Sobriety is becoming cool. Gen Z, in particular, is less likely to drink than generations before them.
Drinking rates among US adults under the age of 34 have fallen by 10 percentage points over the last 20 years, from 72 to 62 per cent, according to Gallup polling.
In the UK, recent health surveys have found that roughly one in five of the so-called 'sober curious' generation don't drink – rivalling abstinence levels of the over-65s.
And each winter, movements like Dry January become increasingly popular – an estimated 15 per cent of US adults (around 50 million people) and 9 million Brits pledged to take part in 2023, giving up alcohol for 30 days.
According to recent scientific findings, all these non-drinkers had good reason to give up the booze.
Giving up alcohol could be your key to a healthier life
First of all, it’s worth mentioning that unless you’re a heavy-enough drinker to experience withdrawal when you stop, there are no drawbacks to a month without alcohol – or cutting it out of your life entirely.
“The best evidence shows that the relationship between alcohol consumption and health is basically linear – it’s probably not true that a small amount of alcohol is good for you,” says biological psychologist Prof Marcus Munafò, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of Bath. “This is why the World Health Organization has said that there’s no ‘safe’ amount that doesn’t affect health in any way.”
In other words, absolute abstinence could be your key to a healthier life. But what if that feels completely unachievable, or just undesirable, right now?
Whether you’re deep into a sober spell or planning a break later in the year, you’ll be happy to know that a mere month of abstinence could bring lasting benefits. In fact, new research shows that taking a 30-day break can help transform your physical and mental wellbeing.
The first health benefits, from hydration to weight loss
Once you've made the decision to quit, the first benefits you're likely to experience can come surprisingly quickly. For regular drinkers, just 24 hours without alcohol can lead to improvements, such as better hydration and more stable blood sugar levels.
From there – full disclosure – you might experience a slight slump for a couple of days as your dopamine levels stabilise. But persevere and the upswing should come.
"Anecdotally, people in our study felt as if it took a couple of weeks to get any benefit," says Dr Gautam Mehta of the University College London, who headed up a study looking at almost 100 people who participated in Dry January in 2018 (with a control group of 50 that didn't).
"But after this, they started to feel the benefits of sleep quality and duration. Their concentration and mood also improved."
Then there’s the weight loss: on average, participants shed almost 2kg (4.4lbs) in one month. “It’s important to note how robust that finding was,” adds Mehta. “It was adjusted to account for many of the other things that people do in January, like upping their gym attendance or changing their diet.”
All welcome news so far. But how much direct impact does 30 consecutive days off alcohol have on your health over the long term? While there aren’t any long-term studies on this yet, Mehta’s research offers some intriguing clues about how our bodies might change.
“The metabolic benefits we saw over a month-long period were pretty surprising to all of us that were involved in the study,” says Mehta. “The headline finding: there was a 25-per-cent improvement in insulin sensitivity among participants.” None of the participants in the study were diabetic, but this finding suggests their risk would decrease beyond their month without alcohol.
Exactly how long this effect would last isn’t clear, but since people under 40 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have a mortality rate four times higher than the general population, it’s not to be sniffed at.
Less alcohol could lower your cancer risk
But that wasn’t Mehta’s only surprising finding. “The second thing is that we found a big change of two proteins that are growth factors that can be described as potentially cancer-driving molecules,” he says.
“Dry January markedly reduced the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the blood. VEGF helps tumours grow by building networks of blood vessels and EGF promotes cancer growth by encouraging cells to multiply – they are recognised targets for anticancer drugs."
So, he says, while we can't say "for certain" that a month off drinking will reduce your long-term cancer risk, "it's certainly something that can change very rapidly within a month if you stop drinking."
Abstinence is better for your gut health too
Swift changes can also be seen with your gut microbiome – transformations perhaps powerful enough to help disrupt long-standing habits.
As several studies (many in mice and macaque monkeys) in the past five years have shown addiction to a variety of substances is, to some degree, driven by the beneficial bacteria, alongside our gut hormones.
