Five Reasons to Take a Break from Booze

Although alcohol can have a relaxing effect and increase a person’s ability to fall asleep, it can also adversely affect sleep. Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol increases your risk of suffering from poor sleep quality. One thing that many listeners who’ve tried a dry January — or any break from alcohol — told us is that their friends didn’t really “get it.” “Why, why, why,” people told us they were asked. Quitting alcohol significantly improves heart health by taking a break from alcohol lowering blood pressure and improving overall circulation—ultimately reducing the risk of heart disease.

Your sleep improves

Feeling at your best physically can boost resilience and emotional strength, equipping you to weather Twelve-step program challenges that trigger the desire to drink. Practicing your refusal ahead of time can help you feel more comfortable and confident when you find yourself in a situation that involves alcohol. Letting others know about your choice to stop drinking may help motivate you to stick with your decision. From month-long sobriety challenges to the Sober Curious movement, more and more people are taking a closer look at the role alcohol plays in their lives. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. When your gut microbiome is thrown out of whack, you may experience more direct digestive woes (stomach aches, bloating, gas, pain).

A Rest for Your Heart

After a monthlong break, researchers measured levels of a liver enzyme called gamma-glutamyltransferase, or GGT. “Not everybody wants to get wasted when they go to the bar,” says Forte. Sometimes, being there is just about wanting to be social and fit in. Another social club member, Kathy Kuzniar, says she used to obsess over whether there was enough wine in the house. She says she feels calmer since she became sober, and she has lost 30 pounds. “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.

strategies to help you take a break from drinking alcohol

“We came to a realization that we were drinking way too often and way too much,” says Zaleski. Over the past 12 years, Marshall has seen a lot of changes in the way people view sobriety. Back when he was getting sober, you either drank — or you didn’t, he says. He became a substance abuse counselor to help others but found that being in recovery was often really lonely. “And I know I wouldn’t be doing those things if I was still drinking.” But that there are probably safe limits that one can stay under and not worry about the adverse health impact.

• For others, trying to take a break from alcohol may lead them to recognize that drinking has a stronger hold on their day-to-day life than they realized.
• Wake up instead feeling nourished and energetic and not tired and cranky?
• “I have found kombucha to be an effective tool in transitioning off nightly nightcaps,” says Koskinen.
• Therefore, not drinking, especially for extended periods of time, can lead to significant improvements in sleep and sleep quality.
• Consider trading in liquid courage for natural courage and find refreshed energy while pausing on alcohol.

That said, if you want to cut back, there are definitely benefits. And there are some challenges as well (but hey, even Keith Richards has seriously cut back on drinking, and you can, too). Own Your Limits is a Defense Department (DOD) education campaign, aligned to the Defense Health Agency, for the U.S. military. The mission of the campaign is to help Service members learn to drink responsibly, if they choose to drink alcohol. Chris Marshall of Austin, Texas, has been sober for the past 12 years. He started drinking in high school, he says, and got his first DUI at 16.

• And so in young people, we see the adverse effects of binge drinking.
• But that there are probably safe limits that one can stay under and not worry about the adverse health impact.
• If you know that some situations have high peer pressure around drinking, you shouldn’t feel bad if you choose to rely on a white lie like “I’m allergic.” or “It interacts with my medications.” to ease the refusal.
• Making your home an alcohol-free zone takes away the risk of immediate temptation.

Here’s What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Drinking for 30 Days

It is an idea to keep track of how much money you’re saving if you take a break from drinking – most people find that putting that money aside and saving up for something meaningful is an additional motivator. So, SELF connected with experts to find out what actually happens to your body when you https://ecosoberhouse.com/ go sober. Most people who try to moderate use without lowering tolerance do not find much success. You are already aware that it takes more alcohol to get the same buzz you used to get.

Many people participate in “dry January” and take the month off from drinking alcohol to reset after the holiday season. Imagine a day where you eat healthy nourishing foods, workout, do a nighttime self-care ritual, and go to sleep early in clean comfy sheets—you wake up the next day feeling taken care of by the past version of you. Drinking a whole bottle of wine (when you know you’ll feel horrible the next day), not eating well, and passing out with a ton of unfinished to-dos?

If you’re worried that you have symptoms of alcohol dependence, talk to your GP or seek further information from a support service before stopping. These month-long breaks from drinking are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, more than a third (35%) of US adults of legal drinking age participated in Dry January in 2022. That’s according to CGA, a company that researches food and drink. You might toss and turn at first, but give up alcohol and the sleep you get will likely leave you feeling more refreshed and sharp the next day.

It can also enlarge or damage blood vessels—all of which have the ability to impact your skin’s appearance. Some people notice significant changes when they stop drinking. Her anecdote fits with a study of about 850 people who volunteered to abstain from alcohol for one month. 62% reported “better sleep” and about half reported they lost some weight. Many of the participants said they had more energy, which fits with the experience of listener Sarah Black Sadler. “The biggest thing that I noticed is that I don’t need alcohol to have a good time with my friends.”

Alcohol saps your body’s hydration—and it’s widely known that your skin needs hydration to stay plump and healthy. Josep Genebriera, M.D., a dermatologist at Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, points out that drinking causes both short-term flushing and long-term changes to your skin. When your body breaks down alcohol, it triggers the release of hormones like estrogen and histamine.