Dry July too tough for many

DRY July is almost over, and while that might mean a long awaited glass of red for some, stats show a huge number of people who tried to stay sober didn't go the distance.

How did you go during Dry July? Picture: Thinkstock

IT'S almost over for another year. Dry July is drawing to a close with many Aussies counting the hours until they can say 'so long' to sobriety.

But while valiant efforts were made to steer clear of alcohol for 31 days, the figures show that many of us couldn't last the distance.

This year 6,055 Golden Tickets - which allow those doing Dry July to have a night off - were purchased raising a total of $210,000.

That's almost 1,000 more tickets than last year.

Blogger Julie Anne Longano is disappointed with herself for failing the challenge. She wrote a post listing the top five ways she bombed out as a warning to others.

"I'm utterly disappointed in my usually unwavering discipline … but I have to share my failure story, to hold myself fully accountable and to try and help other people like me who have either failed Dry July or are unwilling to entertain the idea of an abstinence period for fear of failure," she writes in jest.

The good news is the total amount raised so far for Dry July is over $3.4 million which will go towards benefiting adults living with cancer. Plus, the more days we can all have off alcohol the better, no matter how many times we fall off the wagon.

Golden Tickets - comparisons from 2012 to 2013

Number of Dry July registrations

2012 = 15,200

2013 = 17,981

Number of Golden Tickets sold to date

2012 = 5141

2013 = 6055

Number of voided Golden Tickets (people who have selected not to use their ticket)

2012 = 318

2013 = 226

Average donation for a Golden Ticket (minimum donation is $25)

Both years $33

Biggest donation for a Golden Ticket

2012 = $1000

2013 = $650

Total amount raised from Golden Ticket Purchases

2012: $182,620

2013: $210,000