As researchers have concluded, this means that there’s the possibility of a two-way relationship between how much we drink and the health of our gut. Excess alcohol might affect our gut bacteria, which in turn might alter our behavioural patterns and prompt us to drink more.
Currently, it’s unclear whether these animal findings fully apply to our species – as Mehta cautions, “We can’t say for sure that the relationship works the same way in humans.” That said, there’s promising evidence that it’s never too late to make a change.
For instance, one recent experiment demonstrated that even heavy drinkers with severely depleted microbiomes due to chronic alcohol use could significantly recover their gut health within just four weeks.
And although a follow-up study wasn’t conducted, the initial experiment showed a decrease in participants’ anxiety and depression levels over a month of abstinence – an improvement that could prove a springboard for long-term change. And that’s where the real magic can happen.
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What you learn in 30 days can last much longer
As you might expect, the biggest benefits of not drinking alcohol, or just drinking less, accrue over months and years. And short-term abstinence can help to shape the mindset that makes this seemingly impossible task reachable.
“We have evidence that people who make it through the whole month get bigger increases in their sense of control over their drinking,” says Dr Richard de Visser of the University of Sussex, part of a team that researched heavy drinkers benefiting from Dry January.
And he says "it's not like a bubble that goes 'pop'" after the month of abstinence ends.
“It’s something that persists, along with the knowledge and skills people develop throughout the month," says de Visser. "For instance, we learn which alcohol-free alternatives to drink, where to socialise, how to manage urges to drink and how to decline an offer of alcohol.
“This helps to explain why, six months after Dry January, many people are drinking less than they were before – and even if people do return to the same levels as previously, they tend to do so with an enhanced sense of control over their drinking.”
True, studies show that while this effect is still noticeable in those who don’t make it through a whole month without drinking, the greatest benefits are seen in those who stay completely dry.
Why? Mehta thinks that something about short-term abstinence might ‘reset’ our relationship with alcohol.
He explains that, at six to eight months after their 30 days of abstinence, the proportion of participants in their study drinking at harmful levels decreased by about 50 per cent.
“They also had fewer heavy drinking days," says Mehta. "And that’s really significant. In an experiment we filmed with identical twins for BBC’s Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, one of the twins drank small amounts of alcohol each day, adding up to 21 units a week, while the other took 21 units at the weekend only and didn’t drink during the week.
"Both twins were worse off in terms of liver function and inflammation in the blood than where they were at the baseline. But the binge drinker had noticeably worse stats overall.”
What to expect when you give up alcohol
The first 24 hours:
Depending on how much you typically drink, this might just feel like a day off the booze, or it might make you grumpy and interfere with your sleep. If you're dependent on alcohol you might experience withdrawal symptoms – so this can be the toughest period to get through.
The first few days:
Though you’re likely to be irritable, your sleep quality will improve. From three days to a week, you might start to experience improved digestion, as well as increased energy and skin clarity from improved hydration. Remember to stay hydrated during this period.
The first weeks:
This is where changes become noticeable. You might lose weight and see improved sleep quality, but it’s also where your body really begins the process of repair. Studies suggest that in heavy drinkers, the liver and gut function start to repair themselves after three weeks.
The first month:
A full month can see a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk factors and cancer related growth factors, while moderate to heavy drinkers showed improved insulin resistance and blood pressure, alongside positive changes in weight. Keep up the good work!
The first few months:
These markers all continue to improve, but you might also notice other improvements – for instance, sexual function in men has been seen to improve after three months without drinking. Several months away from alcohol allows the brain to repair itself, even in heavy drinkers.
A year or more:
Quit drinking for the long term, and you can see huge benefits – one small Korean study found that “former drinkers did not show significantly worse health than people who, at baseline, were lifetime abstainers.” It’s not for everyone, but it can be a worthwhile change.
How to make it through all 30 days
So how do you make it through the month? “One thing we know is that making use of online resources helps,” says de Visser.
“The Try Dry app (which is free, thanks to charity Alcohol Change UK) or the advice and support available at the Dry January website are linked to a greater chance of staying dry. We’ve seen that it can actually double the likelihood of reaching the goal.”
