A month off booze little help

If you woke up on January 1 and vowed to have a booze-free month to make it up to your battered liver, you’re not alone, but you’re probably wasting your time.

Medical experts say that rather than undergoing the popular detoxification after festive season over-indulgence, most people would be better off resolving to have a few alcohol-free days a week throughout the year.

The liver is very good at rejuvenating and needs only a few days to recover from mild damage, says Associate Professor David Mountain, president of the Australian Medical Association, Western Australia.

Rather than abstaining during January, then reverting to old habits, people should set achievable goals for reducing their alcohol intake in the long term.

‘‘For the vast majority who have not damaged their liver to an extraordinary degree, a month off makes no difference,’’ he said.

‘‘As long as you give the liver a rest every few days and it has a proper chance to recover, it will be fine. I’m not saying people should not take it easy in January, but onoff approaches generally end badly, particularly if you overdo it when you get back on the sauce.

‘‘If you’re just taking a month off and abusing your liver for the other 11, it’s likely to build up damage that can’t be repaired.’’

As part of a British Liver Trust awareness campaign this month, English hepatologist Mark Wright warned a month-long detox was ‘‘medically futile’’.