April may be the month for fools, but it's also Alcohol Awareness Month. And to kick things off, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence is challenging you to participate in an alcohol-free weekend, now through Sunday (April 1-3). While you won't notice any significant health benefits by going booze free for a single weekend, if you regularly consume alcohol, it can help you to understand your relationship with the substance, especially if you struggle to get through without a drink.

When you consume alcohol, your liver steps in to protect you, treating the substance like a poison and working to eliminate it from your body. In the process of breaking down the alcohol, it is first metabolized into acetaldehyde, which is a toxic carcinogen and the responsible party for the always terrible hangover. The liver then breaks acetaldehyde down into acetate, and then into carbon dioxide and water for elimination from the body.

It takes about an hour, in the average person, for this process to occur. When you drink more than your liver can keep up with, your liver cells can take on extra fat. While a small amount of fat in the liver is normal, excess fat can lead to long term damage of the liver, including cirrhosis, or cell death. Cirrhosis inhibits your body's ability to eliminate toxins, as well as its ability to process nutrients.

Be sure to enjoy your alcohol in moderation (1 drink per day for women, two for men). Or better yet, try going alcohol free for a month, to see what differences you notice. In a study conducted by some employees at New Scientist, the group of people that went alcohol free for five weeks noticed the following changes, while the group who continued to drink, as usual, noticed no significant changes:

If you choose to celebrate the weekend alcohol free, reward yourself with some extra MyWellness points, by logging on Fort Wayne Metals' intranet, under My Items.