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With Super Bowl Over, Ditching Alcohol Could Be Healthy Prelude To Spring

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — How easy would it be for you to stop drinking alcohol for at least a month?

Your answer may change after seeing what happens when you abstain from alcohol.

Based on how many of these you may have had as you watched Super Bowl 50, you might be wishing you could rewrite history.In fact the day after the Super Bowl is one of the busiest days for sick calls.

A recent survey by the Washington Times found 1.5 million people were expected to call in sick on Super Bowl Monday, and 4.4 million will go in late.

But at the opposite end of boozing it up is something called dry January, what more and more people are doing leading up to the Super Bowl and after all that holiday cheer. They're not drinking alcohol for an entire month, or longer.

Valerie Cota is a well-respected local personal trainer. She encourages clients to give it a go.

"It's a big change right away, they come in fresher, more energized," she said.

Like Karen Marie here, who's not only looking good, she's feeling good after not having one drink at all this year.

"You will see I will say in a week or so, you will see a greater performance from a physical standpoint with abstinence, absolutely," said Dr. Clarence Lee.

You absolutely won't just notice the difference when you're active. Alcohol inhibits your ability to go into your most restful portions of sleep.

"So one of the more immediate things you'll see is that you'll get more restful sleep as well," he said.

Booze may help us fall asleep more quickly but we don't sleep as well. Also, because alcohol decreases the hormone that helps your body reabsorb water, Your skin will look better, itchy dandruff could go away, and conditions like eczema or rosacea could improve.

It could also improve your sex drive and testosterone levels, as well as your weight. A recent study found men who are moderate drinkers take in an extra 433 calories a day from alcohol while women take in 300 extra calories.

It's also good for the liver.

"With your liver not distracted by the alcohol you can decrease your sugar levels and potentially your cholesterol levels as well," he said. "I would say give yourself two to four weeks to kind of detox and you will begin to see some of those benefits."

If you're a heavy or chronic drinker, doctors recommend seeking medical advice before going cold turkey.

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