar at work to help us count down the days.

It's not even that I'm really a huge drinker. I'm not going to be clawing at the walls or staring longingly at the red wine stain I accidently spilt on the carpet six months ago.

But I will miss my wine.

After a long day in the newsroom there is surely nothing better than sitting down with a cool glass of wine and relaxing.

But that won't be the most difficult part. Where the pact really becomes problematic is my social life. I could easily go a month without wine if I sat at home and did nothing. However, catching up with friends usually involves a drink, or two (or three).

There will be some difficult weekends- I've got a BYO dinner with two of my best friends tomorrow night (looks like I'll be bringing my own orange juice), and a camping trip to the lakes is planned for Show Weekend.

It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Will my social life flounder in the absence of the social lubricant? Will my friends actually find I'm rather boring? Or will they try to sway me by waving tempting drinks under my nose?

So far, most people's reaction to the idea have been rather negative, with "Why on earth would you want to do that?" and "That's lame," being the most common responses.

Giving up drinking for November just isn't as cool as growing a moustache to support prostate cancer. It has a certain social stigma. Saying you're stopping drinking seems to equate to saying you're going to be boring for a whole month.

I've actually found it quite sad that people seem to think it's odd or even deride a challenge to be a bit healthier.

But by the end of the month, I hope to be feeling fitter, rejuvenated, and ready to run my race.

And the detox could come in handy the month after, because the 30-day lead-up to Christmas is notorious for parties, barbecues and alcohol consumption.

All going well, I'll be feeling fit and fabulous for Dec-adence-cember.