The new year is here, and with it comes Dry January, which is part of a growing “sober curious” movement encouraging people to go alcohol free.
The CDC recommends no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks for men to lower alcohol-related risks, such as liver disease, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, injuries, and alcohol use disorders. But moderation is difficult, with two out of three adults reporting that they exceed these limits monthly, according to the CDC.
So, what exactly is “sober curious” and what happens when you give your liver a break by limiting alcohol intake? Here’s how your liver functions and what improvements you can expect by going alcohol-free.
Sober curious: A growing movement
As more people recognize that too much alcohol is unhealthy, they're starting to make better choices to improve their overall health, says Irene Cheung, the clinical lead for Labcorp OnDemand, and a family nurse practitioner whose clinical experience includes primary care, occupational health and telehealth.
“The health risks increase with the amount of alcohol you drink. Studies show that women are more susceptible to the long-term negative health effects of alcohol compared with men,” Cheung said. “Drinking less is better for health than drinking more.”
It is more common for people to become "sober curious,” meaning they are interested in reducing or eliminating their alcohol intake for health reasons. This growing interest has led many people to take part in alcohol-free challenges such as Sober September, Sober October, and Dry January, where they pledge to abstain from alcohol for the entire month. The sober curious movement is fueled by a wish to reap the health rewards that can come from reducing alcohol consumption.
A healthy liver matters
The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body. It performs over 500 essential functions, from metabolizing or processing nutrients and toxins to fighting infections and storing energy.
One of the liver’s primary functions is to filter blood coming from the digestive tract before passing it to the rest of the body. It breaks down harmful substances like alcohol, drugs and environmental toxins. The liver also helps digest fats and carbohydrates.
Long-term heavy alcohol use can damage the liver, leading to inflammation, scarring and potentially irreversible conditions like alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis (a severe form of liver disease that can lead to liver failure). Many people with liver disease don’t notice symptoms until significant damage has already occurred.
Alcoholic drinks are high in carbohydrates and high in calories, which can raise blood sugar levels to accumulate fat in the liver, contributing to insulin resistance.
Health benefits of taking a break from alcohol
Positive health changes including improved physical and mental health can happen when people take a break from alcohol. Here are a few health benefits of limiting alcohol intake, even for a short period of time:
- Improved sleep: Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster initially, but it fragments sleep later in the night. This sleep disruption means you spend less time in deep, restorative stages of non-rapid eye movement, or REM sleep.
- Reduced anxiety: For some people, alcohol increases anxiety over time due to chemical changes in the brain.
- Improved liver function and health: The liver is able to repair some of the damage caused by heavy alcohol consumption and restore normal metabolic function when heavy drinkers eliminate consumption of alcohol.
- Improved kidney function: The kidneys work closely with the liver to filter blood. Kidney function often improves when alcohol intake stops.3
The bottom line is limiting alcohol intake can be beneficial over the long term, but abstinence of alcohol produces more significant health gains over time.
Take charge of your liver health
The good news is you have the power to make choices that support your liver health. Consider taking a liver function blood test like Labcorp OnDemand’s Liver Health Test. Understanding biomarkers related to your liver health can help you make informed lifestyle choices.
Learn more about other ways to take control of your health.
References:
- Liver Health. Johns Hopkins Medicine. April 2, 2019. Accessed September 27,2023. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/liver-health
- Is it time to rethink how much you drink? Harvard Health. Updated January 2, 2022. Accessed September 27, 2023. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/is-it-time-to-rethink-how-much-you-drink
- Epstein, Murray. Alcohol's impact on kidney function. Alcohol health and research world, 84–92. 1997. Accessed September 27, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6826793/
- Alcohol and Sleep. September 21, 2023. Accessed September 28, 2023. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/alcohol-and-sleep
- Paul G. Thomes, Karuna Rasineni, Viswanathan Saraswathi, Kusum K. Kharbanda,, Dahn L. Clemens, Sarah A. Sweeney, Jacy L. Kubik, Terrence M. Donohue, Jr., and Carol A. Casey. Natural Recovery by the Liver and Other Organs after Chronic Alcohol Use. April 8, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8041137/
