Going alcohol-free for just 30 days can be a powerful way to improve your mental health, and you'll start to notice positive changes in your mood, appearance, and energy.
Cutting out alcohol for 30 days or more can lead to a "reduction in things like joint pain, headaches, and body aches," Scheller says. In fact, alcohol use can actually cause arthritis by increasing inflammation in your joints. Plus, alcohol can dehydrate you, contributing to the headaches.
The “beer belly” has noticeably improved and many feel their mind is sharper causing better performance at work and in better in conversation. Many feel a sense of self-confidence they hadn't had before and find that this is helpful in warding off cravings. More energy, better sleep, and more present.
Research has found that just four weeks without a drink can be enough to start lowering both blood pressure and heart rate. * Your risk of type 2 diabetes has already started to reduce (in one study insulin resistance came down by an average of 28 per cent) and your cholesterol levels should be starting to lower.
Overall benefits of three weeks without alcohol
Clear skin. More energy. Improved gym performance. Reduced anxiety and improved mood.
When you drink, the dehydrating (or 'diuretic') effect of alcohol means your skin loses fluid and nutrients that are vital for healthy-looking skin. This can make your skin look wrinkled, dull and grey, or bloated and puffy. Dehydrated skin may also be more prone to some types of eczema.
Summary. Across the month, your body is likely to have benefitted greatly from giving up alcohol. Better hydration and improved sleep will have increased your productivity and daily wellbeing. Your liver, stomach and skin will also have benefitted from not dealing with alcohol.
It may take a full month of not drinking alcohol to feel better. Although positive changes may appear earlier, 3 months of not drinking can not only improve your mood, energy, sleep, weight, skin health, immune health, and heart health. It can even reduce your risk of cancer.
The First Two Weeks
Most people will stop experiencing withdrawal symptoms in less than a week, in which time their body will begin to restore its normal function and quality of life can already improve considerably. Some improvements in sleep occur as early as seven days, and these gains increase in the week after.
One Month After Quitting
You may notice a reduced amount of belly fat, and the most improvement in your skin happens around this time. Your energy level will continue to rise and you likely feel renewed physically.
Cutting out two, 12-ounce light beers per night could help you lose almost 2 pounds in 31 days. Skipping your nightly 2 glasses of wine would spare you 7750 calories in 31 days, which could help you lose a little over 2 pounds.
1 – Weight loss.
2 – Your blood sugar levels improve. 3 – Your cholesterol levels improve. 4 – Your stomach will thank you for sparing it from all that junk food that usually comes with excessive drinking. 5 – Your liver regenerates better when you don't assault it with beer and wine.
You can expect improved liver function almost immediately after you stop drinking alcohol. Experts predict that most drinkers' livers can return to completely normal function after 4-8 weeks of no alcohol.
1 One study showed that after 6 weeks of abstinence from alcohol, brain volume increases by an average of 2%. 3. After Six Months: After half a year without drinking, you will really start to reap the rewards. Your risk of developing cancer will decrease, and your liver function will have greatly improved.
If you stop drinking completely, one of the first things you notice should be improved energy levels, better sleep and finding it easier to wake up in the morning. Regular drinking can affect the quality of your sleep making you feel tired and sluggish during the day.
It takes at least two weeks for the brain to return to normal after drinking. Therefore, this is when the alcohol recovery timeline begins. It is less able to suppress a desire to drink until the brain has recovered. The reason for this is that alcohol has harmed the brain's cognitive function.
Your healing gut may be absorbing more nutrients.
Taking a break from booze also gives your gut a chance to heal alcohol-induced damage and take in more nutrients. That may mean weight gain because your body "is finally getting nourished again," Brooks said.
What do you mean by heavy drinking? For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
“Brain fog” and other symptoms that are caused by a hangover usually lessen within 8 to 24 hours. However, the timeframe can be longer for people who experience cognitive impairment as a result of alcohol use disorder.
By 4-8 weeks after quitting, your gut will start to level out. Your sleep-quality will improve. Though we may fall asleep faster when we drink, our brains actually increase alpha wave patterns, which cause our brains to be more active than they should be while we sleep.
When you reach 90 days of sobriety, you'll likely feel a bit more relaxed. However, you may begin feeling sad and confused about your relationship with drugs and alcohol. Feelings of shame, guilt and depression are all normal, and these feelings can be worked through.
As your gut heals, you may gain weight from increased appetite and increased food absorption. Often, this is a good sign, especially if you were underweight before. Since excessive drinking can also go along with eating disorders, weight gain might be a sign of a healthier relationship with food.
Feelings of depression and anxiety may subside. Critical thinking skills improve. Better performance and productivity at work or school. Increased savings due to a decrease in alcohol purchases.
Because the liver is a tolerant organ, he said positive changes can occur within weeks of going dry. Kumar added that in the absence of alcohol, “the liver can focus on its other jobs, such as breaking down other toxins produced by the body, metabolizing fats and excess hormones that need to be broken down.”
You'll also likely notice fewer cravings, improved mental clarity and an increased ability to focus. Within a month you can start to see and feel the changes in your weight, particularly if alcohol was contributing to a significant amount of excess calories.