A week in.
Seven days of choices made differently. The body usually starts to notice around now.
Sleep often shifts first
Alcohol suppresses REM sleep, and the first week without it often brings vivid dreams as the body catches up. Some people sleep harder than they have in years; some have a few rougher nights before sleep settles. Both are reported in the literature on early abstinence sleep recovery.
Hydration is showing up
Skin clarity, mental fog reduction, and small energy improvements are commonly reported in the first week. None of this is a medical claim; it is what people describe in their own logs and in cessation research.
The first social test
The first declined drink at an event, the first explanation that isn’t an explanation, the first time someone asks why and you find an answer that fits. These tend to happen in the first week. They get easier.
Some people feel worse before they feel better in the first week. That is also common.