This Is What Happens If You Stop Drinking for a Month

Here's a New Year's resolution you only have to stick to for a month. According to several studies, having a "dry January" where you don't drink any alcohol can have a huge impact on your health.

A study in 2013 found that "normal drinkers" that stopped drinking for one month:

• Lost an average of 3.5 pounds.
• Were less likely to develop diabetes.
• Had lower cholesterol levels.
• Slept better.
• Found it easier to concentrate.
• Lowered the amount of fat in their liver by an average of 15%. Which is important, because a fatty liver can lead to liver disease.

A new study found that not drinking for a month can actually change your drinking patterns too.

850 people agreed to stop drinking for one month. And six months later, the ones who followed through with it were still drinking significantly less than they did before they took part in the study. Only about two-thirds of them actually made it a month without drinking though. The rest of them couldn't do it.

Read more at New Scientist.