Alcohol abuse isn’t something that you sign up for. But over time, this insidious addiction can steal more and more of your life. It often starts with a simple rite of passage, such as your cocktail-infused introduction to adulthood at 21.
But social drinking can turn into addiction quicker than you think (or realize). And before you know it, your reliance on alcohol can transform into a crutch contributing to more bad days than good ones.
Sound familiar?
If you’re tired of constant hangovers, broken relationships lost revenue, and the feeling of dependence, then now’s the time to act. Yes, quitting alcohol can feel challenging at first. Mainly because of society’s unhealthy relationship with it.
But quitting is possible! And you’re worth the time and effort that goes into overcoming this addiction. Here are seven benefits of quitting drinking that will help you stay committed and motivated.
1. Create a New You
One of the most important benefits of not drinking alcohol remains how amazing you’re going to feel. After all, alcohol is a toxic substance. A poison.
While the process of getting it out of your system can prove taxing both physically and mentally, you’ll be amazed by how amazing you feel once you’ve detoxed.
Drinking too much forces your body into overdrive to process the alcohol in your system. This state of being is hard on your liver as well as your heart and lungs.
Your heart must pump irregularly to keep up. What’s more, your brain goes crazy in its attempt to compensate and recalibrate. It’s a lose-lose for your body and mind.
Once you quit putting your body through all of this stress, however, prepare to feel AMAZING!
How long does alcohol withdrawal last? The answer to that question depends on a variety of factors, including the length of your addiction, various physiological considerations, and the method you choose for detox. But it’s well worth it.
2. Take Off the Years
Alcohol can put years on your face. Because your body goes into overdrive to process it, you’re also left dehydrated. Dehydration does a serious number on your skin, making you look old beyond your years.
Not only does your skin dry out, but it loses its elasticity. Over time, that’s a recipe for looking ancient.
What’s more, drinking causes inflammation in the body. That’s why people’s faces look flushed. Inflammation damages your skin, too.
Alcohol also shortens the lifespan of the cells throughout your body. Cells affected include those of your skin, liver, heart, and other organs.
In combination with alcohol’s toxic effects, your body can become so unhealthy that producing new cells is impossible. That’s when the aging really kicks in!
But one of the benefits of not drinking is that you can counteract these impacts and take years off your face and body.
3. Improve Your Relationships
Alcohol is hard on your body and hard on your relationships, too. Alcohol impairs your ability to connect with others. And when you get drunk?
You say and do things you never meant to do. This can undermine your relationships, and you may not even remember the root cause.
Alcohol addiction also makes people tend to isolate themselves. It can even make you feel as if there’s nobody in the world who loves or cares about you. But that’s the addiction talking, and it’s a lie.
The connection between an addict and alcohol is neither real nor healthy. But you know what is? Relationships forged with real people who love and care about you.
4. Save Lots of Money
Alcoholic beverages are expensive. And what starts as one glass of wine or one beer a night can quickly snowball into thousands of dollars lost. If you drink at bars, these financial effects get compounded.
And when you start adding poor judgment, legal issues, and DUIs to the mix, alcohol can cost you everything.
Instead of beating yourself up over the past, though, focus on what happens when you stop drinking alcohol. You regain financial control of your life.
From taking a vacation to starting a new healthy habit, the thousands you’ll save by committing to a sober lifestyle can go towards much better things.
5. Blast Away Stubborn Pounds
Alcoholic beverages prove high in calories. And those calories are easy to consume and very empty. In other words, alcohol doesn’t contribute to your nutritional needs, but it can lead to an expanding waistline.
No wonder excessive drinking is tied to obesity.
Quitting wine, beer, or liquor represents one of the best ways to make extra pounds budge without doing anything else. When you combine sobriety with a diet low in carbs, you’ll be amazed by the results!
6. Cut Your Risk for Heart Failure
Did you know that five million people in the US suffer from heart failure? And it’s an ugly, painful disease.
When your heart isn’t functioning correctly, not much else will. Not only does heart failure vastly limit your daily activities depending upon its severity, but it can affect breathing, sleeping, liquid levels in your body, and much more.
It can even make it impossible to lay down for a good night’s sleep because of fluid buildup. So, quit the alcohol now to ensure a healthy heart down the road.
7. Heal Your Liver
The liver has got to be one of the most under-appreciated organs of the human body. It protects you from harmful substances as the body’s filtration system, and yet we bombard it with endless amounts of work.
Especially when we have an alcohol addiction.
But when you stop drinking, you give your liver the chance to flush out leftover byproducts in your body. The liver detox process can take several weeks to years for completion, but it means your liver is regenerating and healing itself.
That said, some damage to your liver can’t be repaired. In other words, stop now before it’s too late.
Benefits of Quitting Drinking
As you can see, these seven benefits of quitting drinking are powerful and inspiring. And they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to living your life with intention and meaning.
Interested in more ways to improve your health and quality of life? Browse our blog for the answers to your healthcare and well-being needs.