One woman may be extending Dry January into the rest of the year after her new Oura Ring, a wearable health tracker, shows her what really happens when she has a couple of alcoholic drinks.
In a video with over 401,000 views, TikToker Brooke Anderson (@brookeanders0n) sits on a balcony, shaking her head and placing her hand on her forehead in disbelief. On her ring finger, she sports a silver Oura Ring.
“I have an Oura Ring and had 2 drinks last night. I’m never drinking again,” the on-screen text reads.
In the caption, she says she is “seriously shocked and disgusted.”
But drinking isn’t the only behavior with shocking results that the Oura Ring provides data on. The Daily Dot previously reported on an Oura Ring user who says her boyfriend’s device indicated that he is more stressed when he hangs out with her. Here’s how to decipher the device’s results.
What did the Oura Ring tell her?
In a follow-up video, Anderson shows the readings from the Oura Ring on the wearable’s mobile app. First, she shares a screenshot of what her readings look like after a typical night of sleep in which she hasn’t had any alcohol.
Her resting heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body temperature, recovery index, sleep, and sleep balance all scored “blue”—meaning these health markers are in a “good” range.
However, on the night she had two drinks, many of her results—such as resting heart rate, HRV, body temperature, recovery, and sleep balance—all plummeted into the red. These results prompted the Oura Ring app to tell Anderson to “pay attention.”
How can the Oura Ring tell if you drank alcohol?
The Oura Ring won’t scan your beverage, but alcohol can impact your body in several ways the device can track.
According to Oura, data from users shows that alcohol increases resting heart rate by 4.8% and heart rate variability by 12.1% on average. An increase in both of these markers can signal stress and sleep disruption caused by drinking alcohol.
As it turns out, even occasional drinking could be detrimental to your health, according to a recent statement from the World Health Organization (WHO). While the most common indicator of the health impact of a night out used to be a nasty hangover, wearable devices like Oura Ring can help make sense of why you feel so bad the day after drinking.
Does the Oura Ring change users’ habits?
In an email to the Daily Dot, Anderson says she was already an “extremely occasional drinker” before purchasing an Oura Ring.
“It was pretty shocking to me to see those results because I’ve never seen anything like that before,” she tells us. “The Oura ring has definitely motivated me to drink even less in 2025.”
In the comments, other Oura Ring users say that using the wearable has made them avoid drinking, too.
“I drank once with my Oura Ring and it made me want to never drink again, it looked like I was dying,” one wrote.
“My Oura Ring really clocked me with my two-day hangover after a Christmas party. I was so ashamed of myself looking at my stats,” another said.
“It’s so humbling every time. Then the day after it says you’re STRESSED all day….” a third added. Anderson replied, “Sober for 2025 for me!!”
On the other hand, users who have cut out alcohol say their scores have improved.
“Ever since Dry January, my scores have skyrocketed! Man, I was in rough shape when I drank,” one said.
“I stopped drinking over a year ago. Always was a casual once-a-month drinker, but seeing my scores really helped me validate how shitty alcohol is for my body even if it was just one or two drinks,” another shared.
@brookeanders0n Seriously shocked and disgusted #ouraring #soberlife #sobertok ♬ πρωτότυπος ήχος – Spiros Zorpidis
The Daily Dot reached out to Anderson via email and TikTok direct message. We also reached out to Oura Ring for further comment.
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