Drinking less alcohol can provide health benefits, like building a stronger immune system, reducing stress, promoting a healthier and more functional liver, and reducing blood pressure.
Many alcoholic beverages or their mixers can be high in calories, so cutting down can also help manage your weight.
Overall health benefits of giving up alcohol
During Dry January, the body goes through many changes. While people may find the first few days challenging, it can help to focus on the overall health benefits that giving up alcohol may bring.
According to Alcohol Change UK, which started the Dry January initiative, 71% of people had better sleep by cutting out alcohol for a month, while 67% said they had more energy.
Improved sleep
Drinking alcohol before bed may affect sleep quality. By slipping straight into a deep sleep, you may miss out on the sleep stage known as rapid eye movement, or REM sleep.
REM sleep is the stage your brain enters to process and sort new information that it will store in the long-term memory. It also helps the body when it creates new cells and tissues and can affect concentration and mood.
A lack of REM sleep may lead to a lighter, less restorative sleep later in the night.
Heart disease
There may be a link between fragmented or lack of sleep and numerous heart conditions like:
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- high cholesterol
- heart attack
- obesity
- diabetes
- stroke
There is also a link with atherosclerosis, a condition that narrows the arteries due to a buildup of plaque or fatty deposits, potentially leading to heart disease.
Increased energy and exercise
If you get better sleep, you may have more time and energy to complete daily tasks — you could even use this as an opportunity to exercise. A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that exercise is a useful way to reduce alcohol consumption as well as improve overall fitness.
A change of attitude toward alcohol
Quitting alcohol for a month may mean you reconsider your relationship with alcohol and may give you more control over your long-term alcohol intake.
Weight loss
Alcohol is often high in calories. A standard glass of red wine — 5 fluid ounces (fl oz) — contains around 125 calories, and a 12 fl oz glass of regular beer has about 153.
According to Alcohol Change UK, 58% of people who have participated in previous Dry January initiatives have lost weight.
Lowers blood pressure
Quitting alcohol may lower your blood pressure and help keep your heart healthy.
Research reports that alcohol consumption increases blood pressure for more than 13 hours after consumption. This, in turn, can also increase heart rate for up to 24 hours.
Stronger immune system
Abstaining from alcohol can lead to a healthier gut and stronger immune system.
A 2022 systematic review reports that even a moderate amount of alcohol can have a negative effect on the immune system.
It can change the gut flora, leading to inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and a leaky gut. This is where the intestinal lining allows bacteria and toxins to enter the bloodstream, which may cause tissue damage.
How does alcohol affect some medications?
Some medications can affect how the body processes alcohol. In some cases, the medication’s effects may increase, but sometimes the effects can decrease or even stop.
Medication interactions can cause unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side effects like internal bleeding, heart conditions, and difficulty breathing.
Below are some medications that alcohol may affect.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics like metronidazole (Flagyl), sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim), and trimethoprim (Proloprim) interfere with how the body breaks down alcohol and may cause serious side effects, such as:
- nausea
- vomiting
- skin flushing
- faster heart rate
- dizziness
- drowsiness
Additionally, the antibiotic linezolid (Zyvox) can interact with red wine and beer and cause a dangerous blood pressure increase.
Pain relief
Pain relief such as tramadol (Ultram), gabapentin (Neurontin), codeine, and other morphine-like drugs can cause severe drowsiness and nausea if you mix them with alcohol.
Benzodiazepines and antihistamines
You should avoid alcohol altogether when taking benzodiazepines like diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax). This is because they can cause drowsiness and make you feel a little uncoordinated.
Some sedating antihistamines, like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), may also cause further drowsiness.
Antidepressants
You may feel an increase in drowsiness and feel uncoordinated when taking some antidepressants. If you combine alcohol with medications like amitriptyline (Elavil) and fluoxetine (Prozac), it may also worsen these symptoms.
If you have any questions about how your particular medication may interact with alcohol, contact a doctor or healthcare professional for advice before mixing the two.
If you need help covering the cost of medications, the free Optum Perks Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Follow the links on drug names for savings on that medication, or search for a specific drug here.
