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Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

Health Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

Approximately 17 million adults ages 18 and older have an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and 1 in 10 children live in a home with a parent who has a drinking problem. [1] Alcoholism occurs when you drink so much that your body eventually becomes dependent on or addicted to alcohol. With this alcohol dependence, you will continue to drink even when drinking causes negative consequences, like losing a job or destroying relationships with people you love. Therefore, we suggest that if your condition is severe, you may need to seek alcoholism treatment at an inpatient facility to obtain the benefits of not drinking alcohol.

Liver Relief

Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver can occur over time in those who drink excessively. It doesn’t happen in a day, but for anyone who drinks in excess, which again is more than two drinks a day for men, and one a day for women, there are fatty changes in the liver, so when you stop drinking, those changes are reversible and the liver can become normal again.

Because the liver is a tolerant organ, positive changes can occur within weeks of getting sober. In the absence of alcohol, the liver can focus on its other jobs, such as breaking down other toxins produced by the body, metabolizing fats and excess hormones that need to be broken down.

Decrease Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Alcohol is metabolized by the liver and an enzyme called dehydrogenases. However, when you drink in excess, the enzyme gets saturated and is metabolized by a different enzyme. When it’s metabolized by this different pathway, it produces lots of free radicals which are known to oxidize bad cholesterol (LDL), and when the LDL is oxidized it deposits on the carotid arteries forming (blockage). To better your heart further when cutting out alcohol, experts suggest adding in exercise, which also increases good cholesterol.

Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol
The benefits of not drinking alcohol may let you focus on your relationships, work, and health.

Reduce Risk of Cancer

The National Toxicology Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists alcohol as a known human carcinogen in its Report on Carcinogens. [2] The report states that a person’s risk of developing alcohol-associated cancer increases with the more alcohol they drink regularly over time. Links are shown between alcohol consumption and the development of the following types of cancer:

  • Head and neck
  • Esophageal
  • Liver
  • Breast
  • Colorectal

Data from 2009 published in the American Journal of Public Health [3] estimated that about 3.5 percent of cancer deaths in the United States were alcohol-related.

Boost Brain Power

There’s a reason why the legal age of drinking is 21 years. Teenage and college drinking is a huge problem. It can cause memory loss and interference with brain development. For college students, being dry is the best thing to do. The same goes for those with alcohol use disorder or for those with a family history of it. Alcoholics have some specific disorders of the brain which are due to excessive alcohol drinking. Brain damage can reduce memory and concentration.

Physical Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

While alcohol is high in calories, and wine, beer, and mixed drinks add sugar to one’s diet, experts say cutting it out may or may not help to lose weight. Again, depends on what the baseline alcohol consumption is. If heavier drinkers remove alcohol for a longer period of time, they might see weight loss, improvement in body composition, less stomach fat, improvement in triglycerides (one of the fat particles in the blood). 4]

Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol
To fully recover and gain the benefits of not drinking alcohol, you must be committed to living a healthier life.

If you drink, you’ve probably had some experience with alcohol’s effects, from the warm buzz that kicks in quickly to the not-so-pleasant alcohol headache, or the hangover that shows up the next morning. Since those effects don’t last long, you might not worry much about them, especially if you don’t drink often.

Many people assume the occasional beer or glass of wine at mealtimes or special occasions doesn’t pose much cause for concern. But drinking any amount of alcohol can potentially lead to unwanted health consequences. People who binge drink or drink heavily may notice more health effects sooner, but alcohol also poses some risks for people who drink in moderation.

Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol Timeline

For anyone who suffers from addiction, just the thought of having to stop using can cause severe mental distress. But, with the help of a medical alcohol detox center, the medical detox process is managed. A comprehensive team prescribing medications can alleviate your alcohol withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours. Assuring both your safety and the benefits of not drinking alcohol.

Those suffering from addiction for long periods at high rates of use usually experience more severe withdrawal symptoms, making the process more difficult for them.  The symptoms may seem to get worse through the detox process.  They need constant care and attention to help manage the symptoms.  Alcohol addiction treatment is within your reach to ensure your recovery starts on a comfortable and safe step.

