What Happens After You Quit Drinking? 6 Body Changes You’ll Experience in the First 30 Days Without Alcohol

Have you ever wondered what happens after you quit drinking? The first 30 days alcohol-free can feel like a rollercoaster, but your body starts healing almost immediately. From your skin to your sleep, incredible changes happen when you stop pouring that nightly glass of wine.

In episode 242 of the Sober Vibes Podcast, I’m walking you through the most significant body and mind shifts you can expect in your first month without alcohol so you know what’s normal, what’s temporary, and why it’s worth it.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• How alcohol-induced anxiety lifts once your nervous system resets
• The surprising connection between alcohol and skin (hello hydration and glow!)
• Why 30 days without alcohol can transform your sleep, mood, and energy
• What really happens when you stop drinking every night
• Why giving up that nightly glass of wine isn’t deprivation t’s freedom
• The confidence boost that comes with proving to yourself that you can do it

Whether you’re sober curious, shaky in early sobriety, or just ready to feel better, this episode will give you the clarity and motivation you need to keep going.

Listen now: What Happens After You Quit Drinking? 6 Body Changes You’ll Experience in the First 30 Days Without Alcohol.

And if you want support getting through those first 30 days, that’s exactly what I do with my 1:1 sober coaching clients. Together, we build tools, structure, and accountability so you don’t have to do it alone.

Resources Mentioned:

Sober 1:1 Coaching 

The Sobriety Circle 

The After-Emotional Sobriety Guide

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Free Resources

RELYTE HYDRATION use code "sobervibes" at checkout 

SEED probiotic

PODCAST SPONSOR:

This episode is sponsored by Soberlink, a trusted accountability tool for anyone navigating early recovery. Whether you're rebuilding trust with loved ones or want more structure in your sobriety, Soberlink offers a discreet and empowering way to stay on track.

Sober Vibes listeners, sign up HERE and claim our $100 Enrollment Bonus.

Grab my Masterclass for Free:

Gain access to my Masterclass when you submit a review on iTunes. Email me sobervibes@gmail.com with a screenshot of the review, and I will send you the code to unlock my Masterclass for free!

Hope this episode helps you today, and thank

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Transcript

Courtney Andersen : 0:00

Have you ever wondered what happens to your body after you quit drinking alcohol? Those first 30 days can feel like a roller coaster right Physically, mentally and emotionally. It is draining, and I'm not sugarcoating this for you. I do not sugarcoat things in this podcast. But here's the good news for you your body starts healing almost immediately. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through the biggest changes you can expect in your first month alcohol-free.

Courtney Andersen : 0:32

Welcome to Sober Vibes, your podcast for alcohol-free lifestyle tips and real talk about long-term sobriety. I'm your host, courtney Anderson, sober coach, author and mom. Each week, I share strategies, stories and encouragement to help you navigate cravings, build confidence and thrive in sobriety. Whether you're sober, curious or years in, this is your space to feel supported and inspired. Hey, welcome back to the Sober Vibes podcast. I am your host, courtney Anderson. And again, welcome back to season seven. We are in the third episode of this new season. If you haven't yet, please go over to YouTube and subscribe. Comment below if you're already on YouTube and watching this. Thank you, I appreciate the support and for the good people of the world who've been listening to me since day one. Thank you so much for your continued support and tuning in to this kick-ass podcast For the new folks tuning in today.

Courtney Andersen : 1:37

I am a sober coach. I am an author and I help you live a kick-ass life without alcohol. So the first 30 days it can feel so overwhelming. Okay, this is why I've written a book In those 90 days. If you have not yet gotten my book, please get it. It will help you all what to expect. Okay. So you're maybe gonna be wondering what's normal, what's not, and if your feeling is just you or part of the process.

Courtney Andersen : 2:08

In this process, too, of sobriety, we get very much in our head and think that we are effing crazy. All right, I remember those early days very vividly. It's something that I have never allowed myself to forget, as it has pushed me to go forward in these last 13 years, and I want to give you a clear picture of what's happening in your body so you feel less anxious and more empowered. And that is the approach that I come from, because when I went through this, I was like God, I wish I had more resources and education on what to expect, and I think that there's everybody's whole thing of like I don't know how this is gonna. I don't know what's to come, I think for anybody in anything, that's the scariest part. So before we get started, just to let you know if you want support getting through those first 30 days and beyond, that's exactly what I do with my clients and my coaching sessions. Together we map out tools, accountability and support that is tailored to you. So if you want to check that out, check the link in the show notes below and you can also check out my group coaching community called the Sobriety Circle.

Courtney Andersen : 3:23

So let's get into it. All right, you ready for number one Better sleep. I know some of you are probably thinking what the actual hell, courtney, I can't sleep after a couple days. You do have to give yourself a couple days, all right, especially to in that first week. There is an adjustment phase in this. All right. So the first few nights, maybe the first couple weeks, right, it can be rough, but your body's adjusting without alcohol sedating you. All right. But soon your natural sleep cycle begins to reset. In that natural sleep cycle too, it is very important as well. To reset In that natural sleep cycle too. It is very important as well. In this process you have you try to go to bed at the same time every night and also to wake up at the same time every morning, an hour before bed. Turn off the screens, turn off the telly and make sure also, too, that you are sleeping in a dark room, and it's better if you can sleep in a cooler room. I sleep with a fan on me and it's great, because it actually is better for your body and better sleep to be in a very dark, cool room. Those are just things that I have learned along the way and I'm trying to help you adjust to this.

Courtney Andersen : 4:40

For me, when I got sober, it took me a little bit because I came straight from, I was working nights and then I for many, many, many, many, many years, okay, so I was a night owl person. And then when I got, when I transitioned into the medical field, into a seven to three, it took me a little bit of time to adjust to that new schedule Because you've got to remember, the last night I drank was my last bar shift, right, and I was again at that time still on nights. When I went back, I adjusted myself to being on the day shifts. So for me it took a little bit of time. But if you are already in that nine to five, just keep structure when it comes to your sleep. So by the end of 30 days to many people start experience deeper, more restorative sleep. Waking up, rested, is one of the first signs in your body thinking you and sleep is the best thing you can do for yourself. Many of times, if you're listening and you've worked with me one-on-one, you will know that I just tell you just take a nap if you can. I'm not saying to nap for five hours a day, just like nap, especially in those first couple weeks. Go to bed, especially in those first couple of weeks, because it's setting yourself up actually for a lot of success getting through another day and giving your body the rest it needs.

Courtney Andersen : 6:12

After years of putting alcohol into your system, okay. Number two hydration and energy levels. Improve Alcohol dehydrates you. Funny thing is is let's take alcohol aside. It is known that 70% of Americans are dehydrated. Okay, and if you have had a raging drinking problem, whatever end of the spectrum you are on, we've all had raging drinking problems and if you're listening to this, you might have a raging drinking problem. Okay, and now you put alcohol into your system. It's why hangovers feel so brutal. Right Within a week or two of not drinking, your hydration levels actually normalize, you may notice clearer skin, fewer headaches, starting to get a little bit of more energy throughout the day, instead of maybe those 3 pm crashes. You start to feel steady.

Courtney Andersen : 7:09

Another product I just want I want to plug this and I am affiliated with them and I have used them for the last couple of years. If you are not using an electrolyte, please use Relight. I love it. Every day I use it and it actually has helped me with migraines After I gave birth, for that first like year and a half maybe close to two years, I think. I think it was a year and a half and I started using it, but I used to get like leg spasms at night, right, and that helped me so much. So use it. There's a code in the show notes below and I believe it gets you 10 to 15% off, but it's something that I do not live without and yet you I highly recommend you using it as well. Or, if that's something that you cannot afford, put a little bit and I say this too, I talk about this in my book but a little bit of salt in your water and drink that the first thing in the morning time. Okay, because it really does help hydrate you, and you need all the hydration that you can get right now when you are quitting drinking alcohol.

Courtney Andersen : 8:16

Okay, number three reduce anxiety and mood swings. Now, remember, this is just start of the changes that is going to happen in your body, because this is another one you might be like what is she talking about? Alcohol messes with your neurotransmitters in your brain, right, it spikes anxiety. The next day, causes depression. Right, because it's a downer. Without it, your nervous system begins to stabilize. Yes, that first week or two you will have increased anxiety. You will do that because that is part of the withdrawal, that is, that after you know that acute hangover and then there's pause, post-acute withdrawal syndrome, which post-acute withdrawal syndrome is kind of the longer detox you will go through when it comes to quitting drinking, and for some people can last up to two years Not everybody, but some people. Okay. But once you start taking alcohol out of the equation again, your nervous system is going to begin to stabilize, not with any extra added tools to keep stabilizing it, but you are just not on that detox.

Courtney Andersen : 9:27

To retox, I always Silver Sis always does that when you're adding more in and then the next day you're detoxing it out right, then you're adding alcohol back in. So at first emotions are going to feel raw AF because you're not numbing them anymore and that can induce anxiety. But over the month your baseline anxiety often decreases, right? Many clients I work with, and even from myself, my perspective, I didn't realize how much alcohol was fueling my stress until I stopped and even, too, when it comes to the stress, even making things a bigger fucking deal than they needed to be, right when it was like it was that continuous drama, chaos that I was creating and stressing myself out. So just know, you have to give yourself some time. Even, too, if you are on anti-anxiety medicine or antidepressants, that medicine has not been working for you properly when you've been drinking on top of it, so you also need to give that a fair chance for your body to start leveling out and having that medicine actually start doing the work and you be able to tell like, okay, this medication is working for me or it's not. Women I have coached as well have told me they didn't realize that that medication that they were on actually was not helping them, that they found a new medication that worked, but it was only because they got sober that they were able to tell if it was working for them.

Courtney Andersen : 11:06

Nothing tests sobriety quite like holiday gatherings, am I right? Between family stress, endless parties and more alcohol ads than you can count, it can feel like a sea of triggers, and if you're in your first year of sobriety, you need something that helps shoulder the load, not add to it. Thankfully there's Soberlink, the only high-tech breathalyzer trusted by addiction professionals. Because it works With scheduled daily tests. You can share instant, verified results with the people who support you, so you never have to convince someone of your progress. They get to see it and celebrate it with you in real time. And because Soberlink uses built-in facial recognition and tamper sensors, there's no way to cheat these results. Soberlink now offers device rentals, making daily accountability more accessible than ever. Whether you're rebuilding trust with loved ones or just want an extra layer of support this holiday season, soberlink can help you stay laser focused on your recovery goals through the celebrations and long after the tree comes down. Visit wwwsoberlinkcom. Forward slash sober dash vibes to sign up and claim your $100 enrollment bonus. You can also check the link in the show notes below.

Courtney Andersen : 12:34

Number four digestive and immune system reset. Thank goodness, your gut health, which I did a great episode on gut health, which I will link in the show notes below so you can listen to it. Your gut health and your immune system take a beating from alcohol. Within 30 days, you might feel less bloating, better digestion and even fewer colds. Right, your liver also begins to repair itself, filtering toxins more effectively. It's your body's way of saying thank you for giving me a break. Now again. Alcohol really, really really does compromise the immune system. Same thing with your gut health. For years, years, you could have considered me an IBS girly. And then I quit drinking and my stomach issues decreased tremendously. And then I added a probiotic onto that and I was a changed woman changed woman when it came to my stomach issues. So it really is taking something very poisonous out of your system and focusing and repairing it because, again, there's a lot of repair you do have to do.

Courtney Andersen : 13:56

When you get sober, I don't give a shit if you've been crushing green juices and you have been making your 5 o'clock yoga class on a weekly daily basis for the last 10 years yoga class on a weekly, daily basis for the last 10 years you have still continuously put alcohol into your system for entering the number of days, for how many years? Okay, so it completely washes out the work that you have done when it comes to doing detoxes and working out. It's a wash. Is that a wash? Yes, I think that's what I'm trying to say, like it, just it doesn't even out. You know what I'm saying? Sorry, my membrane just kicked in.

Courtney Andersen : 14:37

Let me get some more coffee so I can finish on this episode. And if you're watching, don't you love these little mugs the dictator made me put? Made when I tell you, this child made me put out Halloween decorations on September 10th because he's obsessed and he told me he was done with his birthday decorations and he wanted his Halloween decorations out. So that is why I'm sipping from a ghost coffee mug that you can actually find from Walmart for like 10 bucks and they're cute AF. So again, that stuff let me rephrase this yes, that stuff helped you a little bit, but not in the long run of it, not in the long run of again, it was creating digestive and immune system problems, right, and then all of the other health and damage that it did on your internal organs. This isn't an episode to shame you, but this is the reality and this is why I'm talking about what your body does. Within those 30 days it resets and the human body is an incredible thing that these organs can start repairing themselves when you take out such a poisonous, toxic substance.

Courtney Andersen : 15:52

Number five clear mind and focus. All right, again, I'm going to do just like a couple weeks that there is probably still going to be brain fog, and especially, too, if you are a woman who is 35 and over and you're starting with the perimenopause, or if you are a mother and you have mom brain, like I just did a couple minutes ago, and you feel like sometimes you have early onset of dementia. So give yourself a couple weeks for the brain fog to stop. Within those two weeks and that does that. Brain fog does come with drinking. Every night it starts to lift, all right, and without alcohol your concentration sharpens and decision making gets easier. Right, you'll notice small things remembering names, staying on task, feeling a little less scattered.

