Will You Go Sober for October?

Sober October is an annual fundraising and awareness event run by MacMillan Cancer Support.

By going alcohol-free for a month, you’ll feel some benefits straight away.

And a break from drinking might help reset your alcohol habits, and boost your long-term health too.

Perks of going sober

On the MacMillian website, you can sign up and start raising money to help people with cancer. It takes two minutes to get started.

There are benefits to you as well:

Feel good – a clearer head, more energy and better sleep.
Lose weight – alcohol can have more calories than we think. A pint of beer is about the same as a chocolate bar.
More time for yourself – no hangovers, or sluggish starts to your day.
Save money – the average price of a pint is around £5
Changing habits – make it easier to follow low-risk drinking advice in November and beyond

Find out about some more benefits on Macmillan’s wellbeing blog.

There is a clear link between alcohol and high blood pressure. This puts pressure on your heart and increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Regular drinking over a long period can also damage your liver, nervous system and brain.

In recent years, there has been more evidence about the link between alcohol and cancer.

Alcohol gets broken down in the body into harmful chemicals. These damage cells and stop them from being able to repair properly.

Alcohol causes seven types of cancer: Mouth, upper throat, larynx (voice box), oesophagus (gullet) breast, liver and bowel.

Reducing your alcohol intake reduces your risk of these cancers.