Top Reasons to Stop Drinking Too Much Alcohol
Drinking alcohol is enjoyable at first before the continuous hangovers take over. The advantages of quitting significantly outmatch the advantages of drinking. Quitting alcohol may seem impossible. It is particularly hard for people who are already addicted to it. In many cases, the alcoholic believes that there is absolutely no point in life without alcohol. As a result, they still continue to drink despite all the negative impacts it has on their life.
A lot of men and women are locked up in the prison of alcoholism. Fortunately, quitting is still possible even though being sober appears to be a distant reality. But the truth is that it only requires a number of definitive actions. Also, the advantages of quitting drinking too much alcohol are remarkable. People can enhance their lives in so many ways by not drinking anymore. Here are a few of the advantages of quitting.
As you stop drinking alcohol, you will feel far better.
Alcohol is not a health-giving substance and people today have a tendency to overlook that. Sure, there is proof that a drink or two can prevent specific diseases but prolonged drinking and binge drinking is downright harmful. When someone drinks too much, their body must work overtime to process the substance. The liver goes into overwork to process it.
As the brain attempts to calibrate itself, it will go haywire in the process. And so will the lungs and the heart as it will then pump at irregular levels. This is not the way that the body is intended to function.
Those people who do not drink, on the contrary, are inclined to be a whole lot healthier such that they are not vulnerable to alcohol’s impact on the body since the body is spared from processing compounds that are poisonous. The body can concentrate its energy on different important functions. Because of this, the body and the mind can work at most optimum levels.
There are a lot of benefits when you give up drinking, one of which is in line with your mental health. Drinking does not only affect physical health but mental health as well. Drinking moderately can help alleviate stress but in excess, it can cause individuals to make regretful decisions in life. These regretful choices are called moral hangovers in which drinking too much often results in undesirable and regrettable behaviour.
Consequently, guilt and shame often accompany drinking that after a certain period of time, this may have bad effects on the person’s mental health. For this reason, the elimination of guilt feelings will be one of the greatest advantages of quitting alcohol. But of course, sober individuals do crazy things that they will regret as well; however, in the absence of alcohol, these regrets will be minimized.
The period of time that a person will feel better after they quit drinking differs from person to person. An individual usually starts to feel better over the first couple of weeks since alcohol does not remain in the body for quite long. Even habitual alcoholics may detoxify in a matter of a week or so that they ought to begin to feel better should they eat healthily and exercise.
Drinking has emotional or psychological side effects as well and these are not as easy to repair. Whether an alcoholic has a co-occurring condition such as stress, their illness will still be there once they quit drinking alcohol. The removal of alcoholic drinks will help them reach a place of equilibrium should they devote to sobriety and consult with a physician for assistance.
Related article: Alcohol Detox: 5 Facts that Will Make You Stop Drinking for Good
Quit drinking alcohol and it will make you look younger.
Alcohol makes people look old; it is not good for the skin since it is a diuretic which makes the body dehydrated. It makes the skin less elastic and dries out without appropriate hydration. It also triggers inflammation of the body tissues and that is the reason that whenever they drink, some people have flushed faces because the skin on becomes inflamed. Usually, the redness goes off as the alcohol is flushed out of the system. But eventually, continuous inflammation will harm their skin.
Moreover, research indicates that drinking makes the cells of the body age fast. It decreases the lifespan of the cells from the skin, heart, liver, and other organs. If the body of a person is very unhealthy to generate new cells, the ageing process shall be more evident. Their organs and skin will begin to deteriorate much more rapidly.
So what does the face of an alcoholic look like? Each drinker differs, some are fortunate enough to have genes that are great, therefore alcoholic beverages may not have drastic impacts on their skin. However, in many individuals, alcohol reduces collagen levels. Collagen is a protein which strengthens the tissue and also links skin cells that if it breaks down, the skin gets loose and saggy.
Aside from that, jaundice can also be caused by alcoholism. The signs of jaundice include yellowish eyes and skin. This condition happens when the liver is too frail to process toxins properly. Some toxins have been sent to the bloodstream and spread throughout the entire body if the liver cannot filter them out. And when the toxins reach the eyes and skin, both begin to have a yellow colour. So, people should avoid alcohol if they want to have the most healthy skin possible.
Money-wise, being sober can save you a lot of money.
The advantages of being alcohol-free go beyond the physical; it also has financial benefits. Those who drink, after all, are well aware that the price of alcohol can accumulate. A bottle of wine or a couple of beers will only cost a few dollars but if a person drinks on a weekly, or daily basis then the cost will add up over time. And of course, drinking is frequently accompanied by poor choices. If any legal problems, like a DUI, happens, they are likely to suffer huge financial setbacks.
Money spent on drinks in the pub can accumulate over time. If a person drinks just two of these beverages and goes to the pub once a week, they wind up spending more than $500 each year! That amount can be spent on things that are far more important and satisfying. Former alcoholics discover that their pockets are thicker once they cease to drink alcohol. Even occasional drinkers can gain from the benefits of stopping.
A person who is sober can connect with people more.
A lot of people nowadays have become isolated because of their drinking problem. It causes people to feel lonely, embarrassed, and guilty. Obscured by alcohol, they oftentimes forget there are individuals on the planet that would like to love and associate with them. Experts indicate that alcohol dependence stems from the absence of connection. Alcohol and drugs provide a sense of equilibrium to addicts. By using drugs or alcohol, they could feel connected. It delivers a type of security to alcoholics; after all, alcohol cannot judge anybody.
