What happens to your body after a month of no alcohol

We have officially begun 'Sober October'.

If you've decided to take up the challenge and hop on the wagon, forgoing the booze for the next four weeks, you may be wondering what it's all for.

As well as raising some money for charity, going tee total could be pretty good for your health too. Who knew, eh?

But what kind of benefits can you expect to enjoy if you're one of the thousands going sober for October?

Skin

Well, one of the first things you might notice is a change to your complexion.

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Reducing, or cutting out, the booze means your body is able to freely produce heaps of the anti-diuretic hormone vasopressin, which gives your skin a nice glow.

And that's not all, less alcohol also allows your pores to to shrink, meaning fewer spots.

Liver

It will come as no surprise to many of you reading this that overdoing it with the beer and wine, etc. is not exactly great for your insides.

The liver is where the contents of your trip to the pub have to be broken down, and depending on the amount you've drunk during the sesh, it can be a tough ask.

However, if you give it a little break, even just a few weeks, you can drastically reduce something called liver ‘stiffness’, an early sign of liver disease, which can, in the most extreme of cases, develop into cirrhosis.

Brain

After a week of no booze, once you get through the initial cravings and withdrawal, you can expect to see some general improvements to your day-to-day life including better sleep quality, better decision-making, and you might even notice that you feel more creative.

Blood pressure

Drinking too much booze can seriously weaken the muscles in your blood vessels, causing them to become narrower.

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This in turn makes it more difficult for your heart to get blood around your body, increasing your blood pressure, which can cause a whole host of issues such as the risk of a stroke as well as heart and kidney disease.

But the good news is that if you are abstaining this month, you should notice a drop in your blood pressure in as little as four weeks.

Cancer

Studies have found that going sober can also help reduce the risk of a person developing several forms of cancer, such as mouth, breast, bowel and liver.

Immune system

Consuming too much alcohol can give the immune system a good kicking, meaning you're more susceptible to germs and bugs going round the office.

And with the weather turning, that could be pretty useful.

Now, just another 29 days to go.

Topics: UK News, Food And Drink

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom