With Dry January in full swing, health experts have lifted the lid on how alcohol affects the body – and how taking a break can help
During the month of January, many people across the world choose to quit drinking alcohol in a bid to improve their physical and mental health after the busy festive period.
Dry January is a hugely popular initiative, with an estimated 8.8 million people in the UK taking part in 2023. But it’s not just a time to give your health a boost – it’s also a great opportunity to review your relationship with alcohol, and note the benefits of giving it up for one month.
Taking a break, even if it’s just for a short time, can have noticeable effects. That’s because an alcoholic drink can create immediate effects on your body, according to health experts Trevor Connor and Griffin McMath from The Paleo Diet.
READ MORE: ‘I’m a doctor – this is what happens to your body during Dry January’
They recently lifted the lid on the impact that alcohol can have on your body, and how a break is a great way to create new, sustainable habits where drinking is concerned.
And although it’s true that drinking alcohol for years can create irreversible symptoms like fatty liver deposits, there are other side effects that are much more quick to appear.
They say that alcohol is a big trigger for inflammation in the body, which can lead to a number of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cancer.
Griffin explained: “Your first hangover, that’s a cause of inflammation right there. You can even see it in people whose bodies have a hard time processing alcohol – you can see the flush in their faces.
“You can see the harmful effects of alcohol after one drink.”
Trevor added: “Your body wants to stay in balance – alcohol gets you out of balance, but your body finds a way to say “I can deal with this.” So as Griffin said, the effects are immediate.
“You’re going to have some sort of inflammatory effect after your first night of drinking. But your body’s going to be able to address that, and prevent the more severe, long-term consequences.
“The question is – how long does that have to sustain, where your body is trying to manage it, before your ability to manage it breaks down and you start seeing chronic diseases. That’s going to be individual, but anybody – even if you’re past that point – if you reduce alcohol and get that inflammation down, you can reverse some of the negative consequences.”
However, it’s important to note that this isn’t a one-size-fits all approach. Griffin highlighted that decades of heavy drinking can have irreversible effects – but ditching alcohol is ‘always worth it’.
Dry January may just be one month of no drinking, but even a short-term break can have some positive impacts on your health.
Trevor said: “Overall, yes you’re going to be heathier doing this. I think you’ll see some benefits in the short run, but if it’s really just one month, I think mostly what you’re going to experience by the end of that month is hopefully how much better you can feel without the alcohol in your system.”
But they also issued a stark warning for anyone doing Dry January about what can happen when the month comes to an end.
Trevor added: “If you just do it for a month and then get back to the way you used to drink, I don’t think you’re going to see any long-term benefits.
“I think if you maintain it, that’s where you’re really going to see long term benefits such as reduction of inflammation. Getting inflammation down in our bodies is really important for us – that has an impact on almost every chronic disease.”
He also highlighted you could see an improvement in your gut microbiome, but since this can change rapidly, drinking habitually again can reverse this.
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