Even a brief dry spell in midlife can do wonders for your health and energy levels. Photo / 123RF
OPINION:
By abstaining from alcohol in solidarity with pregnant wife Carrie, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will soon discover there are only benefits to be had.
So, Boris Johnson giving up alcohol in solidarity with his pregnant wife Carrie, vowing not to have another drink until Christmas, when their second baby is due.
Good for him. I'm sure Carrie will appreciate his efforts and, after six months of abstinence, our PM – who has been on a health kick since ending up in intensive care last year with Covid – will certainly notice the benefits. I know from first-hand experience that even a brief dry spell in midlife can do wonders for your health and energy levels.
I gave up alcohol for six months at the beginning of the first lockdown, back in March 2020. I wasn't drinking especially heavily, save for the odd slip up, but since I was going to be spending most of lockdown alone with my teenage children, and no other adults, I didn't want to get into the habit of drinking on my own. Sure, the odd glass might have taken the edge off the perpetual Covid gloom, but an open wine bottle at home would have been a temptation too far, especially if I was bored and lonely.
Like an open bar of chocolate or leftover birthday cake, I have a tendency to ''graze'' on wine. The odd slosh here, in front of Netflix, and before I know it, it's often a case of, "whoops, where did that bottle go?"
If I wasn't careful, I could see myself joining the one in five adults who regularly drink over the recommended upper limit of 14 units a week. I also wanted to protect my immune system, as Covid spread around the UK.
Right away, I noticed the benefits. I slept better, my skin was brighter and less prone to ruddy-cheeked rosacea flare-ups. I lost weight.
Little wonder. Not only is alcohol full of empty calories, it also plays havoc with your willpower. Earlier this year, Boris said he was partial to "late-night binges of chorizo and cheese", but was determined to cut back after his Covid scare.
Avoiding wine with dinner, or forgoing that quick beer after work, will help with this enormously: a recent study found we eat more when under the influence of alcohol, leading scientists to believe alcohol triggers hunger signals in the brain.
The other big benefit for me was, despite all the Covid angst, I slept like a baby for the first time in years. In the past, I would often drink a glass of wine or two after dinner to unwind and help me get to sleep, but then find myself annoyingly wide awake at 4am. This makes sense, because although alcohol acts as a sedative, knocking us out initially, as the night progresses it can raise the body's level of epinephrine, a stress hormone that increases the heart rate and acts as a stimulant.
Added to that, alcohol creates an imbalance between slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, say scientists, leading to a shorter time and more disturbed sleep after a boozy night. And if Boris is a snorer, Carrie will be doubly thankful he's no longer drinking, since alcohol loosens the throat muscles, which can worsen the type of sleep-related breathing problems that can lead to bone-rattling snoring.
What's more, while alcohol is often associated with feeling amorous and feeling more attractive, too much can dull sensation and reduce libido. So another good reason to skip the nightcap.
And there are plenty of other health benefits to cutting – or just curbing – our alcohol intake. Recent research at University College London published in the British Medical Journal studied the effects of giving up alcohol for a month in 94 moderate to heavy drinkers who routinely consumed more than the NHS's guidelines (their average intake was 28 units a week).
Not only did the abstainers lose weight (just under 2kg/4.4lb on average), their insulin resistance – a marker for type 2 diabetes – improved by around 25 per cent, while blood tests for inflammation and liver function showed improvement. They also saw a small drop in blood pressure and a reduction in cancer-related growth factors.
So how was it, going teetotal in the most depressing year in living memory?
Not too bad, actually. There were, of course, the typical ''triggers'' that were hard to ignore: a nice Sunday roast without a glass or two of my favourite rioja, or settling down to watch Bridget Jones's Diary (for the sixth time) without a cold glass of wine in hand, wasn't quite the same. Nor was a marathon cooking session, unaccompanied by that satisfying pop of a prosecco cork. But after a month, drinking was simply something I no longer did – or missed.
If I have one piece of advice for Boris, it's this. Empty the No 10 wine cellar of all temptation. The one time I did slip up was after cooking a coq au vin, which of course called for wine. Well, it seemed a shame to waste that last bit in the bottle...
But most of the time, I simply marched steadily past the wine aisle in Waitrose, and with no wine in the house, I couldn't drink it.
I found new ways to unwind that didn't involve alcohol. I'd put on my favourite tracks, turn up the volume and jig around the kitchen while cooking, which gave me a similar boost to the one I got from booze. I became an herbal tea connoisseur and found some interesting non-alcoholic tipples, like Seedlip and a brilliant non-alcoholic martini that tastes almost exactly like an Aperol Spritz.
When lockdown ended I carried on being teetotal for a while, drinking sparkling water in the pub. Most people accepted it, and to those who I knew would push back, I told them I was on antibiotics or driving.
Like Boris, I never intended to give up alcohol completely, I just wanted a midlife booze break. But what I've found is I'm generally drinking less than I was before I went teetotal. I'll stick to sparkling water in a restaurant until the main course arrives, and ask the waiter not to top up my glass, so I can keep track.
Giving up alcohol for six months acted as a reset for my drinking habits and, as research shows, once they experience the benefits of going teetotal, most people recalibrate. One study found that following Sober October, even the heaviest drinkers were knocking back 70 per cent less three weeks after their dry period ended.
I felt great, I slept well, and friends commented on how well I looked. Whether I'll see any ongoing healthy benefits depends on whether I continue to drink less in the future. I certainly intend to.
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