Alcohol can negatively affect your mental and physical health. It can even ruin your relationships with other people. If you’re one of those who have been misusing alcohol, now is the time to get control.
Living an alcohol-free lifestyle offers a lot of benefits. You won’t just become healthier but you’ll also feel happier.
For some, the decision to stop drinking alcohol is a huge and difficult step to take. But if you consider all the positives that will happen to your body and the improvement in your relationships with others, you’ll realize that it’s definitely worth it.
What Are The Health Risks of Heavy Drinking?
As you know by now, drinking heavily takes a toll on your mental and physical health. You will be at risk of developing medical problems, such as:
- High blood pressure
- Hearing loss
- Pancreatitis
- Digestive issues
- Cirrhosis
- Cancer
- Stroke
- Arrhythmias
- Anxiety
- Depression
Why Quit Drinking Alcohol?
When you quit heavy drinking, you’ll notice improvements in your mood, mind, and general health.
Boost Your Immunity
Alcohol weakens your immune system by preventing your white blood cells from fighting off germs and bacteria. That’s why you’ll notice that heavy drinkers suffer from tuberculosis and pneumonia. If you stop drinking alcohol, you’ll also minimize your risks of suffering from flu and colds. Your body will be in a better position to protect you by boosting your immunity.
Lower Cancer Risks
Did you know that alcohol may induce cancer? As per the CDC, heavy drinkers have a higher risk of getting certain types of cancer such as throat cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, breast cancer, as well as rectal and colon cancer.
Lower Risk Of Cardiovascular Diseases
Your cardiovascular system will thank you if you stop drinking alcohol. Heavy drinkers are more at risk of having cardiovascular disease than those who don’t drink. Drinking alcohol may put you at risk of myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic stroke.
Healthier Liver
Your liver’s main function is to filter the toxins in your body. Drinking alcohol can impair its function and lead to health conditions such as fatty liver or liver damage. By limiting or stopping your alcohol intake, you’re giving your liver the chance to recover before it gets seriously damaged.
Enjoy Better Looking Skin
You’ve probably heard someone say that a person has an alcoholic face. It’s a term that describes the effects of heavy drinking on a person’s skin.
Alcohol abuse can cause your skin to be saggy and loose because it loses collagen. It can lead to broken capillaries on the nose and face, dehydration, jaundice, and inflammation.
Heavy drinkers are also at risk of developing an inflammatory disease called psoriasis. If you stop drinking, your skin’s elasticity will gradually be restored. The yellowing and redness around the eyes and the skin will disappear slowly.
Or as one of my clients, Jackie said, ‘being AF will mean you’ll look 10 years younger’.
Sleep Better
People who drink heavily often have problems with sleep. Alcohol affects your sleep-wake cycle, which causes it to be difficult for you to fall and remain asleep at night. It also puts you at risk of snoring and sleep apnea because alcohol relaxes your throat’s muscles.
When you stop drinking alcohol, you will encounter some sleep troubles at first. But the longer you stop drinking, you’ll notice improvements in your sleep.
Healthier Weight
Your body is unable to get essential nutrients when you drink too much alcohol. It also slows your metabolism down. Alcohol is made up of empty calories and sugars so if you binge drink, it’s easy for you to consume up to 600 calories at night.
Stop drinking and you’ll notice positive changes to your weight. No more empty wine calories or comfort ‘hangover food’ the next day!
Improved Mental Health
Addiction, including alcoholism, has been linked to various types of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression. Millions of people suffer from substance abuse and mental illness but a lot of them fail to receive treatment.
Although scientists still need to find out what links the two, one thing remains true. It is that many people turn to alcohol and other substances in an attempt to self-medicate. It’s also true that reducing your consumption of alcohol can help reduce the symptoms of mental illnesses.
If you’ve been a heavy drinker for a long time, living an alcohol-free lifestyle won’t be easy. But with effort and commitment, you’ll be on your road towards recovery.
As you work your way towards a healthier and better you, you’ll also notice great improvements in your mental health. You’ll feel more confident and you’ll have more self-respect. You’ll feel less depressed and anxious, too.
Improved Memory and Thinking Skills
The hippocampus is responsible for learning and memory. If you drink too much, the alcohol will cause this part of your brain to shrink. If you stop your alcohol intake, there will be positive changes to your brain’s structure. It will improve your thinking and problem-solving skills, attention, and memory.
Reconnect With Other People
Heavy drinking can dull your capacity to feel and interact with other people. Most people turn to alcohol to dull their senses, turn off any negative feelings they have, or self-medicate. In return, they lose the ability to empathize and connect with others. By being sober you’ll have a chance to engage in meaningful and healthy relationships once again.
Improved Mood
Alcohol is a well-known depressant and can cause mood shifts. Getting drunk makes you feel happy temporarily because it boosts your body’s serotonin level. But once it returns to normal, you’ll then feel depressed. Live an alcohol-free life to prevent drastic mood swings and keep your serotonin levels in check.
Regain Financial Freedom
Drinking heavily will also affect your finances. Depending on how severe it is, drinking can easily become an expensive addiction. Some people end up losing their job, home, and even their family because of alcohol. Living an alcohol-free lifestyle will not only help you keep your family and possessions but it can also give you back your financial freedom.
These are just some of the many benefits you’ll enjoy if you stop drinking. The longer you quit, the more health improvements you’ll enjoy. Stay patient and committed to keeping your body alcohol free. This way, you’ll allow your mind and body to heal and return to the way it was before you got addicted to alcohol.
© Just The Tonic Coaching