You’re sixty days in. The "pink cloud" of the first two weeks—that weird, floaty euphoria where you feel like a superhero just for waking up without a headache—has probably evaporated. Now, it’s just Tuesday. You’re staring at a sparkling water, wondering if your liver is actually "healed" or if you’re just bored.
2 months without alcohol is a strange middle ground. It’s long enough for the novelty to wear off, but short enough that your brain is still rewiring itself in ways you can’t see. Most people talk about Dry January as the gold standard, but the real magic (and the real struggle) happens in that second month.
Honestly, the physical stuff is the easy part. By now, your skin probably looks less "grey" and more like a human's. Your sleep has likely transitioned from sweaty, vivid-dream-filled chaos to something resembling actual rest. But the psychological shift? That’s where the 60-day mark gets weird.
The biology of the 60-day reset
Let’s talk about your brain. Not the "spirituality" of sobriety, but the actual grey matter. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that messes with your GABA (calming) and glutamate (exciting) receptors. When you drink regularly, your brain downregulates its own production of feel-good chemicals because it’s used to the liquid shortcut.
According to research often cited by experts like Dr. George Koob, Director of the NIAAA, it can take months for the brain's reward system to return to baseline. At 2 months without alcohol, you are likely in the thick of "Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome" or PAWS. This isn't the "shaky hands" withdrawal. It’s the "I feel kind of flat and annoyed at everything" withdrawal. Your dopamine receptors are still recalibrating. They’re like a radio trying to find a signal through static.
It takes time.
Your liver and blood pressure
If you had fatty liver disease (steatosis) caused by drinking, two months is a significant milestone. Studies published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology suggest that even one month of abstinence can significantly reduce liver fat and improve "liver stiffness." By day 60, those improvements are hardening into real health gains.
Your blood pressure is also likely lower. Alcohol causes blood vessels to constrict and messes with the hormones that regulate fluid in your body. Take a reading. You might be surprised to see those numbers have dipped into the "normal" range without medication.
The social fatigue is real
By the time you hit 2 months without alcohol, the "Why aren't you drinking?" questions have stopped being interesting. They’re just annoying.
You’ve probably navigated a few "firsts" by now. A first sober birthday. A first work happy hour where you felt like an alien. The reality is that social circles often shift around the 60-day mark. You realize that some of your friends were "activity friends," and that activity was specifically drinking.
It’s lonely.
But there’s a flip side. You start to notice the people who don't care what's in your glass. You have deeper conversations because you aren't repeating the same story for the fourth time at 11:00 PM. You actually remember what your friends told you.
Weight loss and the "Sugar Trap"
"I stopped drinking and I didn't lose weight!"
I hear this constantly. Here’s why: many people replace the ethanol calories with Haribo. When you remove alcohol, your blood sugar drops, and your brain screams for a quick hit of glucose. It’s incredibly common to become a candy fiend in the second month.
If you haven't seen the scale move, look at your ice cream intake. Even so, the "bloat" or systemic inflammation usually goes down regardless of the number on the scale. Your face loses that puffiness. Your clothes fit differently because your body isn't holding onto water to combat dehydration.
Mental health: The "unmasking" effect
This is the part nobody likes to talk about. Alcohol is often a form of self-medication for anxiety or depression. When you go 2 months without alcohol, you are no longer numbing those underlying issues.
Everything feels louder.
If you were drinking to quiet a loud brain, that brain is now shouting. This is why 60 days is a common "relapse" point. People think, "I feel worse now than I did when I was drinking!"
Actually, you're just feeling. Period.
Dr. Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, explains that we live in a world of constant overstimulation. Sobriety forces you to confront the "boredom" or "pain" that you were drowning out. At two months, you’re finally stable enough to start doing the actual work—whether that’s therapy, exercise, or just learning how to sit on a couch without a beer.
Specific milestones you’ll likely notice
You aren't just "not drinking." You are actively changing your physiology.
- Sleep cycles: You’re likely getting more REM sleep. Alcohol blocks REM, which is why you can sleep for 10 hours after drinking and still feel like garbage. Now, 7 hours feels like a superpower.
- Decision making: The prefrontal cortex—the "adult" part of your brain—is coming back online. You’re less impulsive. You might find you're better at your job or less likely to snap at your partner.
- Gut health: Your microbiome is throwing a party. Alcohol irritates the lining of the gut and can lead to "leaky gut" issues. Two months gives your stomach lining a chance to repair itself and your "good" bacteria a chance to thrive.
What to do if you’re struggling at day 60
Don't panic if you don't feel "enlightened." Sobriety isn't a linear path to perfection. It's a slow climb out of a hole.
- Check your expectations. If you expected your life to be a montage from a movie, you're going to be disappointed. Focus on the small wins, like not having a "mystery bruise" on your leg or a "mystery charge" on your credit card.
- Find a new ritual. If 6:00 PM was your "wine time," you still need a signal to your brain that the day is over. Use fancy glassware. Buy expensive tea. Go for a walk. Your brain needs the transition, even if the substance changes.
- Blood work. Go to the doctor. Get your liver enzymes (AST/ALT) checked. Seeing the actual, scientific proof of your progress on a lab report is incredibly motivating.
- Connect. Whether it's a formal group like AA or SMART Recovery, or just a subreddit like r/stopdrinking, find people who get it. Isolation is the biggest threat to long-term change.
The 60-day horizon
Two months is 1,440 hours of choosing something different. It’s long enough to prove to yourself that you can survive the hard days without a crutch.
The goal isn't just to "not drink." The goal is to build a life you don't want to escape from. At 2 months without alcohol, you're finally starting to see the blueprint of what that life could look like.
👉 See also: How Much Water Am I Supposed to Drink? Why the Eight-Glass Rule is Basically Dead
Keep going. The 90-day mark—where many experts say the brain's "plasticity" really begins to lock in new habits—is just around the corner.
Actionable Next Steps
- Schedule a "Deep Sleep" test. Use a wearable device to track your REM and Deep sleep stages. Compare them to your data from two months ago; the increase in restorative sleep is your best biological motivator.
- Review your finances. Look at your bank statements from the two months prior to quitting. Move that exact "saved" amount into a high-yield savings account or use it for a non-liquid reward.
- Audit your "Trigger Times." Identify the specific hour of the day when cravings still hit. Usually, it's tied to a drop in blood sugar or a transition from work to home. Eat a high-protein snack 30 minutes before this window to stabilize your mood.
- Update your "Why" list. The reasons you quit on Day 1 (hangovers, regret) are likely less pressing now. Write a new list of reasons to stay quit based on Day 60 (clarity, better relationships, physical health).