Week One Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

After one week away from alcohol, you may notice that you are sleeping better. When you drink, you typically fall straight into a deep sleep, missing the important rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. While you are supposed to have between six and seven cycles of REM sleep a night, you typically only have one or two when you’ve been drinking.

You’ll also have more opportunities to manage your food and drink intake. Sleep helps to balance the hormones that make you feel hungry or full. After drinking, your ghrelin levels (the hormone that makes you feel hungry) go up and leptin (the hormones that make you feel full) go down.

Week Two Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

After two weeks off alcohol, you will continue to reap the benefits of better sleep and hydration. As alcohol is an irritant to the stomach lining, after a fortnight you will also see a reduction in symptoms such as reflux where the stomach acid burns your throat.

Week Three Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can cause your blood pressure to rise over time. After 3-4 weeks of not drinking, your blood pressure will start to reduce. Reducing your blood pressure can be crucial as it can help to lessen the risk of health problems occurring in the future.

Week Four Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

Giving up alcohol will have a positive impact on your skin due to you having better levels of hydration. As more water will have been absorbed rather than wasted, you are likely to have more hydrated-looking skin, as well as reduced dandruff and eczema.

Removing alcohol from your diet for four weeks can also help to improve your liver function as your liver will start to shed excess fat. If your liver function is not too badly affected by alcohol, it can recover within 4-8 weeks. [4]

Do You Need Help to Stop Drinking?

If you are an alcoholic, your very first step in recovery should be to medical alcohol detox in a safe and medically supervised setting. We Level Up TX detox center medically assists clients to clear their systems of addictive substances, such as alcohol.

Symptoms of alcoholism are based on the behaviors and physical outcomes that occur as a result of alcohol addiction.

Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol
For anyone who suffers from addiction, just the thought of having to stop using can cause severe mental distress. Seek professional help to start obtaining the benefits of not drinking alcohol.

If you are an alcoholic, you may engage in the following behaviors:

  • Drinking alone
  • Making excuses to drink
  • Neglecting personal hygiene
  • Being unable to control alcohol intake
  • Missing work or school because of drinking
  • Drinking more to feel the effects of alcohol
  • Becoming violent or angry when asked about their drinking habits
  • Continuing to drink even when legal, social, or economic problems develop
  • Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of alcohol use

You may also experience the following physical symptoms:

  • Alcohol cravings
  • Lapses in memory (blacking out) after a night of drinking
  • Tremors (involuntary shaking) the morning after drinking
  • Withdrawal symptoms when not drinking, including shaking, nausea, and vomiting
  • Illnesses, such as alcoholic ketoacidosis (includes dehydration-type symptoms) or cirrhosis

We Level Up TX’s thorough approach to rehabilitation supports several levels of care to ensure the best possible outcome and benefits of not drinking alcohol for every client who enters our doors. From an intensive and more supportive atmosphere for those in the early days of recovery to a comfortable residential-style living dynamic upon completion of detox, we are here to help guide you down the safe and results-based path to your sobriety.

Once detox is complete, a new doorway in alcohol addiction treatment opens up, which is referred to as a residential level of care. Our residential care program slowly and effectively introduces the individual into an atmosphere of therapeutic growth, marked by master’s level therapists, clinicians, group counselors, psychiatrists, and a community of like-minded individuals with the same aim: to attain sobriety and live a great life with health benefits of not drinking alcohol.

If you or someone you love is seeking a safe, secure, and compassionate resource for alcohol treatment, We Level Up TX is here to guide you to gain the benefits of not drinking alcohol. Call us and speak with an addiction counselor today about our levels of care.

Sources:

[1] Alcohol Use Disorder – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
[2] Alcoholic Beverage Consumption – https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/alcoholicbeverageconsumption.pdf
[3] Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths and years of potential life lost in the United States – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23409916/
[4] What Are the Effects of Alcohol on the Body? – https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol/effects-on-body
[5] What are the benefits of not drinking alcohol for a month? – https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/benefits-of-giving-up-alcohol-for-a-month