How taking a month off drinking can impact your health

1. Improved sleep

While alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, it'll cause you to wake up more frequently during  the night, according to Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, an associate professor of neurology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. When alcohol interrupts your sleep, you may feel it the next day, which can affect your focus, reaction time, and mood, she added.

But when you take a break from drinking, you'll likely experience fewer sleep disruptions and wake up feeling more well-rested. "Any time you’re going to sleep without alcohol in your system tends to be a better night’s rest," said Alexis LaPietra, a physician and medical director of the RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery.

According to Michael Siegel, a professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, these effects can start within days.

Sleep supports a variety of important processes within the body, including muscle repair, hormone regulation, memory, metabolism, and heart health.

2. Better liver function

According to LaPietra, "The liver is responsible for breaking down alcohol, and during that process the alcohol produces a toxic by-product called acetaldehyde, which damages liver cells and causes fat to build up, prompting inflammation, followed later by scarring, known as cirrhosis."

"For most people, occasional or light drinking with days off doesn't measurably hurt the liver," LaPietra added. But people who drink more frequently, or people with certain risk factors like women, people with obesity, diabetes, or those with preexisting fatty liver disease, are more likely to experience liver damage from smaller amounts of alcohol.

"The classic danger line is at about 30 grams a day, or roughly two standard drinks," LaPietra said. "When you start to go over that towards four to five drinks per day, the cirrhosis risk rises exponentially." How frequently you drink also has an effect, as daily drinking elevates the risk of cirrhosis compared to only drinking a couple of days per week, she added.

Taking a break from alcohol gives your liver a break and could improve its health in a number of ways. For example, fatty liver disease can often reverse completely when you stop drinking, LaPietra said.

"While it is true that drinking alcohol may result in a short-term feeling of improved mood, the problem is that the effects do not last long and when the alcohol wears off it typically results in a level of mood that is actually below the baseline where a person started out," Siegel said.

That's why when you drink, especially after the immediate effects have worn off, you might feel sad, depressed, or anxious, he added.

Not drinking prevents this cycle of elevated and deflated mood and can help you get back to a more regulated and consistent place emotionally, Siegel said.

However, it's possible that some people might initially feel worse in the short term without the hit of dopamine that alcohol provides, especially if they're a heavy drinker and their brain has adapted to need more alcohol in order to feel the same level of pleasure. Abstaining from alcohol can also bring up a variety of feelings, including boredom or difficulty getting excited about things while sober, especially if a person was using alcohol to mask feelings of loneliness, make it through social situations, or reward themselves after a long day.

In order to help with this, Siegel recommended finding something that brings you joy to replace drinking. That could be something like exercise, listening to or playing music, writing, reading, spending time outside, meditating, making art, or crafting.

4. Better blood pressure

In the short term, drinking alcohol can decrease your blood pressure since it depresses the central nervous system. But over a longer period of time, regularly drinking alcohol can increase your blood pressure, according to a recent study published in Hypertension. With heavier drinking, blood pressure increases even more, the study found.

You might notice an improvement in blood pressure after a temporary break from alcohol, especially if you drink frequently, consume large amounts of alcohol, or have a history of hypertension.

"Especially for people who already have high blood pressure, quitting alcohol for a month can help keep their blood pressure under control," Siegel said.

5. More motivation to give up alcohol longer

A month without alcohol can be a helpful reset for people looking to either permanently lower or stop their consumption of alcohol, Siegel said, as better sleep and the other health benefits may motivate people to stay away from alcohol for longer or drink less.

Aside from the noticeable physical health impacts of taking a month off from drinking, participating in a Sober October or Dry January can also help some people see they're able to have fun without alcohol.

"Once people learn that, it makes it easier for them to get out of that habit of alcohol being the center of their socialization," Siegel said.

After abstaining from alcohol for a month, LaPietra suggests taking time to evaluate the changes you experienced and how you felt during a month of not drinking.

"I don't know that there'll be any life-altering transformation for folks who drink very infrequently," LaPietra said. "But I do think for folks who have alcohol integrated in their day-to-day personal culture, taking a month can be really eye-opening as to the role that alcohol plays in your mood and your sleep and just your overall health."