What 'Sober October' really does to your body — from sleep to the microbiome

If you abstain from alcohol for 31 days, what could it do for your brain and body? It’s a question you might well have asked yourself at the start of October. It’s also one you might have forgotten to answer when unseasonable warmth made the siren call of a cold pint too difficult to resist. But it’s not too late to consider the benefits of a concept anyone with a mid-autumn birthday has come to dread: Sober October. According to the NHS, a fifth of adults (16+) in England exceed the government-recommended maximum of 14 units — roughly six pints or medium glasses of wine — per week. Could we all benefit from a month-long booze break?According to the NHS, a fifth of adults (16+) in England exceed the government-recommended maximum of 14 units PA WireOne person well-placed to answer is Professor David Nutt. As professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, former chief drugs adviser to the government and author of Drink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health, Nutt knows a thing or two about how alcohol affects us — and how taking a break does, too.“Alcohol is such a clever drug,” he says. “It takes away your desire to be critical of what you’re doing. That’s why it’s a problem for the 15 to 20 per cent of people who do actually end up becoming dependent on it.”The good news, Nutt continues, is that for casual drinkers, things change pretty quickly when you stop. “You’ll probably notice that within a night or two your sleep is better because alcohol overstimulates noradrenaline and dopamine, which keep you awake and shorten sleep,” says Nutt. “You’ll probably notice that within a night or two your sleep is better”Professor David Nutt“You’ll also probably notice being slightly sharper, partly because your sleep is better and partly because alcohol blunts aspects of cognition, like memory. Alcohol blocks the glutamate receptor — the receptor through which every piece of cognition is functioning.” Nutt also reels off some of the other benefits of a booze break: saving money, losing weight, giving the liver a chance to recover. He also points out another, lesser-known advantage. “A lot of people suffer from indigestion and don’t realise it’s from alcohol,” he says. “Alcohol is quite toxic to the gut because it inflames the lining and makes it more permeable, so you absorb more toxins into the microbiome.”How quickly will this change? “Inflammation will settle down over about a week and the microbiome will regrow over the second two to three weeks,” he says. “So, again, by the end of a month, unless you’re dependent on alcohol, almost all the negative side effects will be offset.”Read MoreNutt isn’t anti-alcohol; he drinks himself, albeit in greater moderation than he used to. He has a few tips for anyone looking to change their habits or develop a more mindful approach, through Sober October or otherwise. Firstly, keep a “decent diary” of what and how much you’re drinking. Secondly, avoid drinking alone. “The purpose of alcohol is to ease socialising,” he says. “That’s why it exists. Alcohol has brought human society together since before written or pictorial history. Drinking alone misses the point. If you’re drinking alone then you’re drinking for a different reason.“Finally, if you’re drinking with one other person, Nutt says there’s one mantra to keep in mind: “Never open a second bottle.”Moderation, unsurprisingly, seems to be central to his approach. But so, too, is understanding a central part of why alcohol is appealing in the first place. “It stimulates in the brain the neurotransmitter called GABA, the mechanism by which we control anxiety,” he says. “Alcohol boosts GABA so people get more relaxed.”A new generation of non-alcoholic beverages (including Sentia Spirits, co-founded by Nutt) is focusing on stimulating GABA with botanical adaptogens rather than ethanol. Something to consider if you are giving Sober October a go.