Courtney Andersen : 16:47

The mental clarity builds the confidence and the momentum. You might not start feeling that mental clarity that everyone talks about until probably closer to those last 30 days, towards the end of those last 30 days. It takes a minute because you're going through so much and it's kind of a shock to the system when you quit drinking alcohol. But you will start noticing After 90 days you're like holy moly macaroni what the fuck just happened. After a year, the clarity you have is insanity. It's good, the clarity is a good thing.

Courtney Andersen : 17:24

And number six emotional and confidence boost. Okay, number six emotional and confidence boost. Finally, and maybe most importantly, there's a shift in how you feel about yourself. It's not going to be at day one. I don't want you to listen to this and be like, well, courtney said I was about to have an emotional boost, confidence boost, right, but getting through those first 30 days without alcohol shows you what's possible. Start showing you how good it feels to feel good, shows you that the clarity is coming back right. And it's also too going to give you a little boost of self-trust, like, yeah, I'm getting through this, I'm being able to do this in these 30 days. I can go longer, right, and it's something that makes you proud of yourself for doing. You don't need to be loud and proud about your sobriety within these 30 days, but within yourself you are going to be like I am a strong bitch, I am in or in whatever you want to say about yourself, but I am that person who now can make say she's going to do something and then does it, and that builds self-confidence.

Courtney Andersen : 18:42

And again, on top of this, you just start to see that life without alcohol isn't just possible, but it's better. It's completely better. I'm not telling you that it is all sunshines and rainbows and unicorns and scrunchies, because that's unrealistic. And so if you're listening to that, just keep that in mind. You know that sober life is better than the one that you're currently living, even if there's days where you're like what the fuck is the point of me doing this? Right, dropped a lot of f-bombs on this one, but I am still trying to watch what I say because of my little four-year-old. He's not home right now, but I told you, I'm trying to make a conscious effort here and that is all about getting a little bit better each day, even if it's just for the greater good of the dictator, so he's not at that schoolyard dropping F-bombs, okay.

Courtney Andersen : 19:31

So the self-trust and that confidence boost really does start coming out closer towards the end of that 30 days, because you got to remember, too, how long you've been feeling bad about yourself. Honestly, I know that waking up each morning to be like I said I wasn't going to drink that much, and then drink that much Like I don't have any control of this, right, like, yeah, there's one day I can drink too, but then it always ends up back to where I feel really terrible about myself, right and truly, truly, truly. I am a believer that if you have that relationship with alcohol, it's never going to get better, it just will get worse. But it's got to be on you of when you figure out what day it's going to be for you to finally end that relationship with alcohol, because there's going to be a couple more times for people where they have to burn their hand on the stove, and that is your journey to learn right. So those first 30 days can feel like a roller coaster, but remember, every change in your body makes is a sign of healing. You're going through a healing process. You're going through a recovery process. Your sleep, your energy, your mood, your clarity they're all proof that you're moving in the right direction. So give yourself grace and focus on that. If you're in those early, early days, continue to keep holding on right, one day at a time. Your body is restoring itself. So just be grateful for that and that you're building a new foundation of freedom for yourself. Okay, so if you want support getting through those first 30 days, again, that's exactly what I do with my clients and my coaching sessions. Together we build daily tools, support and accountability, all based geared towards you. So the link is in the show notes to apply to work with me and also check out my sobriety circle coaching community and I love to support you.

Courtney Andersen : 21:34

And on next week's episode, we are going to talk about the silent cost of just one glass right and the alcohol and how alcohol and health risks every woman should know. So if you are thinking that just one glass of wine is not bad for you, you need to listen to this one Again. It's not coming from a place of shame. It's not coming from pointing fingers. It's just all about educating and empowering you along your journey. Thank you so much for listening today.

Courtney Andersen : 22:08

If you haven't yet, please rate, review and subscribe to the show, whether it's on iTunes or Spotify or YouTube. Feel free to. If you rate or review the show, make sure that you send me an email. All the information will be in the show notes below and then you can have free access to my masterclass that I currently just did, so you just have to show me the screenshot and I will send you that access for free. Everything I mentioned on today's episode will be linked in the show notes below. Please feel free to always reach out to me on my Sober Vibes Instagram page or my Courtney Anderson Instagram page. All right, sober Vibes Instagram page or my Courtney Anderson Instagram page? All right. And if you're new to my YouTube channel, drop a comment below and say hello. So, because I like to connect, I'm digging this new platform. All right, everyone, keep on trucking and thanks for listening you.