Kiwi comedian Dai Henwood on why he's giving up booze for a year - and possibly forever

Kiwi funny man Dai Henwood has announced he's not just doing Dry July in 2018 - he'll be giving up the booze for the whole year, and he might never go back to drinking.

Henwood spoke with The Project on Friday, where he explained how he reached his decision.

"Through my early career and my early life I drank a lot, as a Kiwi person does. I did some of my best work inebriated on various TV shows," he said.

"Then I got to a point where it was getting too much for me."

The 7 Days comedian has already done several stints of sobriety, working as an ambassador for Hello Sunday Morning, an organisation which campaigns for a healthier drinking culture.

Now though, he says he's looking to take his alcohol abstinence to the next level.

"I sort of slipped back into it," he admitted.

"I took four months off, then I'd been having a few beers for two months, and then I thought, 'This is it, I'll try and do a full year, and then that might just go into the future.'"

Henwood said going cold turkey is the best method for him. Even though he describes himself as a "happy, positive drunk", he finds it difficult to simply cut back.

"For me, moderation is unachievable.

"The reason why I've become really successful professionally was because I can't moderate, so when I'm onstage, I just go as loose as possible, I throw everything into it."

He also credited his wife and children as his motivation for "maturing up", adding that there were times where his drinking caused anxiety and took a toll on his relationship. 

"You start getting anxiety, like, 'Did I say anything?' but then you weren't actually out with anyone - you were sitting by yourself," he joked.

The Dancing With The Stars NZ host said he felt more "present" when he wasn't drinking, and that staying off the booze brought with it other benefits, too.

"There's a downside [to drinking] - when you're in a bar in Blenheim and a guy tries to wear you like a hat, and you go 'nah, maybe I shouldn't have stayed out!'"