6 Ways Quitting Alcohol Is Good for Your Gut

The health benefits of ditching booze + a guide to participating in Dry January

If you’re doing Dry January—or generally planning on drinking less (or not at all) this year—you’re not alone. About 25% of Americans over age 21 participated in Dry January (a month-long break from alcohol) last year, reports Civic Science, a research group.

What’s more, 2023 research from Mintel finds that nearly four in 10 American consumers closely or occasionally follow a “sober curious” lifestyle. I’m one of them—I quit drinking at the end of 2021 and haven’t looked back. Alcohol can have a host of negative health effects—and after a night of drinking, I noticed that my sleep was worse, I had more anxiety, and my stomach was a mess.

At the time I stopped drinking, I had been living with celiac disease for a little over a year. Even after nixing gluten, I was still struggling with acid reflux. I decided staying away from alcohol completely would be the best decision for my gut since I realized it was a trigger my reflux symptoms.

I wrote about the positive experience sobriety has had on managing my celiac disease and overall health last year (and I also included my picks for the best gluten-free non-alcoholic drinks):

Alcohol use is also linked to more serious long-term complications. Just last week, the US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, MD, called for updating alcohol labels to include a warning that it increases your risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer and colon cancer.

So, it’s not really surprising that more and more people are choosing to embrace a sober curious or booze-free lifestyle these days. That includes celiacs—I have quite a few friends in the gluten-free community who’ve cut back on drinking or said goodbye to alcohol altogether, for a variety of reasons, including for the myriad gut health benefits.

Ahead, I’m sharing everything you need to know about the gut health benefits of quitting alcohol and how to make the most of a dry month when you’re also celiac or gluten-free. Cheers!

Benefits of quitting drinking for gut health

Anyone, celiacs included, can benefit from participating in Dry January or a dry month. Early on in my sobriety, I wrote a piece called 5 Things That Happened When I Quit Drinking for a Year where I outline a few of the general benefits I experienced. These include things like less anxiety, better sleep, and brighter skin.

Here, I want to focus on a few potential gut health benefits that may also interest you as a celiac or someone living with other GI conditions:

1. Decreased acid reflux

Alcohol was a big trigger for my acid reflux, and it’s one of the most common triggers for a lot of people. Alcohol loosens the muscles between your esophagus and stomach, allowing stomach contents to come back up.

This can result in symptoms including heartburn, burping, sore throat, hoarseness, and regurgitation. When you ditch the booze, you may notice that your acid reflux eases up.

2. More normal bowel habits

Alcohol can make your digestive system work more quickly, leading to more frequent BMs—potentially even diarrhea. On the other hand, because alcohol is a diuretic, some people actually experience constipation post-drinking. As reported in MedicalNewsToday, your poop problems may be worse when you drink if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is a common co-morbidity with celiac disease.

According to Verywell Health, you may notice positive changes in your bowel habits when you give up drinking for Dry January. If you had diarrhea or constipation caused by alcohol, these may resolve when you stop drinking.

3. Less bloating

Alcohol can cause bloating. According to MedicalNewsToday, this may be the result of gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach lining. Research finds alcohol use may be linked to H. pylori infection, which can cause gastritis and symptoms including bloating and stomach pain.

Quitting drinking may lessen your bloating and digestive discomfort. However, as MedicalNewsToday notes, how long it takes for alcohol-induced bloating to subside depends on what’s causing it. Some cases of gastritis may take longer to heal—and you may need to take antibiotics to treat H. pylori infection if you have that.

4. Improved hydration

It’s well-documented that alcohol is dehydrating. It’s a diuretic, which means it prompts your body to get rid of fluids more quickly than other drinks. When you combine drinking alcohol with not guzzling enough water, this can lead to dehydration pretty easily.

Dehydration can lead to everything from dry skin to dry mouth to headache, tiredness, dizziness, constipation, and muscle cramps. To prevent dehydration, Cleveland Clinic recommends drinking plenty of water throughout the day, including at meals, and avoiding alcohol and caffeinated beverages.

