What is Sober October?

Much like "Dry January," Sober October is a 31-day challenge where people either cut back on or eliminate alcohol from their diets for an entire month. Sober October originally began in the United Kingdom to help raise money for people with cancer.

Although Sober October only lasts a month, it may lead some participants to rethink their drinking habits once the challenge is over.

"People don't find that they're right back in the same situation" as they were before abstinence, said Rocco Iannucci, director of the Fernside Residential Treatment Program at McLean Hospital. "Sometimes it's eye-opening and it makes people decide to make some other changes, even if it's not stopping the alcohol altogether. It gives us a perspective on our drinking."

For some people, a short-term experiment with abstinence may lead to a larger lifestyle change. Many companies are also now releasing new lower-alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages to cater to people hoping to cut back on drinking alcohol.

"More and more people are leaning toward a 'mindful drinking' lifestyle," said Annie Borgerding, director of marketing at Back Bar Project.

"That doesn't always mean cutting out alcohol completely, but it does mean making more conscious choices throughout the year, whether you're out at a bar, dining at a restaurant or just mixing up something at home," Borgerding added. "It's all about giving people the option to make mindful choices, any time of year."

How cutting back on alcohol can improve your health

Jamile Wakim-Fleming, director of the Fatty Liver Disease Program at the Cleveland Clinic, said that "[a]lcohol is associated with inflammation throughout the body and is shown to cause ill effect on multiple organs."

"Those who drink too much alcohol may show subtle signs as in poor concentration, worsening memory, poor sleep, inability to perform tasks they used to perform well in the past — and blame this on older age," Wakim-Fleming added.

According to Ashley Loeb Blassingame, co-founder and chief people officer of Lionrock Recovery, some of the potential health benefits of abstaining from alcohol for a month include:

• Better sleep quality
• Improved memory
• Better immune function
• Reduced risk of cancer
• Improved heart health
• Weight loss

In addition, a month without alcohol can improve the health of your liver. "People with significant liver inflammation related to alcohol will oftentimes see their markers of inflammation go back to normal within the course of a month, and that's people who have a significant level of alcohol intake," Iannucci said.

Notably, people who only reduced their alcohol consumption instead of completely abstaining also saw some health benefits.

"Any reduction in drinking is associated with improvements in health," said Kate Witkiewitz, director of the Center on Alcohol, Substance Use and Addictions at the University of New Mexico and former president of the Society of Addiction Psychology. "As your drinking increases, you have increased health risks, and as your drinking decreases, you have decreased health risks."

How to become a more conscious drinker

If you're interested in participating in an abstinence challenge or just want to cut back on alcohol in general, here are some tips to get started:

• Only drink during special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays, or anniversaries
• Slowly reduce the number of days you drink by incorporating more dry days over time.
• Reduce the number of drinks you have at one time. For example, instead of having two glasses of wine with dinner, have one glass.
• Take a combination approach by setting a goal to have a specific number of dry days a week and fewer servings on the days you do drink. Find a strategy that works best for you.

There are also several ways to help make it easier for you to cut back on alcohol, such as:

• Using an alcohol reduction app like Sunnyside or Reframe to create customized plans, get daily reminders, and access a like-minded community.
• Taking 20 minutes to do something else to distract yourself when you're craving alcohol. According to Vedant Pradeep, co-founder and CEO of Reframe, cravings typically go away after around 20 minutes.
• Finding different non-alcoholic alternatives to alcohol. There are several types of non-alcoholic wines, beers, and spirits that you can drink instead.
• Immersing yourself in different activities, such as reading, exercising, cooking, or trying new restaurants, instead of drinking.

(Drillinger, Healthline, 10/3; King, Forbes, 10/2; O'Connor, Washington Post, 10/3; Etienne, People, 10/4)