Dry times during repeat lockdown

Rory Berry, 6, gets the jump on brother Hayden, 8, and mum Gemma. Picture: MARK STEWART

MELBURNIANS have drastically ditched the booze in favour of water while stuck at home during the city’s second lockdown.

There will be no citywide hangover when restrictions finally ease, with new data collected from more than 7500 Melburnians revealing an 88 per cent switch in people cutting back on alcohol in favour of water.

Experts say the change in drinking habits can be explained by people taking the second lockdown “more seriously” than the first, with women most likely to switch up their beverage of choice.

Women swapping from alcohol to water increased by 101 per cent between the two restriction periods, with 72 per cent of men also changing their habits, data from the Medibank Live Better Rewards app showed.

Those aged 65 and older were most likely to switch from booze to water with a 120 per cent increase.

BRAIN cancer patient Rory is fighting fit as donations to this year’s Connor’s Run show no signs of slowing down.

Rory’s mother Gemma Berry said the pandemic had been tough for the six-yearold but restrictions had kept him out of harm’s way from germs and constant colds.

“This is the healthiest he has been in two years,” Ms Berry said. “We see him with so much more energy and confidence now.”

Rory was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer when he was four. Although it has left him blind in his left eye, Ms Berry said Rory was still just like other kids his age.

“Between homeschooling and music therapy, he is like a normal six-year-old boy.”

Connor’s Run, Australia’s biggest paediatric brain cancer fundraiser, is on track to raise more than $1m before the month’s end, smashing its $500,000 target.

“It is pretty amazing how generous people can be,” Ms Berry said.

Among the other big changes was stretching, which was up 201 per cent. App users aged 35 to 44 were the most likely to try to improve their flexibility with a 251 per cent increase.

Reading also increased by 76 per cent, as did acts of kindness, which rose by 78 per cent.

Strength training was also up 45 per cent, which was driven by women, with a 55 per cent increase in females tracking their strength training activity.