How much water you should aim for daily depends on your activity level, environment, and overall health. In general, Mayo Clinic advises about 15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups for women. The National Council on Aging notes that hydration is key for your digestion, cognition, energy levels, joints, and more.

5. Healthier food choices

According to Johns Hopkins, alcohol temporarily increases your levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in appetite control. Plus, it also lowers inhibitions and can make you more likely to crave fried, fatty foods and eat bigger portions than you normally would.

Over time, regularly eating foods high in calories, fat, and salt (and skipping foods full of nutrients) can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. You may notice it’s easier to stick to healthier eating habits when you give up drinking.

6. Lower risk of GI cancers

Research shows a link between alcohol and cancer. A 2020 study published in Visceral Medicine found that alcohol is a potential risk factor in various forms of gastrointestinal cancer, particularly when combined with tobacco use and excess body weight.

Per a 2023 paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine, quitting drinking may lower your risk of developing certain types of cancer, including colorectal cancer and esophageal cancer.

A new favorite gluten-free non-alcoholic cider I found at a bar recently!

How to participate in Dry January as a celiac

You’re already gluten-free—and now you’re going to add sobriety (whether temporary for Dry January or permanent) to the mix? You might be wondering: How the heck are you going to have any fun when you have multiple dietary restrictions?

Well, I’m here to tell you that you can! Back in July, I wrote a guest piece for Sober App about how going gluten-free for celiac disease prepared me for quitting drinking. In it, I outlined a few ways to have fun without gluten and alcohol, which you can use if you’re participating in Dry January:

How Going Gluten-Free for Celiac Disease Prepared Me for Quitting Drinking

My top tips for participating in Dry January as a celiac are:

• Be proactive when making plans. Ask friends if you can choose the bar for your hangout so you can make sure you’ll have access to non-alcoholic beverages. I’m noticing more and more bars have options beyond NA beer (which isn’t gluten-free), so I’m usually able to find something safe to drink that isn’t just plain water.

• Host a get-together at home. I like having people over because I can control the food and drink options. Consider organizing a Dry January happy hour and whip up some mocktails. I’m a fan of non-alcoholic sangria, which is made with naturally gluten-free ingredients.

• Pick a non-drink-related activity. Going out for drinks tends to be the default when it comes to making plans. Think outside the box and suggest activities that aren’t centered around alcohol, such as meeting for coffee, going for a walk, or taking a yoga class.

• Find a community of like-minded people. Look for sober meetups in your area to connect with others with similar lifestyles. In New York City, Third Place Bar is a great resource.

• Stock up on gluten-free non-alcoholic drinks. I shared some of my favorite gluten-free non-alcoholic drinks in a previous newsletter. Since then, I have a few new go-tos, including White Claw Zero and Original Sin White Widow Non-Alcoholic Cider. Better Rhodes, an online retailer of non-alc drinks, has a gluten-free section. In my experience, most non-alcoholic beverages—outside of beer—are made with naturally gluten-free ingredients. If a drink isn’t labeled gluten-free, look at the brand’s website (sometimes they’ll put that information there) or contact customer service for more information if you’re not sure. Hop water is a naturally gluten-free, non-alcoholic alternative to beer. I wrote about it here with product recommendations:

Additional Dry January resources

Finally, here are some fellow Substackers I recommend as you start your Dry January journey:

• Tawny Lara is the journalist behind the Beyond Liquid Courage newsletter, Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without Booze, and The Sobriety Deck.

• Laura Silverman is the founder of Zero Proof Nation, a worldwide non-alcoholic resource hub with a global map of alcohol-free establishments. She also writes the Zero Proof Nation by Laura newsletter.

• Dana Leigh Lyons is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and the author of the Sober Soulful newsletter.

• Derek Brown is the co-founder of the Mindful Drinking Fest (taking place in Washington, DC, from Jan 10-12) and the author of the Positive Damage newsletter.

• Hilary Sheinbaum is the founder of Going Dry and the author of The Dry Challenge and Going Dry.

• Sam at Third Place Bar is the founder of Third Place Bar and the author of the Anti-Hangover Drinking Club newsletter.

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