Anti-social people, who try to guard themselves against emotional distress, use drugs and alcohol as a method of preventing debilitating feelings and self-awareness. Of course, their drug of choice and the relationship between an addict isn’t real, nor it is healthy. Everybody longs for personal and human connection, and sobriety provides that. Among the advantages of not drinking alcohol is that the security of drunkenness is eliminated, forcing individuals to form genuine connections with those people around them.
Since alcoholism is very isolating, most of the recovering alcohol addicts have a difficult time throughout the first days of being sober. Former alcoholics are made to face their reality which can oftentimes be overwhelming. Luckily, there are lots of resources for newly sober individuals. There are organizations that have been formed to provide a place for alcoholics to reconnect with others.
Some of these organizations are based on the concept that compassion is the secret to sobriety. To be able to avoid a relapse, alcoholics need to learn how to accept others and themselves. Addicts that spend some time reconnecting with other people and interacting without being judged will help a whole lot of individuals to get sober. But sometimes these programs are not appropriate for everybody. Some alcoholics can do better without it. However, for all those people who took advantage of the program, it is a world of companionship that opened and provided them with a fresh lease on life.
Quitting alcohol can help you lose weight.
Alcoholic drinks are high in calories but these are empty calories. The human body processes and stores alcohol in the form of sugar, which will subsequently be converted to fats. Individuals who drink too much usually take more weight around than those who do not. As a matter of fact, research points out that too much alcohol consumption is closely connected to obesity. The longer a person drinks, the more probable it is that they will get added undesirable weight.
But of course, some people have quick metabolisms than others so it cannot be concluded that there is a direct connection between the weight and the amount of alcohol consumed. Their personal preference with regards to drinking can affect the weight since the sugar content of some beverages is higher. However, if an individual is seeking to eliminate some weight then they ought to begin by quitting alcohol. After all, losing weight is one of the great benefits of quitting alcohol.
How long after quitting alcohol can you lose weight?
The weight reduction timeline changes from person to person. Some individuals burn calories and process glucose quicker than others. Quitting alcohol may be an excellent way to lose weight but to really eliminate the weight, people ought to embrace a healthy diet and lifestyle. This really is actually the very best method to eliminate weight after placing the alcohol aside.
One of the greatest benefits of quitting is that the appetite for carbs lessens. It is very common for people to grab for food that is high in carbohydrates to treat a hangover. This is due to the fact that the comedown in the carb-rush causes blood sugar to fall, which activates the brain to crave for more carbs. Therefore, if an individual will be able to prevent high-carb foods as well as refraining from alcohol, then weight reduction will be faster.
Quitting alcoholic drinks can minimize the risk of a heart attack.
Drinking can cause serious damage to the pulmonary system and the heart especially to those people who are more prone to these conditions. The chance of cardiovascular disease can also increase. Among the health benefits of quitting alcohol is reducing such risks. There are a lot of people who suffer from heart disease and over 500,000 individuals are diagnosed with it annually. Experts say that the danger of heart failure is almost two times as high in heavy drinkers or those who consume more than 14 drinks a week. So, one of the best advantages of stopping alcohol is a much more healthy heart and a longer lifespan.
Why is alcohol not good for your heart?
The issue with drinking is that it raises the amount of fat in the blood; particularly it increases the number of triglycerides that could result in increased cholesterol levels. Fatty blood is not good for your heart as it slows down the rate of movement of the blood in the body which will cause the heart to work hard more to pump the blood. With time, higher cholesterol might lead to lots of different ailments and heart failure. To keep a healthy heart, males should consume no more than two drinks a day while the ladies should not have more than one.
Quitting gives you time to pick up an old hobby or take on a new one.
Drinking takes a considerable amount of time and attending parties, clearly, is time-consuming in itself. However, adding up all the time that it requires to find alcohol and add the time it takes to decrease the alcohol intoxication in the body, it definitely eats a lot of time. As a matter of fact, it has been so time-consuming that a great deal of recently sober people has trouble occupying their time. They don’t understand what to do if they do not need to consider drinking.
But, taking up a new hobby is essential for remaining sober. Some alcoholics turn to workouts, others concentrate on music, and some would rather fish, garden, or read. It does not matter what kind of hobby a former alcoholic prefers, so long as it offers something to occupy their thoughts.
As they say that boredom is damaging to the road to sobriety, those who actually enjoy an activity will naturally be very excited to secure the positive effects of not drinking. They will have more energy and time to concentrate on doing what they enjoy without being disrupted by hangovers and booze. Anyone who said that quitters will never win did not have the opportunity to enjoy the advantages of giving up on drinking alcohol.
Once you are sober, you can correct the mistakes of the past.
Everybody has done something that they are sorry for and heavy drinkers have a tendency to do things that make them more miserable. Among the advantages of stopping is getting the opportunity to compensate for all those things they have done and also to apologize. In many instances, alcoholics could have behaved in a manner that resulted in friends or their loved ones to distance themselves. But once the individual stops drinking and provided that they remain sober, maybe those people might forgive them.
One of the good things about quitting alcohol is having the ability to start anew. But if there are still traces of the past, then it is difficult to maneuver towards the future. Sobriety provides individuals with the chance to do the things right and start over. It may be a familiar tune, but it is still true: alcoholics are presented with another chance at life by sobriety. Without the burdens of fatigue, sickness, and hangovers, recovered drinkers have time to put effort on their goals.
No matter what an individual’s goals are, the very best approach to reach them is to totally remove alcohol in their system. They will realize that it will open up to all kinds of physical, financial, and emotional access which would not exist if this is not the case. And, to say the least, those who stop drinking will surely reap the benefits of living a longer and healthier life. Call Inspire Change Addiction Rehab in Vancouver for addiction treatment programs.