Patricia
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), nearly 90% of adults over 18 have reported drinking alcohol at least once. That is a lot of people who risk succumbing to the problems of alcoholism if they are not careful.
It is essential to know how to quit drinking alcohol if you suspect that you are a binge drinker. Binge drinking means having at least 5 drinks in 2 hours.
People who binge drink are more likely to end up in the emergency room because of alcohol-related issues. Here are the 10 benefits of not drinking alcohol to help you on your path to sobriety.
Why Quit Drinking Alcohol?
In the US alone, the economic cost of treating excessive alcohol use is billions of dollars. This involves criminal justice costs, motor vehicle collisions, medical costs, and anything else related to drinking alcohol.
1. Stronger Liver Function
You may notice much better liver function immediately after you quit drinking alcohol. According to experts, most heavy drinkers can enjoy their livers returning to regular operation after up to 8 weeks of not drinking alcohol.
When you are no longer gulping away your troubles, you will breathe a sigh of relief when it does not cause your liver any more pain.
You will also find that your liver can focus on other essential functions, like regulating your bloods chemical levels to efficiently excrete bile.
If you are a heavy drinker with an overworked liver, you may struggle with fatty liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver. There are many sober benefits of quitting alcohol.
Sobriety will help your liver get a good rest. Then it will not need to work so hard to process all the alcohol out of your body. Check out the alcohol recovery timeline to understand the journey to sobriety.
2. Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
When you put down that pint for the last time, your heart disease risk will decrease significantly.
Remember that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country. So, it would be wise to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease as much as possible.
Otherwise, you risk problems like coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, deep vein thrombosis, and stroke.
3. Reduced Risk of Cancer
After heart disease, cancer comes as the second largest killer in the United States. If you want to reduce your cancer risk, you must give up alcohol. This is because alcohol is a known carcinogen.
So, it can quickly increase the chances of breast, oral, pharynx, liver, esophagus, and ovarian cancers. Even if you are a light drinker with one or two glasses daily, you can still risk developing breast or colorectal cancer.
4. Healthier Skin
Do you want radiant and better-looking skin? The havoc of daily drinking can do a number on our skin.
Regular alcohol consumption can be associated with under-eye puffiness, midface volume loss, and too many wrinkles and facial lines. If you drink too much, you can also get jaundice, hives, eczema, and itchy skin.
5. Healthier Weight
When you stop drinking so much alcohol, you can expect to lose weight to look healthier. Drinking more than one beer a day is linked to being obese.
Giving up those boozy brunches can significantly lower the risk of you putting on too much weight. Then you will never need to feel insecure about that belly fat when summer beach parties are back.
Cut the empty calories because they are not worth it. If a beer has 150 calories, you are better off consuming a delicious snack.
6. Sleep Much Better
Even though alcohol is a sedative that relaxes the brain and triggers feelings of sleepiness, drinking too much can ruin your beauty sleep in no time.
Alcohol can make you drowsy from the get-go, but it can keep you up all night, even if you fall asleep. When you scull a pint before bed, you can disrupt REM sleep.
This is the most crucial sleep stage linked to memory, restfulness, and dreams. You may even struggle to breathe if you are drunkenly passed out.
7. Less Sick Leaves
Having a healthy divorce from regular alcohol consumption can ensure you do not always get sick. Alcohol can negatively affect a persons immune system.
So, if you are a heavy drinker, your immune system may be too weak to fight off diseases and infections. You may always be ill, and your boss will not be happy.
8. Powerful Concentration
It is no secret that alcohol messes with our concentration skills. This is because vigilance and concentration are mental functions that are significantly impaired when someone is too drunk.
If someone drinks too much, they struggle to focus on their work. This can lead to poor performance and adverse mental health outcomes.
9. Positive Mental Health
You can significantly strengthen your brain health when you give up trying to find the answers at the bottom of a bottle.
Even though alcohol can melt away a persons anxieties on a social night out, drinking too much all day can worsen their mental health problems.
Alcohol triggers anxiety and depression and makes these much worse. Heavy drinkers will experience paranoia, aggression, and erratic mood changes.
10. Better Relationships
Many people who drink heavily risk losing their friends and loved ones. This is because the people closest to you will have a hard time watching you throw your life away if you cannot quit drinking alcohol.
Before you know it, you may see some of your best friends or family members have become distant. If you are in a relationship, your partner may have a problem with watching you drink all the time.
Even your colleagues at work may get angry if you are too drunk to arrive on time and do a poor job. Remember that many people love and care about you and want you to get healthier. Let them help you instead of pushing them away.
Enjoy Sober Benefits Today
Now that you know the 10 benefits if you quit drinking alcohol, it is time to find the best support system in your area. It is best to contact professionals who can provide the best treatment to help you on your path to sobriety.
Then you can get your life back in no time and see loved ones happy when they see how well you are doing. If you enjoyed reading this recovering alcoholic guide, check out some of our other posts for more critical content.
