Sober Curious? The Benefits Of Giving Up Booze

Plus: A microbe that could make you run faster Julia Robinson for NPR [Could You Give Up Drinking For A Month?]( Giving up drinking used to be seen as an all or nothing proposition. And for some people with alcohol addiction, it will stay that way. But now people are recognizing there's a spectrum of sobriety. For the "sober curious," that might, mean a dry night out or a month off the sauce. And a slew of sober social spaces are popping up, complete with mocktails and the buzziness of a bar. As many are discovering, laying off booze for just a short period comes with a range of benefits, including weight loss and better sleep. [Learn what taking a break from alcohol can do for your health.]( BONUS - [Meet the entrepreneurs brewing a new wave of nonalcoholic craft beer for connoisseurs](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Karrastock/Getty Images [We're Getting Angrier - Is There An Upside?]( Americans are mad -- and getting madder, according to a new NPR-IBM Watson Health poll. This poll found that 84% of people think Americans are angrier today than they were a generation ago. Factors contributing to anger may include reading the news and spending time on social media. But the results aren’t all negative, as many of us think that anger can actually be channeled for good. [Read more to find out what’s making Americans angry.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Nicolaus Czarnecki/Boston Herald via Getty Images [A Microbe That Could Make Us Run Faster]( What if the secret to running faster lay in your gut? According to new research in the journal Nature Medicine, mice injected with a strain of bacteria found in very fit athletes had greater endurance in a running test than regular mice. Researchers still aren't sure if a probiotic supplement made of these bad boys would enhance human runners' performance, but they are hoping to find out. [Learn more about the athlete-friendly microbes that may some day give you an edge on the track.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- More of this week's health stories from NPR [A new way to test for consciousness in comatose patients]( [Hospitals are suing their patients and garnishing their wages for unpaid bills]( [The gap between rich and poor Americans' health is widening]( We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's [health journalism on Shots]( and follow us on Twitter at [@NPRHealth](. Your Shots editor, Carmel Wroth --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [shots@npr.org](mailto:shots@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Goats & Soda, Daily News, Best of NPR and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Health emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]