If you've been doing Sober October, you've probably noticed some health benefits from not touching a drop of alcohol for a whole month.
While at first you might have experienced withdrawal symptoms depending on how much you usually drink things will have eventually taken a turn for the better.
Within a matter of days you'd have been sleeping better, making better decisions and probably even feeling the creative juices flowing more freely.
On top of that, your bank account will thank you and by the end of the month your risk of a heart attack or stroke will have decreased, while your liver and kidneys will also have improved.
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That all sounds great, so what if you wanted a new challenge after Sober October and just decided to keep the 'no alcohol' thing going for a whole year?
Everything good that had been happening during the first month will have been having an even greater impact as it's been going on 12 times as long.
According to Drink Surely, you ought to have more energy and an improved mood to the point that people around you will likely have noticed.
That's because your dopamine levels return to normal after you kick the alcohol, meaning you'll get more joy out of life instead of relying on alcohol to provide it.
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Unless you've replaced it with more food then you'll also likely notice some weight loss, as many alcoholic drinks have a quite significant amount of calories.
As far as what keeps your body running, your risk of heart, liver and kidney disease will all have dropped dramatically, as will your risk of certain cancers.
Even better, your immune system will have recovered so when you do get laid low by illness your body will be better at fighting it off.
From month three onwards, your risk of developing liver, stomach, breast, oral, ovarian, larynx, pharynx, esophagus and colorectal cancer starts to reduce and it continues so you'll be in even better shape after a year.
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In addition to all of those benefits your skin will also become healthier, meaning you and those closest to you will be able to see the difference.
If you had symptoms of alcohol withdrawal then after a year they will pretty much all be gone.
However, this doesn't mean that for those with an alcohol addiction the cravings will disappear.
The physical effects of alcohol will all essentially be gone after a year but the cravings to have a drink for those with an addiction to alcohol will still remain.
Topics: Health, Food And Drink
Joe Harker