Sober October, Dry January: These are the advantages of taking break from alcohol

The holiday season is typically a time to get together with family, friends and coworkers to indulge in an over abundance of food as well as drink culminating in New Year’s Eve. While the excess consumption of either at any time of the year can result in harmful health outcomes, the latter can be especially destructive to the body.

That is behind the impetus of two separate public health campaigns to encourage people to give up alcohol for a period of at least 31 days. For more than a decade, more and more people are becoming ‘sober curious’ and have been participating in Dry January and Sober October.

The benefits of hopping on the wagon and going dry

A study published in 2023 by researchers from Oxford University looking at men in China found that “alcohol intake was positively associated with 61 diseases, including 33 not defined by the World Health Organization as alcohol-related.” So, avoiding alcohol consuption not only eliminates the risk of having a nasty hangover but can result in long-term health benefits even if it is just for a relatively short period of time.

One of the benefits that people who give up alcohol will notice within a week is better sleep. While alcohol is associated with making people drowsy or sleepy, it disrupts the Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep, meaning that you don’t get a good night’s sleep and end up feeling tired the next day no matter how much rest you get.

Two weeks after hopping on the wagon, your skin will start to look better. Alcohol is a diuretic, causing dehydration in the body and dries out your skin. Keep going for one week more, and when you step on the scale, you’ll start to notice the numbers going down. “Alcohol provides empty calories, which don’t add nutritional value but can contribute to weight gain,” notes UT Southwestern.

Your liver will begin to repair itself after a month without a tipple. Alcohol, as well as other non-alcoholic beverages, are associated with fatty liver disease which causes scarring in the organs tissue which can lead to cirrhosis.

Other benefits include reduced anxiety, or ‘hangxiety’, less risk of infections and illness, complications with diabetes, digestive issues, and lowered blood pressure, just to name a few. Not to mention it saves you wads of cash that you would otherwise end up putting in the toilet once you break the seal.

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