If you spend four weeks without alcohol, you may find changes to your body and your energy level. You can find out the exact advantages of abstinence and how you can fast alcohol here.
Four weeks without alcohol can be worthwhile – not just during the Dry January. This movement originally comes from Great Britain and has the goal of compensating for the often alcohol -rich December, in which alcohol waiver is on the plan in the first month of the new year.
Participants: In the inside of a survey by the University of Sussex, 2018 reported, among other things, that they saved money without alcohol during the 30 days, can now better control their drinking behavior, to sleep calmly and have more energy. In this article, we explain to you in this article.
You can also try alcohol loads during Lent and extend it to almost six weeks instead of four weeks.
Four weeks without alcohol: sleep, skin & liver
Alcohol damaged. According to a study, even small quantities have an impact on us and can shorten life expectancy. Fortunately, the body recovers quickly. After four weeks without alcohol, the following could be noticed:
- Sleep improves. If you do without alcohol, you sleep deeper and are more relaxed the next day. Many use alcohol to be able to fall asleep better. Even if this can succeed, alcohol has a negative impact on the second half of the night, according to Prof. Thomas Pollmächer from the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Nerve Healing (DGPPN) based in Berlin compared to the information portal neurologist and psychiatrist on the net. In this way, alcohol promotes sleep disorders, affects the general quality of our sleep and thus shortens our bedtime.
- The complexion benefits. According to a study, increased alcohol consumption ensures increased formation of wrinkles and swelling. Another study found that the consumption of alcohol can cause or worsen skin diseases. These include, for example, eczema and psoriasis.
- You can lose weight through alcohol loads. Beer, wine and cocktails contain many calories, but do not fill us up or provide us with significant nutrients. According to the Ärztezeitung, alcohol also boosts the appetite. In addition to weight gain, this can also lead to increased blood pressure.
- The liver regenerates. It is our most important detoxification organ for alcohol breakdown. If you do without alcohol for at least four weeks, it must reduce less toxins. The liver has a lot to do with frequent alcohol consumption. Then alcohol degradation can lead to fat retention and, in the worst case, the formation of a fatty liver.
Immune system, blood pressure and stress without alcohol
Other factors also improve if you live without alcohol for four weeks:
- The immune system is strengthened. Every alcohol frenzy affects our immune system. According to a study, people are much more susceptible to infections for at least 24 hours after severe alcohol consumption.
- If you drink alcohol, this increases blood pressure. The reason is the stimulating effect on the vegetative nervous system. If you do without alcohol for four weeks, a study from 2018 can normalize blood pressure in this short time.
- The stomach can regenerate. Because alcohol consumption stimulates the formation of gastric acid. In the stomach, the Ethanol containing in alcohol causes a swelling of the gastric mucosa, as the University of Heidelberg writes on its website. The mucous membrane in the oral cavity and esophagus is also damaged by alcohol.
- You are more powerful if you fast alcohol. This is due to the improved sleep quality and the absence of hangover days. Alcohol dampens the perception of stress at short notice, but shortly after consumption, alcohol makes us more stressful again and brings us to our performance limits faster.
How you feel exactly during and after four weeks without alcohol, of course, always depends on your individual requirements and your previous drinking behavior. Our editor Katharina Schmidt did the Dry January and wrote an experience report on her “dry January”.
How do the 4 weeks work without alcohol?
It is difficult to change habits – be it the daily reward chocolate or the after -work beer. It is worth staying on. Here you will find some tips for four weeks without alcohol:
- Terminate in the circle of friends and in the family that you want to do without alcohol for a while. Maybe someone joins you. And your loved ones are warned and ideally do not offer you alcohol.
- However, prepare yourself that you are asked why nothing drinks. Make it clear that it is not rude to reject alcohol offered.
- Keep in mind the advantages of the alcohol load. And remember: if it is not for you, you don’t have to do without alcohol forever. However, the four weeks without alcohol can be an exciting experiment and perhaps also the starting point for more responsible consumption.
-
Unlock yourself. Go for a round, do sports or look for other jobs that fulfill you when you feel the urge for alcohol.
-
Try new things. To replace alcohol, you can prepare homemade drinks such as lavender lemonade or non-alcoholic cocktails.
But there are also other tips that help you drink less alcohol.
Read more on utopia.de:
- Alcohol in food: There is so much in banana and Co.
- Askese: Why can abstinence and waiver be happy
- Cheers or tips away? Alcoholic drinks last so long
** marked with ** or orange underlined Links to sources of supply are partially partner links: If you buy here, you will actively support Techzle\.com, because we will then receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More information.