The official app offers a tracker to help you work out how many calories (and how much cash) you’re saving by not drinking, as well as keeping track of your feelings as you undertake the challenge.
But it might help not to think of it as a ‘challenge’ at all. This idea is grounded on the psychological idea of ‘empowered refusal’. It’s how reframing thoughts of ‘I can’t’ to ‘I don’t’ can create a sense of personal agency, which might help you resist temptation.
So, if you’re in the pub and someone offers you a drink, try saying “I’m not drinking this month” rather than the weaker “I really shouldn’t” or “I’m trying not to.”
For best results, rehearse this plan early: one major meta-analysis of 94 studies suggests that forming an ‘implementation intention’ makes an important difference to whether or not people achieve their goals.
This means proactively planning how you’ll respond to a potential obstacle – saying to yourself: “If X happens, then I’ll do Y”. For example, “If I’m at the bar, then I’ll order soda water,” or “If I’m offered a drink, then I’ll explain that I’m not drinking this month.”
While you’re preparing, it can also help to remove any alcohol from the house, or at least from your eyeline. At least one study suggests that the presence of things perceived as treats in clear view correlates with a higher body mass index – a bottle of red visible in the kitchen is likely to create the same temptation for you.
Build a new routine to replace the booze
And while you’re planning ahead, think about a routine that can replace the glass of wine or beer you treat yourself to after a tough day.
Research on habit formation suggests that one of the most successful strategies is to keep ‘triggers’ (a stressful 24 hours, for instance) and ‘rewards’ (a feeling of relaxation) constant, while changing the habit itself.
This means that instead of reaching for a drink as a way to unwind, substitute it with another activity, like watching your favourite TV show.
Commit to a full month for the best results
If all else fails, you can lower your target. But it’s not ideal. De Visser says that some people may find it more feasible to drink less than they normally do for a month, rather than give up alcohol completely – or to give up for a couple of weeks, rather than a full 30 days.
"Having said that, there may be benefits that only come from longer dry periods," he says. “For example, one of the gains that may come from trying a whole dry month is the mindset change.
"The challenge will help develop a clearer and stronger ‘not drinking’ mindset – one that involves changes in thinking about why, what, when and how you drink.
“Also, the prolonged period of abstinence will give your body some alcohol-free time, and also allow you to experience things like better skin and better sleep that may not come if you just cut down a little.”
Have an action plan after the 30 days are over
Finally, it’s worth noting that a month of abstinence is unlikely to do you much good if you go right back to heavy drinking afterwards.
So it might be a good idea to deliberately plan on a slow reintroduction to booze, rather than a celebratory weekend or an immediate resumption of old habits.
Also remember that, like any sort of serious lifestyle change, it might be tougher than you expect. “I think the biggest misunderstanding about Dry January is that it's easy,” says Matt Field, professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield.
“Changing on your own, without some kind of external support, is difficult. But there’s good evidence that taking part in Dry January increases people’s self-efficacy, or their confidence in their ability to say ‘no’ to drinking in the future. It’s definitely something worth doing, even if you find it difficult to stay the course.”
In short, approaching a break from alcohol with the expectation of a dramatic flood of instant health benefits may not be the best mindset. Instead, view it as an opportunity to re-establish control and reset behavioural patterns, and you’ll be well on your way to a healthier, dryer life.
About our experts
Prof Marcus Munafò is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the University of Bath. Previously, he was professor of biological psychology at the University of Bristol. He has been published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Psychological Science and Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Dr Gautam Mehta is a consultant hepatologist and principal investigator at University College London. His work has been published in the likes of The Lancet Public Health, Journal of Hepatology and Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
Dr Richard de Visser is a professor of health psychology at the University of Sussex. He has been published in Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addiction, Nature Communications and British Journal of Psychiatry. He is also co-author of textbooks Psychology for Medicine and Psychology for Medicine & Health Care (2nd and 3rd Editions).
Matt Field is a professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield. His work has been published in journals such as Addiction, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and Psychopharmacology.
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