Overview
- Researchers synthesized 16 peer‑reviewed studies covering about 150,000 people and reported improvements in sleep, mood, weight, liver function and blood pressure, with benefits published in Alcohol and Alcoholism.
- Many participants reduced their drinking for months after the challenge, and even moderated approaches reported some gains, according to the review.
- Sleep typically gets harder in the first week without alcohol but improves across the month as normal sleep architecture rebounds, experts said.
- Clinicians caution that people with moderate to heavy dependence should seek medical advice before attempting abrupt abstinence because withdrawal can be dangerous.
- Flexible approaches such as “Dampuary,” wider mocktail and zero‑proof options, and tools like Alcohol Change UK’s Try Dry app are shaping how people take on the month and boosting completion.