7 changes that happen to your body when you give up booze
With the new year upon us, it might be time for a fresh start - and a new challenge. January sees many of us take up a new hobby, switch up our diet and exercise, and even ditch drinking. An estimated nine million people took part in Dry January last year, which is perhaps not surprising considering more than a quarter of us increased our drinking during lockdown, according to stats from charity Alcohol Change. Alcohol sales in supermarkets also rose by a whopping 36% in the UK alone, and in 2020, one in six – that's 16% – of people who drink said they felt concerned about how much alcohol they were consuming throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
It's been a tough few years, but it seems like the benefits of giving up alcohol, whether for a year, month or week, are enticing more and more people to opt for soft or non-alcoholic drink options. In fact, many reports say young adults are drinking significantly less than previous generations in England, while teetotalism has been on the up for a while now - in fact, one in five of 18-24 year-olds in the UK are entirely booze free. Even a number of celebs have spoken out about quitting drinking altogether.
If you feel like you're drinking more frequently than you'd like to, or just overdid it during the festive season, you might be curious to know how cutting down your booze consumption can benefit you. Whether it's just for a few weeks or you have a longer-term goal, there are plenty of health plus-points when it comes to giving up alcohol, including no more hangxiety, better sleep and fresher skin.
So, whether you're part way through Dry January, and need a boost to get you over the finishing line, or are just considering drinking more mindfully in general, here are seven physical and mental benefits of giving up alcohol.
FYI, the recommended amount of alcohol for women is 14 units spread across a week. If you are having trouble controlling your intake or are concerned that you may have a drinking problem, please see your GP or visit Drink Aware.
What are the health benefits of giving up alcohol?
Weight loss
Disclaimer: we are not saying you have to lose weight - all bodies, of every shape and size are deserving of love and respect. But, equally, there are some health risks associated with being overweight, so if weight loss is your goal, we're here to support that - and give you the facts - too. And keep in mind, if you do want to shift the pounds, it's best to lose weight in a slow and sustainable way.
When it comes to alcohol and body mass, if you're substituting drink with family-sized bags of M&Ms, then it's pretty unlikely you'll suddenly meet that goal – but if you're eating like usual and dropping drink from your diet, you might find it leads to dropping some pounds.
"Many of us are often unaware of the amount of sugar and number of calories there are in some of our favourite alcoholic beverages," Jake Williams, Lifestyle Health Adviser for Bupa UK explains. "A large glass of wine, for example, has the same amount of calories as an ice cream, and a pint of cider has the same as a doughnut. And, as many of us tend to consume a few drinks at a time, the calories will soon tally up."
It's true. Dr Niall Campbell at Priory’s Roehampton Hospital believes you could save an astonishing 4000 calories over the month if we commit to dry January - what the average amount of calories a woman needs over two days.
"If you used to drink six glasses of 175ml wine a week, and you quit for a month, you'll have saved 3840 calories for the month," he explains to Cosmopolitan UK. "If you drank six pints of lager a week and give up, you'll have saved 4320 calories.
Alcohol also increases your appetite – research has shown that people who have just two drinks consume 30% more food than someone not drinking.
A healthier liver
Right, let's get the obvious out of the way – we all know liquor is bad for livers.
"Excessive alcohol consumption can put a strain on your liver," explains pharmacist Navin Khosla. "This can impact basic functions such as metabolism which can slow weight loss considerably."
However, what you may not realise is just how quickly it starts to recover when you stop drinking.
"The liver is the only organ in the body that can regenerate itself, so the damage is reversible," explained Williams. "If you stop drinking for a few weeks, your liver should start to repair itself and get rid of any excess fat that’s built up over time. This is one of the many benefits of giving up alcohol, but there are also a few other ways you can help your liver repair the damage."
Dr Campbell agrees. "After four weeks, your liver function will start to improve as your liver will start to shed excess fat," he explains. "If your liver function is not too badly affected by alcohol, it can recover within 4-8 weeks.
"With the liver playing a part in over 500 vital processes, you also give your body a better chance of removing contaminants, converting food nutrients, storing minerals and vitamins."
There are additional things we can do to aid our livers. Williams recommends trying to combine a month of drinking no alcohol with regular exercise and a diet that’s full of liver-friendly foods, like fish, pulses and brown rice.
A better night's sleep
Studies have shown that drinking before bed messes with a certain kind of alpha wave in your brain, increasing its frequency and disrupting your much-needed shut-eye. Even when you do manage to get to sleep after a heavy night, the quality is much worse – giving it up means you can expect to get a much better night's rest, leading to benefits like better concentration and improved memory.
"After just one week away from alcohol, you may notice that you are sleeping better," Dr Campbell says. "When you drink, you typically fall straight into a deep sleep, missing the important rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. While you are supposed to have between six and seven cycles of REM sleep a night, you typically only have one or two when you’ve been drinking.
