Top 5 Benefits Of Quitting Drinking Alcohol

Top 5 Benefits Of Quitting Drinking Alcohol

• Kate Pindera
• 9 Apr 2019

Quitting excessive alcohol drinking can be one of the hardest things a person ever has to do in their lives.

Not only is alcoholic beverages highly habit forming and addictive, it is also one of the most socially acceptable drugs on the planet, with approximately two billion people consuming alcoholic drinks globally.

With so many people imbibing, addiction can be easily fallen into given the right conditions. Once you have made the decision to stop drinking completely, it can be hard to keep focus on the reasons you are doing it whilst you experience withdrawal symptoms.

But there are so many reasons to keep going.

We’ve put together a list of the five top benefits you’ll begin to notice once you start receiving alcohol addiction treatment. Read on to find out what you could be experiencing soon!

Feeling Better

The most obvious benefits of quitting drinking is that you will feel immensely better, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Alcohol is a depressant that interferes with how your brain chemistry works; it can even alter the structure of your brain and how neurons interact with each other. This can cause significant changes like better mental health, as well as improving your emotional stability. Once you remove the toxic substance from your brain, neurological pathways will begin to return to normal. You will likely notice clearer thoughts, improved attention span, good quality of sleep and a more level and stable mood.

Additionally, alcohol is a toxin that damages almost every system in your body. Your heart and lungs need to work harder to keep blood pumping, your body temperature fluctuates wildly, your liver suffers damage that stops it cleaning your blood, and more. Once you seek alcohol treatment options, you will notice improvements in your physical well-being as well. Your heart rate and breathing will stabilize, you won’t have bouts of sweating and shivering, and your liver will have a chance to recover and return to normal functioning.

Looking Younger

Another fantastic benefit of quitting drinking is that you will begin to look younger as you wean yourself off alcohol.

Alcohol is a diuretic, which is a substance that causes dehydration. Chronic dehydration is one of the leading causes of dry skin and looking older than it is. When you have an alcohol addiction, you are likely drinking more alcohol than water, leading to severe dehydration and sagging, prematurely aged looking skin.

Once you have stopped drinking alcohol and start drinking more water, you will notice a marked improvement in your skin’s elasticity, firmness, and youthfulness. With sufficient water and less dehydrating alcohol in your system, you can look years younger without going under the knife. Finally, a facelift that’s actually good for your health!

Saving Money

Moreover, the financial benefits of quitting drinking is that you will save money without even trying.

Drinking, much like smoking, can be an expensive habit. Buying the occasional bottle of wine or six pack of beer isn’t going to impact your finances too dramatically, but alcoholics can spend hundreds of dollars a week on buying more to drink. An average bottle of spirits costs approximately $27, and if you drank 4 of them per week, you’d be spending over $100 per week.

Simply cutting out alcohol can save you a significant amount of money, in both the short and long term. Saving $100 per week that you didn’t spend on drinking adds up to $5,200 per year, easily enough to go on a nice vacation with loved ones!

Losing Weight

When you quit heavy alcohol use, you’ll also likely notice the pounds dropping off without even breaking a sweat.

Alcohol has an incredibly high energy density, meaning it contains a relatively high calorie count in a relatively small serving. For instance, a single can of beer has 154 calories – the same as in a can of full strength soda! Even if you stick to the “lowest calorie” kinds of alcohol, such as straight clear spirits like gin, each ounce is still 73 calories. With a full bottle of gin containing about 25 ounces, you’re looking at a whopping 1,800+ calories for the whole bottle. That’s almost equivalent to the entire daily recommended calorie intake for a grown adult.

Once you enter into quitting alcohol and start to cut out alcohol, you will no longer be taking in those empty calories. Assuming you stick to a healthy and balanced diet, you will likely be taking in fewer calories than you are burning, leading to weight loss. Coupled with the extra energy you will likely have to exercise more, your body will show significant signs of improvement in no time.

Better Sleep 

Everyone loves catching some zzz’s, and when you cut down on the alcohol, your sleep cycle will improve dramatically.

As we mentioned earlier, alcohol disrupts neurological pathways and messes with your body temperature regulation. Most people who have participated in excessive drinking will probably notice that they struggle to get a better sleep waking up too early, tossing and turning, and feeling too hot even if the room is cold. This is due to alcohol upsetting your body’s equilibrium and your body trying to digest and get rid of the toxin.

Once you seek alcohol treatment options, you will experience a noticeable improvement in your sleep quality and duration. With your body no longer fighting to process the alcohol in your system, your natural sleep/wake cycles can get back to normal, and your body temperature regulation will stay consistent throughout the night. You will wake feeling more rested and be able to focus better throughout the day.

While these are some of the most notable improvements you’ll experience when you quit drinking alcohol, there are many more to look forward to too.

Are you ready to take back control of your life and experience all these benefits of quitting drinking? Freedom From Addiction is a leading alcohol addiction treatment centre in Toronto, specializing in personalised, compassionate, and professional care for our valued patients. Contact us today and start your road to recovery.