After an indulgent month filled to the brim with booze and food, many of us will be planning on taking a break from alcohol in January.
A month off the booze can bring a whole host of benefits from more energy and a boosted mood (be gone hangovers!). However, aside from the much healthier bank account, there are plenty more brilliant health benefits that you may not be aware of.
Plump and glowy skin
Cue everyone around you asking for your skincare routine. Actually, you’ve just ditched the drink. The reasoning behind alcohol having a negative impact on your skin is because of anti-diuretic hormones – alcohol reduces the production of these which means you lose water and sodium more quickly which your skin hates!
Blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels
With a new study revealing over 1 in 4 people have high blood pressure, and over half have high cholesterol (you can read more about that here), laying off the booze may be a good idea to bring these both down. Research has found that 4 weeks without a drink can be enough to start lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Liver
Your liver will certainly be thanking you for this alcohol hiatus. Your poor old liver has to process booze into waste products, alongside it’s hundreds of other jobs it has to do (getting rid of old red blood cells, regulating amount of blood in your body, helping your body to digest food – just to name a few). So, giving your liver a little break means that it can focus on performing its other jobs effectively.
Immune system
Do you fall victim to the Winter flu every year? Well, this could be because you have a weakened immune system from drinking. Booze has been found to suppress your immune system which makes you much more susceptible to picking up those pesky illnesses. Feel better already?
Weight loss
It’s at the start of everyone’s New Year Resolutions – lose weight. Alcohol consumption and weight gain often go hand in hand as those alcohol calories can add up quickly (you can see what your go-to tipple is packing here), so a month alcohol-free can do wonders for your waistline.