Why Sober January Is Really Good For You

Did you throw back one too many glasses of champers in 2013 and vowed to resist booze in the year ahead? Join the club — you aren’t the only one having a "dry January." According to NPR, short-term absence from alcohol may actually be worthwhile. A study conducted by New Scientist proved that putting down the bottle has some considerably positive benefits.

A group of 10 New Scientist employees gave up the hooch, while four continued throwing them back, for a total of five weeks. The employees filled out health-centric questions and gave blood prior to participation. The folks who weren’t drinking actually had a decrease in liver fat (the precursor to liver damage) by 15 percent. Wowza! That’s not all though: Blood glucose levels dropped by 16 percent. Despite the positive findings, Dr. James Ferguson, a liver doctor not involved in the study, chimed in that any cut backs from alcohol are going to be positive, but skipping the bottle one month a year won't make much difference. Either way, these numbers are definitely enough to take in consideration when deciding to order that third martini.