“Someone who averages one boozy drink per day could definitely see weight loss within a week if they’re not making up those calories with other caloric beverages,” New York–based registered dietitian Jessica Cording tells SELF. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, alcohol should be consumed in moderation — up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. Excess alcohol consumption may cause weight gain, which means that cutting out alcohol could lead to weight loss for some people. 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 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. The organization says the idea for Dry January came from Emily Robinson, a young woman who gave up drinking for a month in January 2011 to better prepare for her first half marathon.

So, when she was trying to find a sustainable way to mindfully cut back on drinking, she started small. You can blame oversized wine glasses and too-big restaurant serving sizes for that one. In the short term, alcohol is processed through your liver in about an hour. Essentially, feeling “drunk” is when your liver becomes too overwhelmed to properly process alcohol, so it overflows temporarily into your bloodstream.

You might lose extra weight

While Dry January only lasts a month, research shows that a reprieve from alcohol can help moderate to heavy drinkers see immediate benefits including weight loss, better diet, and a reduction in liver fat and blood sugar. A University of Sussex survey found that 71% of people that took part in Dry January say they slept better, nearly the same amount said they had more energy. Participating may also be especially beneficial to women, who can suffer greater health and safety risks when they drink because their bodies take longer to break alcohol down, according to a UC Davis health report. Symptoms can range from headache, elevated blood pressure, heart palpitations, and nausea and vomiting to tremors, hallucination and in severe cases death. Research shows that reduced intake of alcohol for moderate and heavy drinkers has broader health benefits, like better health and liver health.

As a result, Thiry says, many report improved relationships with family members, less risk-taking behavior, better energy and health, and the ability to work out. Heavy drinking not only increases your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, it also raises your risk of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But even one drink a day, considered moderate drinking, increases your risk for certain types of cancer.

What can you expect within two to three weeks?

The constant insult to the liver and digestive track can lead to ulcers, pancreatitis, and cirrhosis.” Yikes. If you’re a heavy drinker, you may need to wean off alcohol to let your body adjust. If you’re experiencing severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, be sure to talk to a healthcare provider. If you are struggling with your alcohol intake and feel it is impacting your life, you should consult your GP, who can arrange a treatment plan.

Of course, the new year is also a popular time to take stock of your health and lifestyle choices, press the reset button, and dive into resolutions such as Dry January. About 41% of U.S. adults surveyed said they intended to give Dry January a try in 2023. From the Prohibition era to today’s popular culture of hard seltzers and celebrity tequilas, drinking has been ingrained in our social activities.

Reduce the risk of cancer

Some sites may require you to agree to their terms of use and privacy policy. Telligent is an operating division of Verint Americas, Inc., an independent company that provides and hosts an online community platform for blogging and access to social media for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information.

• And even occasional binge drinking episodes can have profound effects on your liver’s health over time.
• It’s easy to lose track of how much alcohol you consume during the week.
• It can also help you plan for situations where you’d usually be drinking.
• The initiative peaked in 2022, according to market research firm Morning Consult, after the pandemic saw elevated alcoholic intake—about 1 in 4 people drank more than usual, the National Institutes of Health reports.

However, when you drink in excess, the enzyme gets saturated and is metabolized by a different enzyme. Because the liver is a tolerant organ, he said positive changes can occur within weeks of going dry. Cirrhosis of the liver (severe how to take a break from drinking scarring of the liver) can occur over time in those who drink excessively. There are also financial benefits; 88% of participants in a University of Sussex survey conducted in 2018 say they saved money while not drinking.

More in Improve your health

For drinkers who have become alcohol dependent, taking a short break is likely not an option. Many people who drink heavily have not had an easy road in managing their relationship with alcohol. A 2016 British study of about 850 men and women who volunteered to abstain from alcohol during Dry January found that participants reported a range of benefits.

Alcohol consumption has been also linked to head, neck, esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and rectum cancers.

Better sleep

Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Another 2017 brain study published in PLOS One found that two to three weeks of alcohol detox can boost your working memory.6 This type of memory helps you temporarily retain important information, like a digital code or phone number. Alcohol is a sedative, so you’d think it would help you sleep better. While drinking could help you fall asleep, it suppresses REM sleep, the restorative part of your sleep cycle, Dr. Leavey says. That might explain why you can have a fitful night of tossing and turning after you’ve been out drinking.

• There may be certain people, places or emotions that increase or decrease your alcohol consumption.
• There are also certain foods like tea, fish and nuts that can benefit the liver’s function in many ways.
• They won’t make you feel intoxicated like alcohol but they may make you feel happier and more relaxed.
• They can also perform health checks to assess the effects of drinking on your body and help you cut down safely and effectively.
• If you try to cut out alcohol for a week and notice that it’s particularly challenging for you not to drink, or you develop symptoms of withdrawal, those are signs that you may have a more serious issue with alcohol.
• A Sunday morning where you can bound out of bed make use of the day?
• “Oh my gosh. Well, one thing that was noticeable to pretty much everybody was my overall health and, like, my skin, my eyes. … I lost weight,” says Stephanie Forte, who works in sales in the beauty industry.