Man who drank for 20 years quit for 30 days and shared all changes he experienced
The festive period is officially over, which means that millions of people around the world will be looking to do a health reset.
When the new year arrives, many of us want to shake off the copious amounts of beer, chocolates and pigs in blankets that we have consumed over the past couple of weeks.
One way in which a lot of folks choose to do this is by completing Dry January, which sees them stave off alcohol for the whole month - something which can have a drastically good impact on our health.
From a young age, particularly in the UK, drinking is a huge part of our culture but the reality is that even just a few drinks a week can be doing a lot of harm to our bodies.
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More and more people are now embracing sobriety, and January represents the perfect opportunity to trial giving up the booze for an extended period, perhaps with the view of giving it up permanently in the long term.
One YouTuber decided to try going without alcohol for a whole 30 days after drinking it on a very regular basis for 20 years straight, and he noticed some incredible changes in both his physical and mental health.
Popular content creator Upgradeitis shared his significant results after going sober with his wife for a whole month, having gained 20 lbs and developed chronic anxiety, weak nails, difficulty swallowing and sleep issues since increasing his alcohol intake during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Even though he had never previously considered himself to be an alcoholic, when he was contemplating this challenge, he realised that he might well have had a drinking problem, as the thought of never drinking again triggered some anxiety.
The first week of sobriety: Cravings
Although he struggled a bit with cravings in the first week, he noted that waking up on a weekend without any adverse effects from the night before felt great.
The second week of sobriety: More cravings, boredom and fatigue
The second week brought more cravings, as well as boredom and fatigue, as he struggled to find alternatives to drinking in his evenings and weekends.
Week three of sobriety: Positive changes
However, after pushing through to the third week, he suddenly felt far more present during the day and also had more energy for activities in the evening, noting how he had time to take his kids to the pool.
Week four of sobriety: Improved mood, stress tolerance and patience
Week four is when the major breakthroughs started to come, as his mood was far improved, while his stress tolerance and patience also increased massively.
He had also been struggling with GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), but this was almost completely gone after taking alcohol out of his diet for the whole month.
Although he didn't follow in the footsteps of many and turn his month off alcohol into a lifetime decision, his first beer after the break tasted bad and also made his brain foggy, so it's easy to see how many turn things like Dry January into a more permanent commitment.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Dry January, Alcohol, Health, YouTube, Mental Health
James Moorhouse