The Physical And Mental Benefits Of Quitting Alcohol In A Society That Encourages Excessive Drinking

Alcohol consumption has become a major part of our lives, from workplace parties to casual parties, we have a drink or two. Unfortunately for some, gradual use can sometimes lead to addiction. And when it does, alcohol can severely affect our health and well-being.

Excessive consumption of alcohol can negatively affect your mental and physical well-being. Heavy drinking can cause anxiety and elevates the risk of getting cancer or heart disease. Not only does it affect your health, but consuming alcohol can lead to creating rifts in relationships and possibly facing social stigmatization.

On the other hand, quitting alcohol benefits physical and mental well-being. Here we will explain a few of these benefits and also discuss non-alcoholic drinks that can be the ideal replacement for alcoholic beverages.

 

The Physical Benefits Of Quitting Alcohol

Healthier Weight

Alcohol is filled with high amounts of sugar and empty calories. If you excessively drink alcoholic beverages in a night, you can gain many "extra" calories. Cutting back on alcohol can help with healthy, natural weight loss. You will be lighter and more agile on your feet.

Healthier Liver

The liver performs several functions and one among them is to filter harmful substances from the bloodstream. This is why taking care of this organ is so important. Excessive drinking can cause fat buildup in the liver which can lead to liver damage.Cutting out alcohol can help prevent the liver from getting severely damaged. According to studies, if the damage isn’t that severe, the liver can show some recovery and healing within a few weeks after the person stops drinking.

Lowers Cardiovascular Risks

Drinking alcohol excessively or regularly can weaken the heart muscles which can lead to strokes, hypertension, and heart disease. On the other hand, quitting alcohol is shown to reduce cardiovascular risks.

Lowers Risk Of Getting Cancer

Alcohol can cause a potential threat to the antibodies that protect our bodies from developing tumor cells. If the antibodies are harmed, this can increase the risk of developing cancer. On the other hand, cutting out alcohol can dramatically help to lower cancer risk, and benefit overall health.

The Mental Benefits Of Quitting Alcohol

Improves Mental Well-Being

Many consume alcohol to manage stress and anxiety. It can help in stress management in the short term but in the long term, it can worsen mental well-being. Drinking alcohol regularly can alter the chemicals in the brain that can lead to negative feelings, depression, anxiety, and anger. Quitting alcohol can help with overall mental health improvement.

Improves Memory And Cognitive Function

Heavy drinking can harm the hippocampus in the brain which is linked to memory, thinking, and learning. The shrinkage of the hippocampus can be observed only with a few drinks. As you consume alcohol heavily, the hippocampus may shrink more. Abstaining from alcohol for several weeks to one year can help in boosting memory and cognition.

How To Quit Alcohol

• Get rid of alcohol stock in your home. Having no alcohol in your home can help in limiting the consumption of alcohol.

• Seek professional help. Seek the help of a doctor or an alcohol de-addiction specialist. They can help you stick to a healthier lifestyle. They have all the resources that can be extremely beneficial.

• Seek the help of like-minded people who have successfully cut back on consuming alcohol. You can ask your friends or family members about the tips or strategies that they have implemented to quit alcohol.

• Take a break from alcohol. Abstain from taking alcohol for a week or a month to see how it benefits the health. Once you start doing that, gradually, the dependence on alcohol will decrease.

• Choose alternative drinks. There are several non-alcoholic drinks like non-alcoholic beers and non-alcoholic wines which you can replace with alcoholic drinks. They taste good and also give you the feeling of having alcohol.

Quitting Alcohol Timeline - Timeline Of What Happens When You Stop Drinking

Here’s what happens when you quit alcohol consumption. The below points discuss the quitting alcohol timeline in detail.

First Day

The first day of quitting alcohol feels a sense of achievement and control over life. However, there may be withdrawal symptoms that drinkers can experience. Some of them include hand tremors, sweating, fatigue, anxiety, and depression, and may vary in severity. 

24-48 Hours 

For dependent drinkers, after 24 hours of quitting drinking, they can still experience some withdrawal symptoms.

48-72 Hours

After 48 hours, the withdrawal symptoms subside. Heavy drinkers or binge drinkers will be sober, hydrated, and less fatigued after 48 hours of abstaining from drinking.

1 Week 

Most drinkers will have improved sleep after one week of abstaining from consuming alcohol.

3-4 Weeks

When drinkers stop drinking continuously for three weeks, blood pressure, vision, and kidney health have been shown to improve.

1 Month

Liver fat can be reduced to a large extent after not consuming alcohol for a month. As liver fat reduces, the risk of permanent damage to the liver also reduces.

1 Year

After 1 year, there will be a significant change in health. Better moods, healthier skin, improved energy, weight loss, all these can be observed.

Why Choose BetterRhodes

In your pursuit of abstaining from alcohol, if you are thinking of replacing alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones, Better Rhodes is the platform to purchase such drinks. Better Rhodes is an online marketplace that sells a wide range of non-alcoholic drinks, from beers, wines, and spirits, to cocktails.

Better Rhodes' non-alcoholic beverages have 0 to less than 0.5% alcohol volume. This means they will not get you intoxicated. They are healthy, tasty, and a great alternative to traditional alcoholic beverages. Having them will help in reducing alcohol intake without sacrificing the pleasure of the taste you enjoy.

 

Excessive alcohol consumption can be detrimental to both the mind and body. To safeguard your health, quit drinking alcohol. When you do that, you will see many physical and mental benefits including better mental health, improved sleep, improved memory, a healthier liver, and a healthier heart.

Consuming non-alcoholic beverages is one way of reducing dependence on alcohol. If you are planning to replace alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones, at Better Rhodes, we offer you a way to explore a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. By choosing Better Rhodes, you will be taking the first step towards a healthier and happier life.