“You are not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better.” ~Dr. Daniel Amen
At the beginning of the year, I had this whole list in my head about the benefits of dry January: drop a few pounds, sleep better, get those bright white eyes everyone raves about. The standard results you think you would get if you avoided alcohol for a month. But I should have known; my body had something else in mind.
Truthfully, the real reasons are much more complex. Alcoholism runs in my family. I’ve never thought I had a problem, but occasionally, you need to check in with yourself and take a step back.
My mother passed away when she was fifty-seven. She couldn’t care for herself the way she needed to—to do the hard things to make her life and her health better. That was hard to witness as a young child.
There wasn’t much I could do to change that trajectory. I vowed that wouldn’t happen to me. So I consciously build ways to check myself and prioritize my brain health.
I’ve done Dry January before, so I knew I could do it. What I realized this time is that the all-or-nothing approach is easier for me than trying to moderate.
That “monkey on my back” everyone talks about is for real. For me, it’s also the mental bandwidth of deciding. Should I have a drink tonight? How many are okay? Do I deserve it after this week? When you commit to none, all that wondering goes away. Turns out January was way easier than “Damp January” would’ve been. Proving that to myself again is always worth it.
But there’s more to this now. I recently got tested for the Alzheimer’s gene, as it runs in my family, and I was experiencing midlife brain fog that I couldn’t kick. I found out that I carry one copy of the APOE gene, which puts me at 25% higher risk for cognitive decline! That’s when my brain health became even more important to me.
I know alcohol is not good for the brain and body, but I’m also not ready to give up that glass of wine entirely.
These scheduled breaks from alcohol are going to be part of my life going forward. Not deprivation. Protection. I want to enjoy life; I still want to go to an occasional happy hour without guilt. But this is my 80/20 trade-off. Take care of my brain most of the time so I can embrace those moments when I choose to indulge.
Here’s a side note. Having my significant other do this with me made all the difference. I got through football games and birthday parties, all those moments where you’re the only one not drinking. But if there’d been drinking in my own house? That would be more challenging. (Like an open bag of chips you are trying not to eat.) So, thank you, honey.
He says he didn’t necessarily like it, but he did it for me. Secretly, I think he’s proud of himself for being someone who did Dry January. Not because it’s hard, but it takes commitment and going out of your way to do things differently.
Here’s what caught me off guard—take away that end-of-day glass of wine or Friday night’s wind-down, and your brain immediately starts hunting for a replacement. What is the reward? I get it—there should be a treat at the end of a long, hard work week. Yes, of course there are other ways to gift yourself, like self-care, etc. But you’re sitting on the couch watching a movie together (not going out). I never expected mine to go so insanely to sugar.
I’m a salty person. Always have been. Cheese and bread over dessert every time (except dark chocolate, of course). But this month I was craving sweets like crazy.
Watching my reward system scramble for that dopamine hit was fascinating and kind of alarming. Proof that these patterns are more addictive than we think. And that once sugar is in your system, you want more. They say sugar is as or more addictive than cocaine. Now I understand.
The scale? It went up. Just a couple pounds, and I’m not worried about it, but come on. Here I am doing the “healthy thing,” and I’m gaining weight. I was a bit insulted, to be honest, and it didn’t seem fair. But between the sugar, increased sitting on the couch, and losing alcohol’s appetite suppressant effect, my body had other ideas. Now I know.
I would say the worst part was the hormonal acne I got on my chin and jawline. I assumed this was from detoxing all the “bad” things out of my body, but what could have been that bad to deserve this? Maybe it was the increased sugar consumption? I’m officially in menopause after eight years on a rollercoaster of symptoms (including skin issues), and this is what I get—deep painful zits like I’m a teenager.
I had to ask Claude what the real answer was. He said when you stop drinking, your liver can suddenly focus on clearing out those excess hormones—including estrogen metabolites and androgens. This can create a temporary surge as your body processes what’s been backing up, which can absolutely trigger breakouts, especially that deep, cystic hormonal acne along the jawline and chin.
Well, there you have it. I guess I’m happy to be cleaning house, but it’s rather rough in the pale days of winter.
This is the fun part. What got better?
SLEEP! Sleep became a different thing entirely. Not just easier to fall asleep—I mean deep, actually-refreshed-in-the-morning sleep. My Oura ring loved me. I received my highest sleep core since I started tracking over a year ago. Ninety-one, and it even had a crown next to it! My HRV is in optimal balance— say what? That never happens.
The inflammation changes were dramatic. Less stiff, less swollen—my rings are falling off.
That morning’s stiffness I’d written off as being in my fifties? Mostly gone unless the weather is shifting.
The night sweats dwindled to almost none. Those 3 a.m. spirals where you replay every conversation and stress about tomorrow? Done. The mental spinning that used to wake me up again at 4 a.m. just… stopped. I did get up to pee but was able to go right back to sleep.
My lymphatic system finally got consistent attention, not just the liver. I’ve done lymphatic massage for years and dry brushing when I remember, but I’d never stuck with self-massage. This month I made it daily—gentle circles and taps along the collarbone, neck, under the arms, abdomen, and behind my knees.
Our lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump like the heart; it needs movement and manual help. I could actually feel the difference in how my body was clearing things out. My brain fog was less, energy improved, and I was more focused.
Another bonus was Mondays stopped being a reset. I was building upon the week before instead of constantly starting over. I noticed it most in my yoga practice. I had better balance and increased stamina, and I felt stronger in every class. I was creating actual momentum instead of taking steps back every Monday to recover.
Maybe my favorite surprise was stopping the fight against January’s hibernation energy. Instead of thinking I need to make plans, go out, and stay up later than my body wants, I happily got cozy with a book by the fire and didn’t think twice about it. My dog loved it, too!
It wasn’t just about being alcohol-free. It was about removing the social push that alcohol creates. Without that glass of wine saying, “Let’s keep going,” I listened to what my body wanted. Turns out it wanted to rest. Sleep. Permission to be in the moment and chill.
I’ll go back to socializing and the occasional late night for sure. But this month reminded me that my body’s been trying to tell me something, and I need to listen with more intent.
Now that it’s February (at the time when I wrote this), I’ll enjoy that first glass of wine (thinking a good Burgundy and a steak). But I’m going forward with way more awareness. About my patterns, what my body’s telling me, what actually helps versus what I just think should help.
I’m thinking about rewards differently—what feels good and is good for me, not just the quick dopamine fix. Although those are fun sometimes too.
This wasn’t just about wellness checkboxes. Because I’m always doing that. It was more about understanding my reward system, recognizing inflammation and imbalances I’d normalized, and learning that sometimes the best insights come from doing less and not more.
Now that I have that information? I get to decide what to do with it and build upon it. That’s where the real power is—not restricting myself but in knowing what’s happening in my body. It makes me want to make better choices. Not because I “should,” but because I care about my brain, and I want to protect it for years to come.
About Christine Despres
Christine is a RN, board-certified health & wellness coach and certified dementia practitioner who has spent thirty-plus years in healthcare developing her passion: helping midlife women build a holistic brain-healthy lifestyle to sharpen their mind, boost confidence, and feel vibrant in their next chapter. To check out more of her work, visit her site, The Wellness Navigator. You can also find her on Instagram. If you want personalized insight. take the Brain Health Quiz,Why Does Everything Feel Harder after 40? It takes two minutes.
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