My best friend's best friend passed away on January 1. Although I didn't know her well, I knew her from all the stories. It's baffling how quick someone can completely fall away. I needed some time processing this, still do.

In other news, we have a curious phenomenon here in my country. A campaign for an alcohol free February is turning out to be much more popular than expected. It's a campaign where you can register if you want to participate. They expected 10 to 15,000 people, but 50,666 already registered, 3 times more. The media campaign is only starting up, so this number is still expected to grow significantly. Major companies, but also city councils, cancer prevention orgs are participating.

Somehow, I think this shows there are quite a few people who are worried enough about their consumption - and the effect it has on their bodies - to actually sign up for this. Sure, there's no way to gauge how honest the self-reporting will be, but I think it will achieve its goal if awareness is raised.