Sober October: Why Your Body Needs a Break From Booze (and What Happens When You Give It One)

Gennifer Strobo
Oct 7
5 min read

Let’s just say it straight: alcohol’s not doing you any favors. I don’t care how “clean” your wine is, how “light” your beer is, or how many antioxidants are allegedly floating in your pinot noir. If you're a woman over 35 trying to lose stubborn fat, balance hormones, fix your gut, or just not feel like a sluggish, anxious mess every day—booze is the thing quietly wrecking your progress.

That’s why I’m inviting you to join me for Sober October. Not as punishment. Not because you “should.” But because your body is begging for a break—and in 30 days, you might be shocked at what changes.

Here’s what’s really going on when you drink—and what happens when you stop.

Alcohol Is a Toxic Ex-Boyfriend You Keep Inviting Back

Alcohol is like that guy you know is bad for you, but he’s charming, fun at parties, and everyone else seems to love him. So you keep him around.

But here’s the truth: he’s making you feel bloated, tired, moody, inflamed, and frustrated with your weight, sleep, skin, and energy.

That’s because alcohol:

Puts a massive burden on your liver (which is already overworked by stress, meds, and processed food).
Messes with your hormones—estrogen, insulin, cortisol, thyroid. All of it.
Wrecks your blood sugar and makes fat loss basically impossible.
Inflames your gut and kills off the good bacteria that help with digestion, mood, and immune function.
Increases your risk for several types of cancer (yes, even “just one glass” a day).
Trashes your sleep, even if it helps you fall asleep faster.

And here’s the kicker: the older we get, the worse it hits. Your body just doesn’t process alcohol like it used to. Especially if you’re in perimenopause or postmenopause.

Let’s Talk Hormones (Because They’re Already Hanging By a Thread)

Alcohol makes your hormones act like toddlers in a toy store—chaotic and impossible to manage.

Estrogen goes up, which is not what we want if you’re dealing with estrogen dominance, fibroids, heavy periods, mood swings, or are at risk for breast cancer.
Progesterone goes down, which messes with sleep, anxiety, and feeling calm.
Insulin gets cranky, which means your blood sugar goes haywire, you store more fat (especially around your belly), and you crave more sugar and carbs.
Cortisol spikes, keeping you in stress mode and making it nearly impossible to lose weight.

Basically, alcohol makes every hormonal imbalance worse. And if you’re trying to manage perimenopause symptoms, it’s like pouring gasoline on a fire.

Your Blood Sugar Can’t Hang

If you’re dealing with prediabetes, insulin resistance, or energy crashes after meals—alcohol is not helping.

It messes with your blood sugar big time. You might get a quick dip (especially if you drink without eating), followed by a big spike later, and then you're hangry, tired, and reaching for more carbs.

Plus, drinking makes you crave junk food. How many times have you “accidentally” eaten an entire pizza or plowed through a bag of chips after a few glasses of wine? That’s not you being “bad”—that’s alcohol shutting off your impulse control and turning your cravings up to 11.

Gut Check: It’s Not Just the Bloat

Alcohol wrecks your gut. Full stop.

It kills off good bacteria, inflames your gut lining, and slows down digestion. That means more bloating, more constipation, more IBS symptoms, and more issues with skin, mood, and immunity—because all of that starts in the gut. And once your gut’s a mess, everything else starts to spiral.

Plus, did you know that your body actually prioritizes processing alcohol before any of your food? Meaning, your taxing your liver, kidneys, pancreas gut to get the alcohol out of your system before your body has even had a chance to absorb any of the healthy nutrients it needs to optimize itself.

Cancer. Yep, We're Going There.

This one sucks to say, but you deserve to know the truth: alcohol is a known carcinogen.

It’s directly linked to at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colon, liver, and esophageal. And it doesn’t matter if it’s wine, beer, or liquor—it’s the alcohol itself that’s the problem.

Even small amounts raise your risk. One glass a day is enough to increase your chance of developing breast cancer. That’s not scare tactics. That’s science. And yet, no one’s putting that warning label on the bottle.

So yeah, Sober October isn’t just about losing weight—it could literally save your life.

Let’s Talk About Fat Loss (Because I Know That’s Why Half of You Are Reading This)

Alcohol is a fat-loss killer. Not just because it’s high in calories (though it is—7 calories per gram, if you’re counting), but because of how it completely shuts down fat burning.

When you drink, your body says, “Oh cool, alcohol! Let’s burn this first.” And while it’s busy doing that, it puts fat burning on pause. Especially belly fat.

Plus, alcohol:

Increases hunger & cravings
Causes you to make less informed choices
Wrecks your sleep (which affects fat-loss hormones like leptin and ghrelin)
Boosts cortisol (stress = more belly fat)
Lowers testosterone and thyroid function

So if you’ve been eating well, working out, and still not losing fat… alcohol could be the missing link.

Booze and the Brain: It’s Not Helping Your Anxiety (Even If It Feels Like It)

A lot of women drink to “take the edge off.” I get it. Life is a lot. But here’s the kicker:

That glass of wine might chill you out for an hour, but it raises your anxiety the next day.

Alcohol messes with your brain chemistry, disrupts sleep, and makes your nervous system more reactive. It’s a short-term band-aid that leads to long-term burnout.

When you take a break from alcohol, your brain actually starts to rewire. You sleep better. You think more clearly. You wake up without that cloud of dread or irritability.

So What Happens When You Stop Drinking for 30 Days?

Here’s what you might notice (and yeah, it’s pretty great):

Better sleep (like actually feeling rested)
Less bloating and puffiness
Fewer hot flashes and night sweats
More stable moods
Less anxiety
More energy
Easier weight loss
Less cravings for sugar and junk
Clearer skin
A happier gut (hello, regular poops)
Reduced inflammation and pain
Better blood sugar numbers
Better nutrient absorption

Your body responds fast when you take the pressure off. I’ve had clients see major changes in just two weeks—blood sugar down, inflammation markers lower, energy through the roof.

But What Do I Drink Instead?

Glad you asked, friend. You don’t have to sit there sipping sad soda water while everyone else is drinking wine.

That’s why I made a Mocktail Guide—full of fun, flavorful, blood sugar-friendly mocktails that won’t spike your insulin or make you feel like you’re missing out.

Think:

Cran-Cherry Sparklers
Coconut Matcha Coolers
Grapefruit Kombucha
and so many more!!

All booze-free. All delicious. All make you feel fancy without the morning-after regret.

Real Talk: Sober October Isn’t About Being “Good.” It’s About Feeling Better.

I’m not here to shame you or tell you alcohol is evil. I’m just here to say: if you’ve been trying everything and still feel stuck—this could be the piece you’ve been missing.

Give your body 30 days off. Just 30. Let it detox, reset, and show you what it can do when it’s not battling ethanol every night.

You don’t need alcohol to relax.

You don’t need alcohol to connect.

You don’t need alcohol to cope.

You just need support, tools, and one really good mocktail.