It started with Dry January, but now Sober October is also gaining popularity: year after year, millions of people worldwide try not to drink a drop of alcohol for four weeks.
This is also the case in the Netherlands, where every New Year’s Eve an estimated one hundred thousand drinkers take up the challenge of an alcohol-free month for themselves or together – and according to entrepreneurs, there are more and more of them. So it’s high time to take a closer look at the benefits of temporary dehydration for body and mind.
The effect of alcohol on our body
Alcohol harms our bodies in several ways. The liver in particular, which is responsible for the breakdown of alcohol, has a hard time. How does that work? Paul Thomas, metabolism expert at Auburn University in the US, explains: ‘The liver first breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde with the help of enzymes. This is a toxic, carcinogenic substance that, in high concentrations, affects other organs and gives you that classic hangover feeling.’
‘The liver then processes this toxic substance further into acetic acid, after which it is broken down into just water and carbon dioxide – which you then pee and exhale,’ Thomas continues. But, especially in large quantities, according to Thomas, the damage has already been done. ‘Alcohol in itself in our bloodstream is problematic for virtually all our organs. And in particular for the heart, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and brain.’
Long-term and excessive use therefore not surprisingly leads to: a whole host of health risks, include high blood pressure, weakened immune system, heart disease, liver failure and various types of cancer. Not surprising in that light, isn’t it, such an alcohol-free month?
How the body recovers from alcohol
It is a misconception that only heavy users would benefit from an alcohol-free month. “The smaller drinkers among us will also benefit from a break,” says Carry Mintz, a psychiatrist at Washington University. ‘With a noticeable difference within a few weeks.’
First of all, you give your liver the chance to catch its breath and – if necessary – recover. This is still possible if the liver damage is limited to ‘only’ the first three stages: accumulation of fat, chronic inflammation or gentle scar tissue.
‘Our liver has an enormous regenerative capacity,’ says Thomas. ‘The first stages of liver damage are even reversible. Only when drinking so much and for so long that there is liver cirrhosis – severe scarring of the liver – then the damage is permanent and possibly fatal.’
Other health benefits of an alcohol break are also scientifically beyond dispute: the 94 participants into this study British Medical Journalall ‘moderate to heavy drinkers’, saw their blood pressure improve significantly and weight decrease within one month compared to the ‘continuous drinkers’ that month.
And what about a better night’s sleep, higher concentration, better mood, decrease in possible feelings of depression and anxiety, healthier skin and healthier intestines. “The list of benefits of an alcohol break is almost endless,” says Thomas.
A month of self-reflection
In addition to the previous physical and mental benefits, an alcohol-free month helps you better understand yourself and your relationship with alcohol. Steven Tate, a doctor at Stanford University: ‘It literally helps you make things clearer for yourself. Am I merely drinking ‘innocently’ for pleasure? Or am I trying to numb any underlying problems of whatever nature?’
A possible alcohol addiction also becomes clear. “As confronting as that may be,” Tate said. ‘The line between problem-free use and actual addiction is simply a thin one. Sometimes people only realize they are addicted when it is too late.’
The alcohol-free month is over. And then?
A frequently heard fear of an alcohol-free month is that of overcompensation, i.e. overconsumption, in the following months: drinking too much as a counter-reaction. However, various studies show that Dry January participants no longer, but significantly less, use the bottle in the following months than before – a beneficial effect that for many even can continue working for six months.
All in all, experts recommend that you give such an alcohol-free month a try, no matter how high the threshold may feel. ‘Only then do you actually notice what alcohol can and cannot do for you,’ says Mintz. ‘And that can be a great first step towards less (or no) alcohol consumption in the long term – with demonstrable, almost countless health benefits.’
2023-11-03 07:17:08
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