Alcohol can negatively affect your mental and physical health, as well as your closest relationship, career prospects and finances.
The decision to stop drinking alcohol can feel like a difficult step to take. But there are so many benefits of ‘going sober’, that even after three months, you’ll realise it’s definitely worth it,
The physical health benefits of not drinking alcohol
Embracing sobriety is much easier to do if you know the range of health issues caused by drinking alcohol.
it’s worth keeping in mind that as you continue to drink alcohol, you’re damaging your liver, kidney, heart, and brain. Prolonged use of alcohol could also increase the chances of having cancer, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, kidney failure, cardiac arrest, Alzheimer’s and many more. Maybe these health issues won’t show up right now. But the damage slowly accumulates over the years and become worse as you get older.
As a result there are numerous health benefits of not drinking alcohol. Here are just some of them:
Lower your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease
Did you know that alcohol may help cause some kind of cancers? Heavy drinkers especially, have a higher risk of getting certain types of cancer including throat, liver, oesophageal, laryngeal cancer and breast cancer, as well as rectal and colon cancer. And heavy drinkers are more at risk of having cardiovascular disease than those who don’t drink, and you’re also at risk of myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke.
There’s evidence that decreasing your alcohol intake decreases the production of acetaldehyde in the body, and that reduces the risk of certain cancers. Your cardiovascular system will thank you if you stop drinking alcohol too. Embracing sobriety will help reduce your blood pressure, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, a heart attack or a stroke.
Have a healthier liver
Your liver’s main function is to filter the toxins in your body. So drinking alcohol can impair your liver’s function and lead to health conditions such as fatty liver or liver damage.
The benefits of no alcohol for three months, or longer, is that you’re giving your liver the chance to recover before it gets seriously damaged.
Improve your immunity
Alcohol weakens your immune system by preventing your white blood cells from fighting off germs and bacteria.
One of the benefits of being sober, is that your body will be in a better position to protect you by boosting your immunity. And that means you’ll minimise your risk of suffering from flu and colds, as well as more serious illnesses like pneumonia.
Have better skin
Ever heard someone described as having an ‘alcoholic face’? It’s a term that describes the effects of alcohol on a person’s skin. Dehydration, jaundice and inflammation all cause saggy, sallow skin, puffy eyes and broken capillaries across the nose and face. If you’re a heavy drinker there’s also a risk of developing an inflammatory disease called psoriasis where your skin becomes flaky, itchy and sore.
So what are the benefits of not drinking alcohol when it comes to your skin? Alcohol is particularly hard on the liver and kidneys, which are the organs that play a large role in flushing out waste from your system. When you go sober, all the toxins associated with alcohol don’t have the same chance to build up in your system, and you get healthier-looking and clearer skin. The skin’s elasticity will gradually be restored, the redness around the eyes will go, and the yellowing of the and skin will slowly disappear.
Become a healthier weight
Alcohol may be the reason you’re seeing no gains despite the pains you go through in the gym. When you drink too much alcohol, your body is unable to get the essential nutrients it needs, and it also slows down your metabolism. Plus, alcohol is made up of empty calories and sugars, which increases your blood sugar and exposes you to diabetes. If you binge drink, it’s easy to consume an extra 600 calories at night that you just don’t need. As a result, you can quickly pile on the pounds and feel bloated and run down.
One of the benefits of going sober is that you’ll notice positive changes to your weight quite quickly. Swap your empty wine calories or comfort ‘hangover food’ for healthy food options, and in three months you’ll see a difference in your body weight and shape, and your overall wellbeing too.
Enjoy a better night’s sleep
People often say they can’t quit alcohol because it helps them sleep. But don’t be deceived. Alcohol actually affects your sleep-wake cycle, so if you drink alcohol, it becomes more difficult for you to fall asleep and remain asleep at night. It also puts you at risk of snoring and sleep apnoea because alcohol relaxes your throat’s muscles.
One of the benefits of being sober, is that you’ll wake feeling refreshed and alert in the morning, ready to take on the day. Don’t underestimate the power of solid nights of rest: everything from productivity to mood hinges upon quality sleep, so invest in yourself by prioritising a full eight hours every night.
The mental health benefits of not drinking alcohol
As well as having a physical affect, alcohol can have detrimental effect on your mental wellbeing too. Many addictions, including alcoholism, have been linked to various types of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression. Very often people turn to alcohol and other substances in an attempt to self-medicate, so it quickly becomes a vicious circle.
If you’ve been a heavy drinker for a long time, quitting alcohol won’t be easy but there are numerous benefits of cutting out alcohol and ‘going sober’.
Improve your memory and thinking skills
Did you know it’s the hippocampus area of your brain that’s responsible for learning and memory. If you drink too much, the alcohol causes this part of your brain to shrink which affects your ability to recall.
When you limit your alcohol intake, there are positive changes to your brain’s structure, and an improvement in your thinking, problem-solving skills, attention, and memory.
Improve your mood
The brain is one of the organs that receives a substantial blow each time you gulp down alcohol. The ‘high’ feeling sounds fun right now but for how long does that feeling last? And at what cost to your health? Drinking alcohol makes you feel happy temporarily because it boosts your body’s serotonin level, which is a chemical ‘messenger’ that affects wellbeing and happiness. But once your serotonin returns to normal, the ‘down’ can feel depressing.
Sobriety is an important factor in improving mental health as your serotonin levels stay on an even keel, you can prevent dramatic mood swings and your body will have an opportunity to heal. By stopping drinking alcohol, you’ll feel less depressed and anxious and more balanced and confident.
Other benefits of being sober
Reconnecting with people
You may think that drinking makes you the life and soul of the party. But if you’re using alcohol to self-medicate, or to turn off any negative feelings, there’s a chance that you’ll turn off your feelings altogether. Alcohol can dull your capacity to interact with other people or to connect in a meaningful way, and it can make you emotionally unstable. How many of your friendships or romantic or business relationships have been affected by alcohol?
One of the benefits of quitting alcohol and ‘going sober’ is that you’ll have a chance to engage in significant and healthy relationships once again through improved communication skills and increased confidence. These changes in interpersonal dynamics can lead to enhanced self-awareness and better overall mental health too.
Regaining financial freedom
Drinking alcohol can an expensive past time. As well as the damage it does to your physical and mental health and wellbeing, it can also have a detrimental effect on your finances. Some people end up losing their job, home, and even their family because of alcohol.
Living a sober lifestyle will not only help you keep your job, family and possessions it can also give you back your financial freedom allowing you to save or invest your money for something worthwhile.
Having seen how alcohol affects your body, mind, and soul, and the benefits of sobriety, you may feel like now’s the time to give up alcohol for good.
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