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Does a month off alcohol make a difference?
Share on Pinterest Though the benefits can vary widely from person to person, taking a month-long break from alcohol can do your body good. Getty Images
Cutting out alcohol if you drink in excess can benefit your liver, heart, and body composition. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that alcohol should be consumed in moderation — up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. Alcohol consumption has been linked to head, neck, esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and rectum cancers.
If you need a break from alcohol, going alcohol-free for a month or more can bring about many physical and mental health benefits. “The benefits can vary from person to person depending on how much of a change from their baseline behavior this is,” Dr.
Rekha B. Kumar, medical director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, told Healthline. Kumar explained that someone who drinks minimally but abstains from alcohol for a month “might feel a sense of control over their health or feel a sense of accomplishment from achieving a set goal.” Meanwhile, others who drink heavily “might notice more pronounced physiologic effects, such as more mental clarity, better sleep, weight loss, and feeling the ‘detox’ sensation, in addition to achieving a set goal.” Amitava Dasgupta, PhD, medical director of clinical laboratory at the University of Kansas Medical Center and author of the book, ” The Science of Drinking,” agreed.
Dr. Dasgupta said for social and moderate drinkers, participating in a month break won’t make much difference to their bodies. However, for people who exceed recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, he said staying away from alcohol for a month can reap changes.
- The guidelines state that alcohol should be consumed in moderation — up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.
- Studies show that even if you drink in excess once a month, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke,” said Dasgupta.
- My warning is not for the people who drink in moderation.
It’s for the people who drink too much.”
What changes after 4 weeks no alcohol?
Week 4 – Liver function continues to improve the longer you abstain from alcohol, but after week 4, moderate drinkers should already feel the effects of a healthier liver. Diabetes symptoms, skin conditions, even overall cognition should all improve. You may feel like your mental health has improved after quitting alcohol, too.
What happens to your body when you stop drinking for 1 month?
1 Month – Better sleep and other benefits Sleep has an impact on so much of our everyday functioning and if it improves from a reduction in alcohol you might find that you don’t wake up as often and you experience more deep, restorative sleep than you did before.
What does a month off alcohol do to your body?
Here’s what a month without alcohol really does to your body is well and truly upon us and if you’ve committed to a month sans booze, bravo. We aren’t here to tell you what to do and if Dry January is your idea of utter hell then we raise a glass to you.
- If you are partaking in the 31 day alcohol-free challenge and starting to crave a glass of vino as we approach the weekend (just me then?), we’re here to motivate you to keep going by debunking exactly what happens to your body when you quit booze for a month.
- So, you’re trying a month without alcohol but what’s in it for you? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot.
According to Alcohol Change UK, who spearheaded the Dry January challenge, giving up alcohol this month will help you and have more energy, improve your and concentration, give you brighter, help you save money and feel an amazing sense of achievement.
- Want more proof? We called on Dr Usman Quershi, GP and founder of Luxe Skin by Dr Q, to break down exactly what a month of giving up alcohol will really do to your body.
- What are the most significant health implications of drinking heavily, and are these easy to reverse after a month of not drinking? Long-term health implications of drinking can include weight gain, skin conditions, heart disease, liver disease, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, digestive issues, and certain cancers are even more likely in those that drink too much too often.
Alcohol is a depressant and can increase the symptoms of and disorders. Tiredness, brain fog and memory loss can be caused by regular alcohol consumption too. If you ditch drinking for a month, it will significantly improve your overall health and well-being.
You will be able to sleep better, feeling less fatigued and sluggish. Concentration and memory levels will increase as a result of better sleep and it’s likely your mood and mental health will improve too. Skin will feel more hydrated and healthy, and any dryness, puffiness or redness should improve. You’ll find it easier to lose weight and be able to digest food better.
Your blood pressure will decrease, and your liver function will also start to improve. However, these results won’t last long if we go back to regularly drinking heavily. What does alcohol do to sleep, and how does cutting it out impact it? Drinking can often make it easier to fall asleep.
After a few weeks, the liver function will improve, meaning it can do its job properly to rid toxins, metabolise carbohydrates and fats into nutrients, and much more.As this happens, you will feel healthier more energetic with improved digestion, stabilised weight, better skin health, and you might even notice a boost in your mood.Will we see the benefits to physical health immediately?After just one week, you should notice a difference in your physical and mental health and this will improve as the month goes on.Cheers (with a non-alcoholic cocktail like GLAMOUR’s favourite, – the Official Cocktails of Dry January, in partnership with ) to that!
: Here’s what a month without alcohol really does to your body
What happens when you stop drinking for 30 days?
Fourth Week Alcohol-Free – Improved liver health – The liver is responsible for breaking down and filtering out harmful substances in the blood – this includes alcohol. This process becomes incredibly hard on the liver, leading to scarring. Fortunately, your liver is capable of recovering from the damage alcohol caused, and stopping drinking for just 30 days can restore your liver to its normal function. Glucose levels stabilize – Alcohol inhibits the liver’s ability to release glucose, which causes blood sugar levels to drop. Since your liver function improves after a month without alcohol, your glucose levels will also stabilize, which reduces your risk of developing diabetes.