The Physical and Mental Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

Without alcohol in your life, you’ll get better sleep, and wake up without a hangover. You’ll also experience long-term improvements in your health and reduced risk of alcohol-related conditions, like heart and liver complications. Alcohol can also increase your risk of various cancers, particularly gastrointestinal ones, and cutting back can reduce that risk. This is a common condition called post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), and symptoms will improve over time. For more information on PAWS, you can read more about the alcohol recovery timeline. Our relationships with others can be significantly impacted by alcohol.

• It can also dehydrate and deprive the body of essential vitamins and antioxidants.
• In this article, we’ll talk about the health risks that come with drinking and the benefits of quitting alcohol.
• When you’re able to start setting long term goals, then you’re not just acting on impulse, you’re thinking.
• Due to the toxicity level of alcohol and drugs, when you chronically abuse them, your immune system lowers.

For example, 12-step programs often have milestones or “sober birthdays” starting x amount of hours sober (i.e., 24 hours sober) and onward from there (i.e., a week, one month, three months). Triggers for drug and alcohol use are typically defined as people, places, and things that remind you of your addictive behavior or encourage the use of substances you’re trying to avoid. They don’t have to be direct triggers, like someone offering you the substance. Sobriety is a general term for staying away from mood and mind-altering substances. This article will describe sobriety in more detail, the challenges a person faces while working to stay sober, the options for treatment, and tips for building a sober lifestyle.

Improved Job Performance and Career Opportunities

Alcohol is a common coping mechanism and when that is taken from the picture it allows therapists to treat the root cause of addiction and help a client’s overall health and mental wellness. It is a disease and just like all diseases, it is best to seek out professional help. Living a sober life after going through addiction gives you a new perspective on life. This is because it allows you to see the world through new eyes after being clouded by alcohol and drugs for so long. When you abuse substances to the point that it rewires your brain and consumes you, you struggle sleeping through the night.

• It’s not just from the drinking either, but now you have more money by not spending on fast food or Uber drives home.
• Additionally, you’ll be rid of hangovers and withdrawal symptoms, and you’ll benefit from a better immune system, a more hydrated body, and get more nutrition.
• Drinking alcohol lowers antioxidant defenses in our skin, which makes it more sensitive to our environments.

This is especially true since you’re likely not taking care of your physical or mental health as it is while suffering from addiction. However, living a sober life will help improve your physical, and in particular, your mental health. The six-month mark of sobriety is often an especially empowering milestone. By the time you reach six months of sobriety, you’ll likely feel more confident in your sobriety, and it may not take up as much work and energy to say no to alcohol.

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Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) involves experiencing withdrawal symptoms that persist past the detox period. Such symptoms are often related to mood and may include irritability, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and fatigue. If you’re in recovery from a substance use disorder, you already know how much work it took to achieve sobriety, and you’ll want to do everything possible to avoid having a relapse.

You might face penalties like losing your driver’s license or other legal issues, depending on local laws and regulations. However, the Alcoholics Anonymous “AA Triangle” is one of the most common and recognizable tattoos to represent sobriety. Sobriety is a commitment to a new lifestyle and something that should be celebrated for years to come. The journey to sobriety is filled with accomplishments and milestones, each of which should be celebrated for the effort and dedication it took to reach them. There is never one path to sobriety, nor is there one strategy guaranteed to work for everybody. When you decide to be sober however, new options open up to you.

Do I Have to Be Sober Forever?

Dr. Dasgupta said for social and moderate drinkers, participating in a month break won’t make much difference to their bodies. However, for people who exceed recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, he said staying away from being sober sucks alcohol for a month can reap changes. The study measured their self-reported scores for helping behaviors at home, work, and in their 12-step program at one month before they become sober, at one year of sobriety, and in the present.

The more strategies you learn to identify triggers, cope with stress, and manage your new sober life, the easier it is to prevent relapse. It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs. It’s also helpful to change your environment—for instance, avoid going to bars. There are also resources such as 12-step groups and recovery groups. Volpicelli says that some of the negative effects of alcohol on mental health can be reversed if you stop drinking. Many people with alcohol use disorder also have other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.

So when you’ve been drinking for a few consecutive days and you feel like you can’t think clearly and your body is aching, it’s true. You’re left with a bunch of waste floating about in your brain while your body is struggles to patch itself together. Meanwhile, there’s nothing quite like a good night’s sleep after a full day of being sober.

• In addition, you may find that those reinstated relationships, without any influence of drugs or alcohol, are better than ever before.
• It also covers tips on how to deal with the challenges you’ll face on your journey to sobriety.
• After you drink alcohol, Volpicelli explains that the small molecules inside it get absorbed by your gut.
• Sobriety is a commitment to a new lifestyle and something that should be celebrated for years to come.
• Over time, the benefits of sobriety accumulate and reinforce the courageous decision to work toward getting from where you are to where you want to be.
• It’s not just your drinking buddies and drug dealers who can get you into trouble—sometimes those who are closest to you can contribute to a relapse.

The event benefits local children and families and is offered to kids and their caregivers throughout Burlington who utilize the services of local agencies. Kids enjoyed live music, crafts, free gifts and books, magicians, artists and, of course, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. You can ask questions about our program, the admissions process, and more. Joseph Gilmore has been in the addiction industry for three years with experience working for facilities all across the country.

Decrease the risk of heart disease

At the height of addiction often times days are cloudy some aspects of life are missed out. Without alcohol inhibiting your thinking you can be more focused on personal goals and what you want to achieve. Alcoholism takes up a great deal of metal load and often times being inebriated keeps you from focusing on bigger pictures and your own personal wellness. In addition to physical side effects, alcohol can cause several mental health problems. Sleep deprivation and mood swings take their toll both on the drinker and on those around him.

Naltrexone is one type of medication that can help reduce alcohol cravings, making it easier for some people to stop drinking. Trouble sleeping is common after you stop drinking, especially early in recovery. But the longer you abstain from alcohol and work on your sleep hygiene, the more improvements in your sleep you’ll see over time.