Here’s Exactly What Happens to Your Body During Dry January
Listen, fad diets and detoxes are lame. But the Dry January tradition, which got its start in the UK in 2012, is actually pretty legit. For starters, it comes right after most of us are at our worst (or best, depending on how you view downing bottles of wine, champs, and NYE tequila shots). So a lot of us need a break, as do our livers. Plus, there’s basically zero evidence that drinking is a healthy activity that all of us should be doing to improve our longevity. Then there’s that whole “going out is hella expensive and my bank account still hates me for playing Santa to myself last month” thing. Reducing your ragers is scientifically correlated with an increase in future vacation funds (not really, but should be, right?).
All of this is to say that if you choose to participate in Dry January this year, I support you on this journey. And to encourage your efforts, I’ve compiled this comprehensive list of things that happen to your body when you stop drinking for a whole-ass month.
P.S. Try Dry from the Dry January O.G.s tracks how long you've gone without a drink (like a FitBit, but all you have to do is nothing). From there, it calculates how much money you've saved. Genius.
You'll live life without hangovers.
Obviously, no booze means no morning-after hangover. And there's actual science that says the key to not having a hangover is to not drink enough to be hungover. That means no nausea, vomiting, or headaches. And you'll also avoid all the stuff that comes with it, like impulse-buying family-sized bags of Flaming Hots (though, tbh, they're good sober too) or cancelling that $35 spin class.
Everyone's going to ask how you got your skin so good.
Alcohol acts as a diuretic by suppressing vasopressin, a hormone responsible for keeping you hydrated by helping your kidneys reabsorb water. And when booze shuts it down, that leads to endless pee parties. So until you replenish lost fluids (usually by downing Gatorade the morning after), your skin can look saggy, sunken, and as tired as you feel, says Mary Stevenson, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center. Ditching cocktails altogether will also help reduce the appearance of large pores, puffiness and redness.
You'll feel super energized all the damn time.
Whooping it up spikes the sleep-inducing chemical adenosine, but a study from the journal Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that alcohol reduces your overall sleep quality by lessening the amount of time you spend in deep REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, or the cycle responsible for dreaming.
So girls’ night out sans margs leads to less mid-cycle disruptions and better sleep patterns, says Timothy Wilens, MD, Chief of Adolescent Psychiatry and Co-Director for the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. You’re also less likely to suffer from sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, he adds. All very good things.
You'll feel less puffy.
Losing the easy-to-metabolize carbs in alcohol means less acid reflux and bloating, says Robert Brown, MD, Clinical Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. Not to mention the money you’ll save on antacids and gas relief aids.
Your anxiety might calm the hell down.
Back in 2018, Thomas Kash, PhD, a professor of pharmacology at UNC school of medicine told Cosmopolitan that hangxiety is a real thing and that it stems from two biological processes. First, drinking triggers the release of a neurotransmitter called GABA, which makes nerve cells calm down. At the same time, your marg suppresses glutamate, a neurotransmitter that has the opposite effect. As alcohol leaves your body, GABA's calm vibes fade. And to make up for being MIA, glutamate goes into overdrive. That whole thing means your hangover is complimented by hella anxiety. Without a drank, you stay your chill self.
You'll assess your relationship status with booze.
Choosing to not drink for an extended period of time can help flag whether your drinking habits are hazardous (i.e. you’re drinking everyday or binging four or more beverages every time you indulge), says Dr. Wilens. If you find it physically and mentally difficult to stop, you might be at risk for alcohol withdrawal symptoms. If that's the case, forget about Dry January and seek help from an addiction counselor or other mental health professional, advises Dr. Wilens.
Okay, now that you know what good shit you're in for, here's the best strategy for cutting booze for one amazing month.
1. Add structure to your schedule.
Yes, to start Dry January, all you really have to do is not drink and keep not drinking for 31 . days. But it's also important to think about how you'll fill the gaps sauvy b-less happy hours and vodka-free nights out leave, says Dr. Wilens. That might mean skipping the Thirsty Thursday tradition altogether and replacing it with another relaxing activity, like yoga or bingeing You.
2. Track how you feel.
When you crave alcohol, it’s important to track what's going on at the time. Maybe you’re feeling anxious, stressed, or nervous. If so, you might be self-medicating with your go-to drink, says Dr. Wilens. Ask yourself if there’s a better way to deal those feels than pouring a drink.
3. Plan ahead.
If you do decide to go to a bar, plan what you’re going to drink before it’s time to order, says Dr. Brown. Many bars now offer a variety of non-alcoholic cocktails for those participating in Dry January. Even if the bar you go to doesn’t, ordering a beverage like seltzer and lime gives you the same feel as holding a cocktail.
4. If you opt for a wet February…
Lose the “I just not drank for 30 days, so I’m owed 30 days of drinking” mentality, says Dr. Wilens.
Celebrating your achievement of not drinking for 31 days is amaze. Cheers to you, boo. But maybe don't spend the next 29 (leap year, woop woop!) getting lit. Instead, be mindful of your limits as well as your triggers before you sip, especially since you’ll likely have a lower tolerance.
Alcohol content differs by drink, and measurements aren’t always consistent, says Dr. Brown. For example, a wine spritzer contains less alcohol than a glass of wine, which contains a lower alcohol percentage than a cosmopolitan or martini. To ensure you’ll be hangover free come morning, offset the effects of each cocktail with a glass of water, refrain from drinking on an empty stomach and too close to bedtime, and do your best to stick to U.S. Dietary Guidelines (up to one drink per day for women, according to the Centers for Disease Control).
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