We are proof Dry January really IS worth doing: 5 drinkers who gave up alcohol for a month reveal their astonishing results

We are proof Dry January really IS worth doing: 5 drinkers who gave up alcohol for a month reveal their astonishing results

• Ever tried giving up alcohol to make up for the excesses of the Christmas period?
• It’s popular with medical experts, who warn Britain suffers an alcohol epidemic
• Giving up alcohol for a month transformed the health of these five volunteers 

By Rachel Ellis for the Daily Mail

Most of us are familiar with the idea of Dry January — giving up alcohol for the month, often in an attempt to make up for the excesses of the Christmas period.

It’s a concept popular with medical experts, who are warning that Britain is in the grip of an alcohol epidemic.

More than ten million Britons drink to harmful levels, regularly exceeding the recommended maximum of 14 units a week (a medium glass of wine is two units, as is a pint of beer), according to a report last month by Public Health England.

Not only is alcohol high in calories, but heavy drinking contributes to high blood pressure and cholesterol — and probably increases blood sugar levels by making the hormone insulin less effective at processing sugars, raising the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Plus as the liver breaks down alcohol, it produces toxins that damage cells, leading to inflammation and scarring.

Around 20 per cent of drinkers will develop liver problems that could ultimately prove fatal.

Alcohol also increases the risk of cancer, stroke, dementia and heart disease.

Such is the concern about the number of people with liver damage that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) last month proposed that all heavy drinkers should have a scan to screen for liver disease.

But it’s not just the liver that suffers, so too can your sleep, says Professor Kevin Moore, a liver specialist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

‘Regular drinkers often have impaired sleep because they are more likely to snore or wake more frequently during the night as a consequence of their poor breathing, or because they need to use the bathroom, leaving them with poor concentration during the day,’ he says.

But is giving up alcohol for a month enough to undo this damage to your body? Experts believe so.

‘Our recent research on people drinking an average of 35 units a week has shown that going dry for just one month decreases liver stiffness [a sign of liver damage] by 10-15 per cent and leads to significant reductions in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin resistance,’ says Professor Moore.

‘So it is well worth it.’

To find out for ourselves, we asked five brave people who all drink over the official limit — most would be classed as heavy drinkers — to give up alcohol for a month.

They then had their weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked, and underwent various other blood tests before and after their alcohol-free month.

‘Blood tests measuring levels of certain liver enzymes provide important information about how healthy the liver is,’ says Professor Moore.

The volunteers also had an ultrasound scan of the liver, known as Fibroscan.

This involves ‘flicking’ the organ with a vibration sent through the skin to see how the liver responds.

‘A wobbly liver (with a score of less than seven) is healthy, while a stiffer liver, with a higher score, is a sign of damage, inflammation and scarring,’ he adds.

Here, we reveal our volunteers’ surprising results.

IT FIXED MY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE 

He drinks between 60 and 70 units a week.

Gordon enjoys a couple of pints of beer after leaving work, then a couple of glasses of wine at home. At a gig, he can drink three beers.

On Saturdays, he drinks four or five pints watching football and on Sundays he has wine with lunch.

He doesn’t normally drink on Mondays and Tuesdays, and does a three-mile and five-mile run each week, a spinning class once a week and walks to and from the station.

Results

Weight before: 18 st 8 lb (5 ft 7 in tall)

After: 18 st 6 lb

Liver stiffness before: 6.85 (borderline unhealthy)

After: 4.52 (normal)

Enzymes showing liver damage (three tested) before: Two high, one healthy

After: Two high, one healthy

Blood pressure before: 144/92 (anything over 140/90 is high)

After: 134/80 (normal)

At the start of the experiment, a scan showed Gordon had the beginnings of fatty liver — a build-up of fat in the liver cells which can be caused by alcohol and can lead to scarring.

After a month without alcohol, his liver had improved and become less stiff, and his levels of the liver enzyme gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) — released in the blood when the liver is damaged — reduced.

Before giving up alcohol, Gordon’s levels were high at 57, but they fell to 46, this is still higher than a normal reading, which is less than 36).

He also lost 2 lb despite eating more and his blood pressure dropped from high to within the normal range.

Professor Moore says:

‘Most people of Gordon’s weight will have a fatty liver.

‘His saving grace is that he regularly works out — studies suggest exercise may protect the body against the harmful effects of alcohol by mobilising fat in the liver.

‘Though most of Gordon’s other results were normal, the liver checks before the experiment suggested that drinking is starting to affect his body.

‘However, once he stopped, his liver stiffness and GGT levels dropped.

‘These enzyme levels are still above normal, so it would be a good idea for him to cut down on alcohol.

‘I had expected him to lose more weight but he came down with a cold — this limited his exercise.’

Gordon says:

‘Over the past year, I have been drinking more regularly because of extra pressure at work, and had caught myself looking forward to my next drink.

‘Giving up alcohol wasn’t that hard, even though it included my birthday and work Christmas party.

‘Without doubt, I feel more on an even keel emotionally, have more energy, my concentration has improved and I have enjoyed not feeling groggy during the day — though I did substitute drink for ice cream.

‘I’m thinking about giving up for six months.’

MY LIVER STARTED TO REPAIR ITSELF

Aimee Bradley, 33, a beauty therapist, lives in Havant, Hampshire, with her husband, Davin, 33, and their three-year-old daughter, Autumn. She drinks 70+ units a week.

Aimee started drinking regularly after her mother died in 2009.

At one point she was drinking two to three bottles of wine — usually prosecco — a night.

Now she drinks a bottle a night, but tries to have a couple of dry days a week.

Over two years, Aimee has gained almost 4 st through drinking. She does yoga daily at home.

After: 14 st

Liver stiffness before: 4.19 (normal)

After: 3.23 (normal)

Enzymes showing liver damage before: Two very high, one high

After: Three high

Blood pressure before: 112/74 (normal)

After: 118/78 (normal)

Aimee’s levels of key liver enzymes were very high — her GGT was eight times the normal level for women.

There are two other enzymes — aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) — which increase when the liver is inflamed or damaged.

Aimee’s levels of both were raised, with her ALT four times the usual level — suggesting alcohol misuse. Her sleep quality was also poor.

After the four weeks off alcohol, her GGT dropped by a third and her ALT level more than halved.

Professor Moore says:

‘I was surprised when I saw Aimee’s initial ultrasound scan.

‘She should by rights have a fatty liver, just by weight gain alone, and certainly with the amount of alcohol she consumes.

‘However, the blood tests showed that alcohol is still having a significant impact on her liver health.

‘When she stopped drinking, all liver enzymes decreased significantly, suggesting her liver was starting to repair.

‘But the levels are still much higher than normal, so I’d recommend she stays off alcohol, as she is at risk of developing cirrhosis [liver scarring]. She should also take up more exercise.’

Aimee says:

‘I’m terrified by the results. I lost my mum at 25 and want to make sure I’m around for my daughter Autumn.

‘I found giving up alcohol hard — a couple of times I opened a bottle of wine just to sniff it.

‘I ate more to compensate but still lost weight, and I felt less sluggish. Now I’ll only drink on special occasions.’

I LOST WEIGHT AND FEEL FAR HEALTHIER 

He drinks on average 25 to 40 units a week.

Sam drinks two glasses of red wine five days a week. He gives up alcohol for six weeks every Lent.

Each day he cycles 22 miles and he sees a personal trainer once a week.

Results

Weight before: 15 st 1 lb (6 ft 2 in tall)

After: 14 st 13 lb

Liver stiffness before: 4.8 (normal)

After: 3.9 (normal)

Enzymes showing liver damage before: One high, one borderline high, one healthy

After: Three healthy

Blood pressure before: 142/82 (high)

After: 134/78 (normal)

Before the experiment, Sam’s blood pressure was slightly high, as was his cholesterol at 5.6 mmoles/litre (less than 5 is considered ideal).

Sam’s levels of AST and ALT were also higher than normal.

After the experiment, Sam’s blood pressure fell to within the normal range, and he lost 2 lb.

Most notably, his levels of AST more than halved, bringing it into the normal range, and his ALT also dropped from 27 to 21 (under 31 is considered healthy). His liver stiffness also reduced.

Professor Moore says:

‘Sam’s initial ALT and AST levels can be a sign of alcohol misuse or scarring of the liver, which could be caused by years of drinking.

‘However, they can also be caused by muscle injury, which may be the reason in Sam’s case as he cycles.

‘Again, exercise seems to be protecting Sam. After giving up alcohol, all his liver function results were normal.

‘This shows the benefits of giving up for a few weeks to allow the liver to recover.’

Sam says:

‘My concentration improved, I felt physically better, particularly in the mornings, and slept through to when my alarm clock rang.

‘I’m very impressed. I now want to drink less frequently.’

MY SLEEP, SKIN AND MOOD IMPROVED

Lucy O’Grady, 41, a carer for her autistic son, Stirling, 11, lives with her partner, Pietro, 32, in South London. She drinks 70+ units a week.

After a bout of depression last year, brought on by family problems, Lucy turned to alcohol to unwind.

She regularly drinks a bottle of red wine a night and often has a beer in the day. Lucy goes to the gym every other day.

After: 9 st 6 lb

Liver stiffness before: 4.45 (normal)

After: 4.73 (normal)

Enzymes showing liver damage before: Three healthy

After: Three healthy

Blood pressure before: 118/72 (normal)

After: 110/70 (normal)

Despite her high alcohol intake, Lucy’s test results were within normal levels. After four weeks alcohol-free, her sleep and concentration improved.

Professor Moore says:

‘Lucy drinks heavily by all definitions. I had expected to find abnormal liver function in the tests and was surprised that her results were good.

‘Exercise may partly explain her good results — or she may simply have good genes. Importantly, giving up alcohol has challenged her psychological dependence on it.’

Lucy says:

‘It felt as if something was missing when I didn’t drink, I leant on alcohol for confidence.

‘However, it was taking its toll on my skin and I didn’t like how irritable it made me.

‘I really didn’t know if I could give it up — but I did and it helped me lose my taste for it.

‘I slept better and felt fresher. It’s been a really positive experience and I’ve also saved a lot of money — around £120.’

NOW I CAN FULLY CONCENTRATE

John relaxes with a few beers after work. At weekends he drinks six or seven pints of Guinness at the pub, then switches to cider or whiskey with water.

John does little exercise and has a family history of alcoholism.

Results

Weight before: 10 st 2 lb (5 ft 9 in tall)

After: 9 st 13 lb

Liver stiffness before: 5.08 (normal)

After: 7 (borderline unhealthy)

Enzymes showing liver damage before: Three healthy

After: Three healthy

Blood pressure before: 124/74 (normal)

After: 108/60 (normal)

John’s cholesterol was high at 5.9, but after the experiment it dropped slightly to 5.7.

While his sleep remained poor (he only sleeps for four hours) his concentration improved.

Professor Moore says:

‘Before the experiment, John’s test results were all normal, apart from his raised cholesterol — studies have suggested that cholesterol decreases when people stop drinking alcohol.

‘His significant drop in blood pressure (though not high initially) may be the result of not drinking alcohol — but I have no idea why his liver stiffness seemed to increase.’

John says:

‘My hangovers can be bad — my head pounds so much I have to press it against the wall.

‘It was hard giving up alcohol and there were a couple of times when I was tempted.

‘My concentration has improved since the experiment and I’m sure not drinking has contributed to that.

‘Since the end of the experiment two weeks ago, I have drunk only one bottle of beer and four or five vodkas — and I intend to keep it that way.’

What a booze-free month can achieve

‘After just a month, almost everyone’s blood pressure reduced, lowering the risk of stroke, heart disease and kidney damage in the long term,’ says Professor Moore.

‘Most lost weight even though some were eating more and exercising less. Giving up alcohol also improved everyone’s sleep and concentration.

‘The fact that only one patient (Aimee) had significantly abnormal liver function test results before going alcohol-free fits with what we know — that only 20 per cent of people who drink excess alcohol develop liver disease.

‘However, alcohol can affect people’s lives in many ways — not just health.’

Before their alcohol-free month, each volunteer was assessed to ensure it was safe for them to stop drinking — it can be unsafe to suddenly stop if you are dependent on alcohol.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4082714/We-proof-Dry-January-really-worth-doing-5-drinkers-gave-alcohol-month-reveal-astonishing-results.html#ixzz4UoO8ffDH
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