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Sixty-two percent of adults in the United States say they drink alcohol, according to a July 2023 Gallup survey. This widely outnumbers those who say they completely abstain — which came out to 38% of Americans. 

Many month-long challenges have been advertised as a way to persuade people to spend 30 days without alcohol. “Dry January” and “Sober October” are examples of alcohol-free challenges that are popular to pursue. 

January and October are by no means the only times when alcohol use can be halted. A 30-day (or more) challenge is a great way to help your overall health and wellness, as there are several benefits that could come out of abstaining from alcohol for a period of time. 

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Below are five health-related improvements you may see if you spend 30 days alcohol-free. 

1. A better night’s sleep
2. Improved liver health
3. Weight loss
4. Improvements to brain function
5. Better digestion

1. A better night’s sleep

Better sleep can result from a lack of alcohol consumption — and better sleep leads to improved overall health. 

Research has shown that when alcohol is consumed close to the time you go to bed for the night, quality sleep can be interrupted, according to Healthline. 

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This loss of quality sleep will give you a groggy feeling the next day. 

Once alcohol is removed from your routine, your sleep cycle can start to get back on track, leaving you more alert and refreshed in the morning. 

By abstaining from alcohol for 30 days, you could very well see improvements to your sleep.  (iStock)

2. Improved liver health

Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of many different diseases. One of these is liver disease. 

There are three main types of alcohol-associated liver diseases that exist, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. These are steatotic (fatty) liver, acute hepatitis and cirrhosis, according to the source. 

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Steatotic liver is the most common, according to the source, and “is the build-up of fat inside the liver cells.”

Acute hepatitis “is an acute inflammation of the liver cells,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, while cirrhosis “is the destruction of normal liver tissue.” 

All of these diseases are caused by heavy alcohol consumption. The liver is what breaks down alcohol, so drinking too much can cause severe damage. 

Heavy alcohol consumption can be dangerous to the liver.  (iStock)

One of the most important steps in treating a liver disease is not drinking alcohol, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. By avoiding alcohol, the liver can be healed of some damage that was caused, depending on the severity of the case, the source notes. 

3. Weight loss

Excessive drinking may lead to weight gain, so the opposite could hold true when cutting alcohol out of your system, according to Healthline.

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Alcohol is extremely high in calories (especially super sweet drinks). It lacks nutrients and could cause hormones signaling appetite, hunger and stress to go off in your body, according to Health.com.  

While light to moderate drinking is unlikely to cause weight gain, heavy drinking could. 

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) lays out drinking guidelines, defining heavy drinking as four or more drinks per day, or eight or more per week for females, and five or more drinks per day or 15 or more drinks per week for males.

Since alcohol can cause weight gain, taking it out of your life can have the opposite impact.  (iStock)

4. Improvements to brain function

Thirty days of being alcohol-free can improve brain function and your overall mood. 

“Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes,” the NIAAA notes on its website. 

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Thera are also long-term affects on the brain from heavy drinking, such as “alterations in neurons.” 

Adolescent brains are even more susceptible to long-term damage from heavy alcohol consumption, according to the source. 

Consider giving your brain a break to help improve its function.

Alcohol consumption has short and long-term impacts on the brain.  (iStock)

5. Better digestion

Do you ever have an upset stomach after drinking? Experience acid reflux? You’re not alone.

After a night of drinking, a person can experience a hangover. While hangover symptoms can vary from person to person, some common symptoms include fatigue, weakness, thirst, headache, muscle aches, nausea, stomach pain, vertigo, sensitivity to light and sound, anxiety, irritability, sweating and increased blood pressure, according to the NIAAA. 

Gastrointestinal irritation caused by consuming alcohol can happen, as the lining of the stomach is a part of the body directly impacted by alcohol, per the source, increasing acid release, which can cause nausea and discomfort in an individual. 

Inflammation can also increase with alcohol consumption. That increased inflammation can cause hangover symptoms to be presented, according to the NIAAA. 

Therefore, a sober month gives your stomach a break and helps contribute to an overall healthy lifestyle. 

The upcoming presidential election could lead to a lot of unwanted – and sometimes unhealthy – snacking.

Emotional eating can be a byproduct of stressful times, including political events, sports playoffs and other happenings, according to various studies.

Recent research published in the journal Nutrients indicated that emotional eating is considered a “critical risk factor for recurrent weight gain.”

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The findings suggest a link between emotional eating and health factors such as obesity, depression, anxiety and stress.

Identifying healthier coping mechanisms for negative emotions can help prevent dangerous outcomes, the researchers concluded.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Los Angeles-based registered dietitian nutritionist Ilana Muhlstein said she often sees an uptick in emotional eating among her clients during stressful times.

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Having worked with private clients through three presidential election cycles, Muhlstein said there’s “always a spike in activity” before and after the election.

“People are watching the debates and watching the commentary on the couch, quickly eating their bag of chips or cookies, and it’s really destructive behavior,” she said.

A registered dietitian nutritionist confirmed that she sees an uptick in emotional eating among her clients during stressful times. (iStock)

Even during “nail-biting sports games,” people feel more inclined to mindlessly snack to “feel in control of the situation,” Muhlstein said.

“When we have these periods of unrest where it’s a situation of not knowing … that sense of limbo that can feel uneasy, people tend to confuse it with hunger,” she noted.

Emotional eating and weight loss

As a nutritionist, Muhlstein said emotional eating is one of the biggest factors she’s encountered with her clients who are struggling with their weight.

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“Until we get hold of the emotional eating, it’s really hard to lose the weight and even harder to keep it off,” she said.

Emotional eating is more prevalent in American culture than it is in other countries, according to Muhlstein, as many food companies have “pushed onto us … that food is going to be the thing that makes us feel better.”

Emotional eating is more prevalent in American culture than it is in other countries, said an expert.  (iStock)

Indulging in not-so-healthy treats and sweets during happy occasions, like birthdays and other celebrations, doesn’t have the same negative long-term impact as eating to get through a negative situation.

“We want to have treats like cake or cookies to elevate a positive experience,” she said. 

“If you have a slice [of cake] along with an overall healthy meal, you can still lose weight that week – you can still feel good in your body.”

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“If you got laid off, or got divorced, or are fighting with a best friend, or are watching the news and feeling stressed out, and you’re sitting there eating cake in a very rushed, unhappy way – in order to give you this short-term emotional relief and a hit of dopamine – I find that is what triggers a long-term, unhealthy relationship with food,” Muhlstein said. 

Potential for addiction

Emotional eaters tend to eat foods that are higher in sugar and other fattening ingredients, Muhlstein said, which can have addictive properties.

The part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens will “fire up” and release dopamine when consuming processed foods that contain a balance of sugar, salt, fat and other artificial flavorings, the expert cautioned.

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“We see in loads of research that there is a connection between eating ultra-processed foods and these feel-good chemicals in our body,” she said.

“When we’re eating things like cookies that have no fiber … or we’re having lots of candy that’s just sugar, syrups, flavorings and dyes, it never really fills us up and never satisfies us.”

Sweets should “elevate a positive experience” to prevent unhealthy habits and emotional eating, the expert advised. (iStock)

Guilt can worsen emotional eating, Muhlstein added, as many people “beat themselves up” after eating unhealthy foods.

Studies have shown that people who feel guilty when they overeat have higher instances of emotional eating and are more likely to continue eating poorly.

How to curb emotional eating

Muhlstein encouraged people to “lose the shame or guilt” and try to have a positive outlook in regard to eating habits.

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“If you’re constantly telling yourself, ‘I’m a stress eater, I’m a stress eater, I’m a stress eater,’ then the next time you get stressed, you will likely go to food,” she told Fox News Digital.

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“If you tell yourself, ‘I’m so stressed, I really need a walk,’ or ‘When I’m stressed, I like to journal or do mindful practices like meditation or yoga,’ then you will slowly start to engage in those healthier stress management techniques.”

A simple way to prevent emotional eating is to keep high-sugar, high-fat, ultraprocessed foods out of the home.

A simple way to prevent emotional eating is to remove trigger foods from your home, experts recommend. (iStock)

“You want to set your environment up for success,” Muhlstein advised. “That way, when you are stressed, you don’t have those quick-fix foods that trigger you.”

Muhlstein also recommended using healthier coping mechanisms in high-stress situations, such as exercising, deep breathing and drinking plenty of water.