The results of "Dry January". Today I want to talk not about how it affected my own well-being and my life in general, but to set out a number of confirmed facts about what happens in our bodies when we choose a sober way of life.
The actual result can vary a great deal from person to person, but even a month's break from drinking will do your liver and your heart an enormous amount of good. And let us not forget that cancers of the head, neck, oesophagus, liver, breast, colon and rectum are directly linked to alcohol abuse. Even if you drink heavily more than once a month, that raises your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke
Many people take up Dry January as a motive for starting the new year without alcohol and keeping it that way.
Of course, abstaining from alcohol for a month looks like a mere fashion and a short-term New Year decision, but, as I have already said, there are several health benefits that come even within that short span.
As Dr Rekha B. Kumar, medical director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, notes:
"The benefit can vary from person to person depending on how far it differs from their baseline behaviour"
In other words, someone who drinks moderately and chooses to spend January sober will certainly feel a sense of control over their health and behaviour, along with the satisfaction of reaching a goal they set themselves.
Those who used to drink heavily, on the other hand, will notice more pronounced physiological effects, such as:
- greater mental clarity,
- sound sleep,
- loss of excess weight and
- a feeling of having been "detoxed".
And all that on top of reaching the goal you set yourself!
Dr Amitava Dasgupta, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at McGovern Medical School in Houston, agrees with these conclusions: "... taking part in Dry January will not make much difference to the body of a moderate drinker. For people who exceed the drinking guidelines, however, a sober January can bring considerable changes in overall well-being".
The benefits of a sober January (especially for people who binge drink or drink more than the recommended amount):
- A lower risk of cirrhosis of the liver. After just 21 days of sobriety the liver switches into self-repair mode and can concentrate on its main work: clearing toxins out of the body, breaking down fats and metabolising excess hormones.
- A lower risk of heart attack or stroke.
- The removal of one of the risk factors for cancer (3.5 % of cancers are linked to drinking alcohol)
- The restoration of normal sleep, cognitive ability and clarity of thought.
To sum up, I can say that you benefit from alcohol only when you drink in moderation.
Simply not drinking for one month and then going back to drinking without limit is not the best idea.
If you abuse alcohol, it is better to cut down or to give it up altogether.
Ninety days (a dry quarter) will do you more good. It gives the liver and the cardiovascular system more time to recover.
For moderate drinkers, taking part in Dry January will do no harm, but it will not do a great deal of good either. In these people, giving up healthy (moderate) drinking altogether can even play a negative role — in their social life, in their resilience to stress and in digestive problems.
Take care and stay healthy!
