A Week of Festive Drinking: What Seven Days of Excess Did to One Man’s Body

A journalist undertook a self-imposed trial to measure the health effects of seven days of festive drinking. Harry Wallop, a 51-year-old writer, spent a week indulging at Christmas events after a ten-day period of sobriety and then submitted to a battery of medical, cognitive and physical tests at Hooke, a private clinic that focuses on anti-ageing treatments. The lead finding was blunt: there was no obvious short‑term liver damage, but the week of partying produced measurable declines in physical and mental performance.

Wallop’s protocol was explicit about pace and context. He planned to drink above the NHS‑recommended weekly maximum, not to binge in the traditional sense, and to log every alcoholic unit consumed. He started with a period of ten sober days to establish a baseline, then tracked a week in which social obligations—the December calendar, parties, and family gatherings—meant alcohol would be readily available. The team at Hooke performed a full two‑hour evaluation before he began, including a grip strength test, a balance test on one leg with eyes closed, an electroencephalogram (EEG) to monitor brain activity, and blood tests. The author also wore a monitoring ring to gauge sleep, heart rate and recovery.

Over the seven days, Wallop’s alcohol intake totaled 51 units. Day one began with a spritz, then multiple glasses of white wine and beer; day two included a business meeting and a festive concert; day three featured a family meal with wine and a late-night whisky; day four involved a busy day followed by a sloe gin at a party; day five was a rare day off, followed by a glass of wine; day six was alcohol‑free; and day seven included a trip to Berlin with a late‑afternoon Glühwein and several beers before a Radiohead concert. By week’s end Wallop tallied 51 units, well above the commonly cited weekly cap.

In the end, the blood work offered the clearest early signal: liver enzymes remained within the healthy range, suggesting no immediate or acute liver injury from the week of drinking. The physical and neurological assessments painted a different picture. Wallop’s grip strength in the left hand fell from 39.7 kilograms at baseline to 34.3 kilograms after the seven days, a drop the clinicians attributed to reduced muscle activation and fatigue.

Balance and coordination were notably affected. The pre‑drinking test had Wallop balancing on one leg for up to about ten seconds with his eyes closed; after the drinking week, he could manage only about three seconds. The reflexes of his nervous system also slowed: his response time to auditory cues lengthened from 238 milliseconds to 353 milliseconds when asked to click a mouse after hearing beeps. Memory and processing speed declined as well, with short‑term recall and sequence tasks taking longer and producing more errors.

Heart rate showed a modest change, slipping from about 70 beats per minute to roughly 61 bpm in the post‑week assessment. Doctors explained that alcohol can dampen the nervous system in the short term, sometimes lowering heart rate, even as it can cause transient palpitations or a faster rate during active drinking. The researchers stressed that the changes observed were acute and reversible in many cases, but they underscored that even a single week of regular social drinking could impair cognitive and motor performance.

Wallop’s sleep and overall recovery also suffered. Data from the Oura ring showed lower Readiness scores after the week of drinking, dropping from an average of 90.5 out of 100 during sobriety to 73, a marker of how well the body recovered from daily stressors. Wallop noted that he slept worse on average during the drinking week and found it harder to concentrate and stay physically fit. The experience, he said, suggested that the brain had aged temporarily, even if the effect might not be permanent.

The clinical interpretation came with a stark reminder about brain health. Dr. Jean‑Marc Sobczyk, one of the Hooke clinicians, said that if the team were being purists, they would advocate for zero alcohol because of its potential impact on brain health, particularly as people age. Dr. Samantha Wild, a general practitioner with Bupa, echoed the point, stressing that there is no known safe level of drinking for everyone and warning that even what some would regard as moderate intake can nonetheless take a toll over time.

Wallop summarized the personal takeaway with a cautious, practical stance. He acknowledged that he enjoys alcohol and has no intention of quitting entirely, but the results were a wake‑up call. He indicated a commitment to curbing late‑night or second and third drinks at social events and to giving his body more time to recover after exposure to alcohol.

The episode also underscored broader health messaging around alcohol. NHS guidelines have evolved over time; after a 2016 revision, the maximum recommended weekly intake was set at 14 units for many adults. The Daily Mail report of Wallop’s experiment highlighted that a single large week can push a person far beyond that limit, and it noted that many adults—an estimated share of 32 percent of English men—regularly exceed 14 units per week. The article also explained how unit counts translate to typical beverages: a standard pub measure of wine (125 ml at about 12% ABV) equates to roughly 1 unit, whereas a larger 250 ml serves can carry about 3.6 units. The practical takeaway for readers is that even what seems like “a few glasses” can accumulate quickly during the holiday season.

The study’s limitations are evident. The Week‑long experiment is anecdotal and not a controlled clinical trial, and the results describe a single person’s response. Still, the pattern aligns with mounting scientific literature that points to short‑term cognitive and physical effects from alcohol. Wallop’s doctors emphasized that the brain’s recovery can take time and that even short bursts of heavy drinking can prime a cascade of subtle, measurable declines in performance. The piece concluded with Wallop’s reflection on January as a potential turning point: a more deliberate approach to drinking, mindful of how quickly a few celebratory drinks can degrade physical function, reaction time, sleep quality and mental sharpness.

Health professionals emphasize that the findings, while personal, contribute to a broader understanding of how alcohol affects the body in the short term. They reiterate that if there is any doubt about the safety of one’s drinking, reducing intake or pausing alcohol consumption for several days can support liver recovery and cognitive function. For people who routinely exceed weekly guidelines, the takeaway is not a verdict on every glass but a reminder of the cumulative impact even a single festive week can have on health and daily performance.