What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Alcohol for a Month? (2024)

Does Dry January make a difference for your health if you just quit alcohol for a month?

Experts say there are benefits to quitting alcohol for a short period, even if you’re a social or moderate drinker.

“A lot of times people engage in behaviors that are habitual and they’re not even aware of why they do what they do or when they do what they do,” Tavis Glassman, MPH, PhD, a professor of public health at The University of Toledo, told Verywell. “Simply tracking your alcohol over a month would be a good idea.”

Here’s a timeline of how your body might react after you stop drinking alcohol.

After One Day

If you’re a heavy drinker, you might notice symptoms of alcohol withdrawal as soon as eight hours after going sober.

“People often become anxious, irritable, and restless. They may begin to develop sweatiness and become clammy,” Anne M. Larson, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Washington,told Verywell in an email.

These symptoms peak within 72 hours, but people with serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms should work with a healthcare provider as the experience can be fatal.

If you’re an occasional or social drinker, you might get an immune system boost within the first day since it’s harder for the body to fight infections for 24 hours after getting drunk. Drinking is also associated with less impulse control, so even one day without drinking could reduce the chance of getting accidental injuries.

After One Week

Alcohol consumption is thought to cause gut inflammation and alter the gut microbiota.

If you stop drinking for a week, you might notice some positive changes in your gastrointestinal system. The digestive tract heals quickly after someone cuts out alcohol, according to Debbie Petitpain, MBA, RDN, a registered dietitian based in Charleston.

“Alcohol is an irritant to the lining of the GI tract. At a week out, the lining will start to repair, symptoms of heartburn should lessen or go away,” Petitpain said.

Alcohol is also linked to poor sleep quality, so you might feel more energized after a week without alcohol, she added.

The “One Week No Booze Method” recently went viral on TikTok and participants are challenged to stop drinking for one week each month. This method adds up to three months a year without alcohol, it could be an option for people who want to continue taking manageable breaks from alcohol beyond Dry January.

After 30 Days

Research from 2018 showed that a month-long break from alcohol was enough for moderate-heavy drinkers to see improvements in insulin resistance, blood pressure, body weight, and cancer-related growth factors.

“A short-term break from alcohol will allow the liver cells to recover from the persistent toxic injury from the alcohol,” Larson said.

After 30 days without alcohol, your brain and thought processes might become clearer, according to Larson.

Benefits Beyond 30 Days of No Alcohol

Quitting alcohol for one month seems like a short time, but a 2015 study found that many people who participate in Dry January continue to drink less six months later.

If you manage to limit alcohol consumption beyond a monthlong break, it could improve your heart health and reduce the risk of stroke and certain cancers.

About 90% of heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic liver disease, while 20–40% will develop alcoholic hepatitis, which occurs when the liver becomes damaged and inflamed.

According to Larson, severe alcoholic hepatitis could be fatal in 30 days in half of the patients who develop this condition. She said that patients who survive and make an effort to avoid alcohol can still improve liver function, even though the healing could take months.

Even if you don’t drink a lot, the end of an alcohol-free month is a good time to reflect on your relationship with alcohol. Tools on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website can help calculate how many calories you drink each week and how much money you spend on alcohol over the course of a week, month, or year.

“People often describe to me that they now realize how much the alcohol altered their behavior and relationships. They are more introspective about their alcohol use,” Larson said.