Name: Learn to talk about giving up alcohol in 6 minutes
Uploaded: 2018-01-19T05:28:48.000Z
Duration: 6 min 31 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English–

the show that brings you an interesting topic,

authentic listening practice and vocabulary

to help you improve your language skills.

Catherine: And I'm Catherine. In this programme we'll

be discussing quitting drinking and staying dry.

Catherine: No that's true. The adjective 'dry' here

And I, Rob, am currently having a dry January.

Rob: Ah yes, your New Year's resolution is

to give up alcohol for one month. Any reason?

I'm doing it in order to improve my health

And for now, we must keep up our resolution

to always start the programme with a question,

Rob: OK, According to data from the World Health Organisation in 2015,

which country consumed the most alcohol per person?

Catherine: Well they all sound quite likely,

but I did visit Prague once and I had a lovely time,

so I'm going to say c) the Czech Republic.

Rob: OK, well as always, we'll find out the answer later on.

But let's continue our discussion about drinking

We all know that too much drinking can be bad for us

have decided to quit – but only for a month.

Catherine: Yes just a month but it's a start and I might continue into February.

– most of which I actually put on over Christmas!

Rob: I can see. So to shed here simply means 'lose'.

And I bet your sobriety is helping you sleep better.

Sobriety, by the way, means 'the state of not being drunk'

Catherine: It is actually. And I'm not alone

by Dr Richard de Visser from the University of Sussex

found that after going for a month without alcohol,

So Rob, does that tempt you to become teetotal and stop drinking?

Rob: Not me Catherine. I need a drink to help me

relax and be more sociable – you know how shy I am!

Catherine: Yes of course Rob! Well, maybe you should

the negative effects of going to too many work-related party

Here she is speaking on  BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme…

Catherine Gray: I had a lot of social anxiety

I think I used drinking as a crutch, a confidence crutch

- it eased the way to go to big glittering parties and

when I quit I had to learn real confidence in a way.

Catherine: So Catherine worked in the magazine

business which involved going to lots of boozy parties.

Drinking, she says, helped her deal with a

nervous and worried feeling that she had when she met new people

Rob: Yes, and she used drinking as a crutch.

A crutch here is something you depend on for support

– and sometimes you rely on it too much.

Catherine: Yes and eventually she decided to abstain from drinking

– in other words stop doing something that is enjoyable

So Rob, come on, haven't you got the willpower to just

Rob: Well according to Catherine Gray, that wouldn't

Catherine Gray: Experts say that it takes 66 days for a

new habit to bed in, so I would always recommend trying

it for 90 days. 30 days is the hard bit before you get to the rewards.

Because after 66 days it starts getting a lot easier

and you start feeling better in yourself.

Catherine: Right, so it takes 66 days for doing a regular activity

'become normal and start working properly'.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Learn to talk about giving up alcohol in 6 minutes

anxiety

authentic

apparently

properly