8 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol for a Month

Improvements in sleep, blood pressure, mood and more

Barbara Sadick,

Updated January 06, 2026

AARP

Comments

En español

Published February 22, 2024

/ Updated January 06, 2026

collage of a smiling woman exercising with dumbbells layered over a spilled glass of red wine

Sarah Rogers (Getty images 2)

If you’ve made it through Sober October, want to attempt the Dry January challenge or are giving up alcohol for Lent, you’ve likely noticed some significant changes to your body. The good news is that you can give up drinking for at least a month any time and see the results.

“With a reduction of alcohol consumption, you have an opportunity to experience some important health benefits, which can serve as a starting point to meet your goals, ” says Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, vice president for emergency medicine addiction services at New York’s Northwell Health. But if you drink every day, you should consult with a health professional before quitting cold turkey, he adds.

In addition to the health benefits listed below, research has found that those who give up alcohol for a month — whether it’s Lent, Dry January, Sober October or any other month — tend to drink less alcohol long term. Even if you cut back, there are still benefits, according to a 2025 report in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.

In fact, drinking hit an all-time low in 2025, according to a Gallup poll. Between 1997 and 2023, at least 60 percent of Americans reported drinking alcohol. In 2025, that dropped to 54 percent. (The previous low was 55 percent, in 1958, the poll showed.)

Here are eight things that happen to your body when you stop drinking for a month.

1. You’ll sleep better

While it may initially make you drowsy and help you fall asleep faster, alcohol can also disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, making it harder in the long run to fall asleep when you want to, says Dr. Manassa Hany, director of the division of addiction psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York.

Alcohol particularly disrupts rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is crucial for cognitive function, memory consolidation and overall restorative sleep. As your body metabolizes alcohol, it can cause you to wake up more frequently throughout the night, interrupting your sleep pattern and reducing overall sleep duration so you wake up feeling less rested.

Hany says that once you stop drinking, you may initially find it more difficult to fall asleep. Your sleep, he says, will be restored gradually during the first four weeks, but after that you’ll sleep more deeply and wake up more rested.

2. You’ll be more hydrated

As you eliminate alcohol, which causes dehydration, your body will begin to absorb more water, improving the functioning of every organ, including your skin and your brain. Gradually, as cell turnover increases, the damage alcohol may have done will begin to be reversed.

Because alcohol deprives your skin of nutrients, when you stop drinking you may notice that your skin has a healthier glow. You’ll also see fewer wrinkles, less puffiness and an elimination of red blotches. Premature skin aging will subside, and if you have dandruff or eczema, they too may disappear.

3. You’ll have better liver function

The liver, your body’s largest internal organ, is a filter for everything you put into it. It aids in digestion, stores minerals and vitamins, regulates blood clotting and eliminates waste. It also helps fight infection, eliminates bacteria from the blood and maintains hormone balance.

Hany says that the ethanol from which alcohol is made is a toxin and that too much can tax, damage and even destroy your liver cells by causing fat to accumulate. If the damage isn’t too great, though, a monthlong break can allow your liver to recover.

A Month Without Drinking

Surveys of more than 1,000 people who tried giving up alcohol for a month found that:

93 percent of participants had a sense of achievement
88 percent saved money
70 percent had generally improved health
71 percent slept better
67 percent had more energy
58 percent lost weight
57 percent had better concentration
54 percent had better skin

Source: University of Sussex

4. Inflammation will decrease

The ethanol in alcohol inflames your liver cells and causes the liver to swell, says Dr. Mohammad Alhabbal, the medical director at AdCare Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Because your liver is connected to your pancreas through biliary ducts, he says, your pancreas will begin to overproduce enzymes and become inflamed, as will your gastrointestinal system, your esophagus and your stomach. Continual inflammation of the organs, he warns, can eventually lead to them shutting down and then shutting off.

In a month’s time, Alhabbal says, inflammation will decrease significantly, and damage can be reversed.

5. You’ll likely lose weight

If you stop drinking alcohol, you may lose weight. Because alcohol slows down your metabolism, you can easily gain weight when drinking. When your metabolism slows, your body needs to work harder to process fats and sugars. On its own, alcohol is high in sugar and empty calories, and when you add mixers, you’re likely to substantially increase your calorie intake. A 2018 report in BMJ Open noted improvements in insulin resistance in people who abstained from alcohol for one month.

Drinking alcohol tends to decrease your inhibitions, so it’s likely you’ll also eat more junk food. Alcohol enhances the taste of salt and fat. When you stop drinking, not only will you likely consume fewer calories. You’ll also have more energy, and that may even increase your activity level.

6. Your immune system will work better

Your immune system keeps you healthy. Drinking alcohol weakens that system, making you more vulnerable to infections and diseases. You don’t have to be a regular heavy drinker for alcohol to affect your immune system. If you have five to six drinks in a single session, you can suppress your immune system for up to 24 hours, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

If you drink regularly, alcohol can also prevent nutrients from feeding your immune system. It also reduces the white blood cells in your body, making it more difficult to fight off disease. In a month’s time, though, your immune system will be able to recover.

7. Your blood pressure will improve

Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure or hypertension, you might be better off if you stop drinking. According to the American Heart Association, as you age, even one drink a day could raise your blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

8. Your mood will improve

Ethanol is the main ingredient in alcohol. Initially, it tends to calm you, but eventually it leads to hangovers, mood swings, exhaustion and depression. Alcohol also raises cortisol levels in your brain, which increases stress.

Ironically, the negative emotions you may have wanted to initially suppress when you drink may become heightened. But when you stop using alcohol, you’ll find yourself feeling motivated, and your mood will stabilize. The 2025 report in Alcohol and Alcoholism showed more positive feelings, a higher sense of control and more reported happiness.

%{postComment}%

Based in New York, Barbara Sadick is a freelance health journalist. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report and The Washington Post, among other publications.