Timeline of everything that happens to your body when giving up alcohol as Dry January begins
It’s nearly about that time where people go from drinking for an entire week to suddenly going cold turkey for an entire month.
While Christmas and New Year is a great excuse to have all the treats you could ever hope for, tonight marks the end of a boozy era for many people.
A popular way to cleanse yourself for the New Year is to do Dry January – which is when people give up alcohol for the first month of the year.
Whoever does it will certainly feel better about not having hangovers, but it can be a struggle if all of your social connections are interlinked with alcohol.
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But if you’re teetering on the fence about whether or not to do it, there are a lot of effects that giving up the sauce for a month can have on your body.
However, depending on how much you drink, it can range in severity.
As a caveat before we begin, if you are a heavy drinker or think you have a problem you should speak to your doctor. Suddenly stopping alcohol consumption completely can be dangerous in extreme cases and should be done under medical supervision.
For most people, however, Dry January can be a good way to cut back after indulging over Christmas and New Year.
So, according to Delamere, here is how stopping could affect your body.
12 hours alcohol free
At the 12-hour mark you may start to feel some withdrawal symptoms. This could be hand tremors, sweating, restlessness, and retching.
12-24 hours alcohol free
Between 12 and 24 hours these will continue. Sleep is likely to be disturbed, and you could experience some alcohol cravings, and a low mood.
12-72 hours alcohol free
From 12 hours to 72 is considered to be the most dangerous period if you are a very heavy drinker. In extreme cases, this could mean an increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, and seizures.
Three to seven days alcohol free
Between three and seven days for most people the symptoms will begin to recede. However, for a few cases they can worsen and become Delirium Tremens, or DTs.
If this does happen then you should speak to a doctor as soon as possible.
One week alcohol free
After a week you may notice your sleep patterns beginning to improve, though it can sometimes take longer.
Two weeks alcohol free
At two weeks you may notice some weight loss, depending on how much you normally drink, as you are not taking in calories from your beverage of choice.
Three weeks alcohol free
From three to four weeks, you may see your blood pressure improving if alcohol was a factor in it before.
A month alcohol free
Finally, at the one month mark you could see some improvement in your skin.
For the majority of people, cutting out alcohol for a month is a good way to reduce your consumption, and the dangers are only a factor in more extreme cases.
Taking a month out can also allow you to re-evaluate your relationship with alcohol as well as saving you a bit of cash.
If you do choose to start drinking again, you can do so because you enjoy it rather than perhaps as a compulsion or social crutch.
Topics: Alcohol, Christmas, Health, Mental Health, NHS, Sleep, Dry January
Britt Jones