I Quit Alcohol for 30 Days—Here’s What Happened

I have a complicated relationship with alcohol. I went to a college where binge drinking was a sport. While I tamed things once I graduated, I still had a deep appreciation for beer and wine. I used to wait in line for special releases at craft breweries. My father-in-law owns two prosecco vineyards in Italy, and he often rolls up to our house with boxes of wine. So it surprised many of my friends and family when I decided to give up drinking. And I don’t regret it one bit.

To be honest, it was a snap decision. I got COVID this past fall, and as I was flipping through Apple News one night while isolating in our spare bedroom, I came across an article about how bad alcohol is for you. While we’ve been led to believe that light alcohol consumption (no more than a drink a day if you were born female and two if you were born male) could be good for you, a 2023 meta-analysis found that—sorry folks!—it’s not.

Since I hadn’t been drinking because of my illness, I thought, well, let’s give it a try and see how it goes. And 30 days later, I can’t tell you how good it’s felt to be booze-free. Here are all of the benefits I’ve noticed so far.

I’m Less Bloated

Since I gravitated toward beer as my alcoholic beverage of choice, I found that I was often bloated in the morning. Not anymore! Plus, things are just generally—ahem—moving better through my system when I’m not drinking alcohol. That could be because alcohol is dehydrating and I’m drinking much more water now, especially at night. So if you’re particularly stopped up after a night of drinking, consider taking a few days off and drinking more water to see if that gets things moving.

My Nighttime Hot Flashes Disappeared

I’ve always run on the hotter side, so when I went into menopause, I was excited that I didn’t get as many hot flashes as my friends and family had complained about. But while I didn’t have sheet-soaking night sweats, I did often wake up oh-so-very-hot in the middle of the night. Now that I’ve stopped drinking, that happens much less frequently. While it may not be related to my season of life, alcohol does cause your blood vessels to dilate, which in turn causes you to feel warm, and that can make you sweat. Did drinking alcohol make my night sweats worse? I think so, but that’s just my anecdotal experience. 

I’m Sleeping Better

The only extended period of time that I stopped drinking alcohol before this was when I was pregnant—and I slept horribly my whole pregnancy. So I didn’t realize how much alcohol affected my sleep until I gave up drinking. According to the Sleep Foundation, even a single drink can decrease women’s sleep quality by more than 24%. That’s substantial for a daily glass of wine! When I stopped drinking, I noticed that I not only coasted into dreamland faster and stayed there longer, but when I did inevitably wake up in the middle of the night, I was able to fall back asleep more quickly. This has had a ripple effect throughout my life: I was less cranky with my family in the morning and made better decisions that affected my overall health throughout the day, which leads me to …

I Have More Energy

I mean, do I feel more energized because I’m sleeping better? Sure. But I think it’s more than that. Even if I only had a couple of drinks when I went to a concert with friends or split a bottle of wine with my husband at dinner, I inevitably woke up feeling icky the next day. Even if I went to bed at a reasonable time, I was still often really tired and cranky. It was unlikely that I got any exercise the following day, nor did I prioritize eating the healthiest meals. I’m just overall feeling better now. It’s much easier to get up in the morning to walk the dogs or work out, and to just make healthier choices throughout the day. 

I Lost Weight

I’ve struggled with my weight for years. And while the scale is certainly not the most important measure of overall health, my health care provider has suggested that my elevated cholesterol levels could be due to my elevated weight. Shedding some pounds, she said, could help bring them back down. While I didn’t cut out alcohol to lose weight, it certainly helped. The dank, hazy IPAs I gravitate to clock in at 300 calories or more a can. Now, my nightly canned mocktail or juice and seltzer is a tiny fraction of that. 

Plus, it’s not like I made the greatest choices when I did drink. When I came home after having a few drinks with friends, I often dug into leftovers I wasn’t really hungry for. If I had even the mildest hangover, I definitely ate more than I would typically in a day. It all added up.

The Bottom Line

If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’m going to totally cut out alcohol forever. I don’t think that’s sustainable, nor do I like rules when it comes to eating and drinking. But ditching alcohol for more than a month has really shown me how much even one drink affected me. From getting a better night’s sleep and having more energy to losing weight, the benefits have been huge so far. I like them a lot. So if you’re thinking of Dry January or Sober October or just giving it up for a bit whenever it’s convenient for you, try it. You may be surprised, too.