‘Sober Curious’? Taking A Break From Booze Is Trendy And Helps Health : Shots Health News : NPR

Alcohol makes you need to urinate more often, causing dehydration. But your body can absorb a glass of water almost immediately, so once alcohol is out of your system alcohol dehydration is reduced, improving digestion, brain function and energy levels. We have to get away from this all or none approach and say, how can we get to a safe level of drinking in a time period? And for someone with an addiction, the safe amount may only be zero. But for many people, they can get from a higher level to a lower, safer level because it’s not a true addiction. In our alcohol-centric society, it sometimes feels uncomfortable when everyone around you is drinking and your own hands are empty.

• After getting through the first few days, you’ll start noticing improvements.
• At six months, even heavy drinkers may notice substantial improvements in immune function and overall health.
• “But after this, they started to feel the benefits of sleep quality and duration. Their concentration and mood also improved.”
• If you stop drinking for a week, you might notice some positive changes in your gastrointestinal system.
• It can also affect blood cells themselves, leading to conditions like anemia.

Health

That’s because it disrupts your hormone levels and impairs blood flow, which are both very important for sexual function. Therefore, quitting alcohol can help to restore hormonal balance (as we now know). And balanced hormones like testosterone and estrogen can naturally lead to an increase in sexual desire and performance. “Fatty liver is a common phenomenon in individuals who drink heavily and regularly, leading to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease,” says Mary Wirtz, MS, RDN, CSSD.

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Keep a journal or use an app like Drink Control or Drink Aware to track your alcohol-free days and celebrate small wins along the way. Alcohol use can alter your gut microbiome, which is responsible for key bodily functions like digestion. Your gut microbiome is full of bacteria (both good and bad) that, when properly balanced, help regulate different processes in the body.

What you learn in 30 days can last much longer

By choosing to pause your alcohol consumption, you’re offering your body the gift of restoration and rejuvenation. These lingering symptoms are sometimes referred to as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) and can last for weeks or months, especially after years of heavy use. Without ongoing support, this is a high-risk period for relapse.

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Alcohol also increases inflammation, which can worsen skin conditions like acne, rosacea, and psoriasis. So, by quitting, you can actually reduce the risk of inflammation and promote healthier, clearer skin. “There’s a high correlation between alcohol use disorder and other mental disorders, including depression and anxiety,” McGrath explains. “When you stop using alcohol, it really benefits your overall mental health.”

It’s also helpful to let the people in your life know that you’re not drinking, so they can offer support and understanding. In addition, studies show all alcoholic drinks are linked with cancer, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Thus, drinking less alcohol, or not drinking at all, is better for your overall health and will reduce your risk of alcohol-related cancers. Removing alcohol – even short-term – helps reduce inflammation, supports digestion, and may lead to mild weight loss or a flatter stomach. If you’re tired of morning sluggishness or afternoon energy crashes, a week without alcohol might be the boost you need.

The Top 10 Benefits of Going Alcohol-Free for 30 Days

As you experience the physical, mental, and emotional benefits, you may find yourself reassessing your relationship with alcohol altogether. For some, it’s the beginning of a longer journey toward a healthier lifestyle. Get weeks and then months under your belt and you smash all of your self-limiting beliefs around alcohol (that you need it to have fun or to relax). And before you know it, you realize, if I can do this, what else can I do? What other limiting stories have I been telling myself all along that are just rubbish? The confidence you get from taking a break from alcohol spills over into all areas of your life.

• This article explores the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of a 90-day alcohol break and how it can help you reevaluate your relationship with drinking.
• It’s easy to feel discomfort that we think will be relieved with a drink and so the neural associations that drinking gives us comfort are strong.
• If you need some help keeping track of the number of units you’re drinking in a week, try using our free MyDrinkaware app.
• Alcohol affects nearly every system in your body, and removing it triggers a series of changes as your body works to rebalance itself.

The “sober curious” or “sober sometimes” movement started as a challenge for those who felt they’d partied a little too hard over New Year’s weekend. First there was “Dry January,” when people could brag on social media about how they were taking a break from booze. Now there’s “Dry July” and even Sober living home “Sober September.” And the movement has spread across the U.S., with people challenging each other to see what life is like without alcohol and share in that experience.

After one day

Reducing from heavy to moderate drinking reduced alcohol-related cancer risk by 9%. One study looked at cancer risk for more than 4 million adults over three to seven years and found the risk of alcohol-related cancer dropped by 4 per cent, even for light drinkers who quit. Reducing from heavy to moderate drinking reduced alcohol-related cancer risk by 9 per cent. Alcohol contributes to or causes a large number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and seven different types of cancer, as well as mental health issues. All of these risks can be reduced by quitting or cutting back on alcohol. These markers all continue to improve, but you might also notice other improvements – for instance, sexual function in men has been seen to improve after three months without drinking.