The little-known side effects and benefits of Dry January on your brain

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “For many people who consume alcohol – not just heavy drinkers – reducing or stopping alcohol intake often results in enhanced concentration and better mental health, all of which indicate improved brain health.” And Dr Richard Piper, CEO at Alcohol Change UK, who says 15.5 million people plan to have an alcohol-free January, stresses: “Alcohol is a chemical that can bring about big changes in the complex functions of the human brain. “Yet, if we drink often or heavily, our body and brain can become used to these dopamine boosts and start to make less dopamine to compensate, leading us to become dopamine-deficient.” If you stop drinking, Piper suggests it can help in the early days to find new ways to reward or treat yourself that don’t involve alcohol, like going for a run or setting yourself a new challenge. The Alzheimer’s Society says: “If a person with ARBD stops drinking alcohol and receives good support, they may be able to make a partial or even full recovery.” 4. Changes to vitamin B1 levels A lack of vitamin B1 can also play a part in changing the shape and structure of the brain, and Piper explains: “Alcohol makes it hard to absorb some vitamins, including the all-important vitamin B1, which is a building block of the brain.” But recovery is possible, and he says: “The outcomes for people who stop drinking and who receive high-dose vitamin B1 treatment can be very good, with much of the damage to the brain being reversed.” 5.