"And better sleep means you will be more productive, where you can learn and problem solve better. Your ability to control your emotions and behaviour will also improve."
In one UCL study where participants gave up drinking alcohol for five weeks, ratings of sleep quality rose after just a couple of weeks, leaving participants feeling brighter and more productive. If you're eyeing a promotion, you might be wise to lay off the rosé for a while…
Dr Campbell adds that plenty more good quality sleep will mean you will have better control on hunger. "Sleep helps to balance the hormones that make you feel hungry or full," he continues. "After drinking, your ghrelin levels (the hormone that makes you feel hungry) go up and leptin (the hormones that make you feel full) go down."
Fresher skin
Yep, booze face is a real thing, and giving up alcohol could benefit your skin. Sticking to soft drinks not only hydrates your skin far better, alleviating dryness and often calming symptoms of skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.
"Acetaldehyde, the main breakdown product of alcohol, can stimulate the release of histamine in the body, resulting in inflamed skin and blotchiness," Khosla explains. "This, combined with the dehydration caused by alcohol consumption, can lead to dry, blotchy skin with an increased likelihood of acne breakouts due to the body trying to cleanse itself of the chemicals. Cutting out alcohol will likely leave you with clearer skin, be sure to stay hydrated and maintain a good diet to maintain your glowing skin."
Gym gains
We're sorry to be the ones to tell you, but alcohol has a negative effect on your performance in the gym.
"This is because it dehydrates you and reduces how much blood sugar your liver produces (which is important for exercise)," explains Williams. "Going tee-total for a month will help you get the most from your workout and allow your body to perform at its best when exercising."
We also mustn't forget the unintended effect big nights out have.
"Going out drinking and the after-effects of these activities can stunt productivity," Khosla says. "Late nights and hangovers often accompany a trip to the bar."
Because the last thing we want to do after a heavy one is lift weights.
A cut risk of health conditions
As part and parcel of the whole healthier organs deal, lessening your alcohol amounts also gets you a reduced risk of lots of nasty diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, pancreatitis and cancer.
Of course, your likelihood of developing these conditions in the first place is significantly higher if you're a very heavy drinker, but another benefit of reducing your alcohol intake is realising just how much you were drinking in the first place. Awareness is the first step to taking control, so even if you do incorporate alcohol back into your life, you might find yourself less likely to binge.
Better mental health
As well as there being plenty of physical benefits, taking a pause from drinking could help you mentally too. "Alcohol affects your brain chemistry and increases the risk of feeling anxious or depressed. If you’ve noticed you’ve been feeling low, then giving up alcohol could help," shares Williams.
In one study of female heavy drinkers, it was revealed that women who drink a lot were more likely to feel depressed than their light-drinking counterparts. Researchers also found that a reliance on booze can make you more prone to stress, and worse and managing it too.
"Alcohol can slow down how your brain processes information, often creating false emotions and reactions which can further lead to negative thoughts and feelings," Kholsa adds. "The way alcohol causes chemical changes in your brain can lead to greater periods of anxiety and low mood.
"Cutting out alcohol will likely help lift your mood in the long run. It may take a few weeks for you to feel the effects but once your mind and body are used to being alcohol-free, you will feel these positive changes."
Sharing her insight on the matter, Addiction Specialist Sarina Wheatman NCAC adds that alcohol is "like an anaesthetic", so it makes sense you're likely to notice a serious difference if you cut it out of your life.
She explains: "There's this myth about alcohol that it's a relaxant, which it is of course, but in a very dangerous way. If you're depressed and think alcohol is going to elevate your mood, it will initially, but ultimately it creates more of the depressive symptoms that you're dealing with."
Of course, not everyone drinks alcohol for these reasons, but it's worth mentioning – as are the risks posed by social or recreational drinking, the expert says, which for some can lead to addiction.
In many cases, people may not realise what they're doing to themselves, as "addiction begins with overusing a substance" that your body then comes to depend on, says Wheatman.
And the signs of addiction may not always seem obvious (e.g. rather than drinking to the point of blacking out, it might be the glass of wine you come to depend on after a stressful day at work). "I believe most people don’t really understand what they're doing to themselves, and they don't understand how addiction is formed," she adds.
By limiting or reducing your alcohol intake, you could therefore be preventing yourself from experiencing harm, in various ways. You may also find you have a clearer mind, better problem-solving skills, and, as a result, improve your relationships, says Wheatman.
So, happier, healthier and less stressed out from cutting back on drinks or having an extended booze break? We've heard worse ideas…
Worried about your – or someone else's – relationship with alcohol? Book in with your GP and call Drinkline, a free confidential helpline for people who are concerned about their drinking, or someone else's, 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm).
This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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