Sober October has arrived.
Along with challenges like Dry January, Sober October – when participants try to abstain from drinking alcohol for an entire month – can do wonders for your health.
While the fall season usually comes with plenty of alcohol-fueled activities, from Oktoberfest and tailgates to Halloween parties and pumpkin spice cocktails, experts say avoiding alcohol for a month can be beneficial for your overall health.
dr. Jamile Wakim-Fleming, director of the Fatty Liver Disease Program at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told PEOPLE that there are “multiple physiological benefits, from better sleep to reduced cholesterol and lower glucose levels, lower blood pressure, weight loss and fat loss from the liver. ”
“Alcohol is associated with inflammation throughout the body and has been shown to cause adverse effects in multiple organs,” she said. “Those who drink too much alcohol may show subtle signs such as poor concentration, memory impairment, poor sleep, inability to perform tasks they did well in the past – and blame it on old age.”
Even going a month without drinking can help your liver, explains Dr. Rocco Iannucci, director of the Fernside Residential Treatment Program at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital.
“People with significant alcohol-related liver inflammation will often see their markers of inflammation return to normal within a month, and those are people who have significant levels of alcohol intake,” he told PEOPLE.
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Cut out or cut back on alcohol to help you reach your fitness goals faster. Photographer’s Choice Ian Logan/Getty Images
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“Alcohol is a poison for the liver,” he explained. “The good news is that the liver has a lot of capacity to heal up to a certain point, and so giving it a chance to heal can be very helpful.”
In addition, participating in Sober October can lead to significant improvements in both sleep and weight loss.
Alcohol tends to disrupt individual sleep rhythms and patterns so much that sleep is no longer as restorative as it would otherwise be. Stopping drinking often reverses these negative effects.
Abstaining from alcohol can also help you achieve your weight loss goals. Quitting drinking not only reduces the number of calories consumed, but also improves your metabolism. And you’re less likely to skip a workout the next day.
Although Sober October spans the entire month, some participants may rethink their drinking habits even after the 31 days are up. “People don’t realize they’re back in the same situation” they were in before abstinence, Dr. Iannucci said.
“Sometimes it’s an eye-opener and makes people decide to make some other changes, even if it’s not a complete cessation of alcohol consumption,” he added. “It gives us perspective on our drinking.”
Studies have even shown that people who abstained from drinking alcohol for a month also started drinking less for the rest of the year and retained some of the health benefits.
A number of celebrities have spoken openly about their experiences of giving up alcohol for a month and how the benefits ultimately led them to quit drinking long-term, including Tom Holland, Valerie Bertinelli, Amy Robach, Kendall Toole, TJ Holmes, Dustin Lynch and more .
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education