What happens to your body when you stop drinking alcohol?
In the first month, you can expect weight loss and more radiant skin as you cut back on alcohol. It will improve your mood by reducing cortisol levels and improve your sleep quality. It will increase your energy. It will improve your relationships with your loved ones. It will help you perform better at work and at life.
Around three to six months, your liver gets a boost, and internal inflammation decreases. As time goes on, from six months to a year, your heart health and immune system improve. You lower your risk of long-term health problems such as cancer and heart disease. Plus you save a lot of money.
Across the month, your body is likely to have benefited greatly from giving up alcohol. Better hydration and improved sleep will have increased your productivity and daily wellbeing. Your liver, stomach and skin will also have benefited from not dealing with alcohol. You’ll also have reduced your calorie intake by 3,840 for the month, if you used to drink six glasses of 175ml wine a week, or 4,320 calories over the month if you used to drink six pints of lager a week.
- Your quality of sleep will increase. The two most important cycles of sleep – REM and slow wave sleep – will be less disrupted, leaving you feeling brighter and more alert each morning
- Your mood and levels of concentration will improve. This stems from having more energy and less fatigue, helping you be more productive at work or at home
- You’ll be better hydrated, leading to a whole host of benefits. Headaches and having a dry mouth will decrease, skin will feel more radiant, and dark circles around your eyes will lessen
- Your memory will begin to improve. Alcohol is proven to hinder the part of your brain that deals with memory (the hippocampus) this means less stress as you concern and communication more effectively
- You’ll find it easier to lose weight. Alcohol slows your metabolism, making it harder for your body to process fats and sugar. Alcohol also has a high calorie count (approximately 160 calories for a medium glass of red wine, 210 or more in a pint of beer) and many of the mixers we enjoy with spirits, like vodka or gin, are high in sugar. You’ll also be less likely to have late night, fast food binges than you would after you’ve been drinking alcohol
- Your stomach will feel better. Symptoms such as indigestion and acid reflux can be caused by alcohol irritating your digestive system. You’ll also be better able to absorb nutrients and store vitamins and minerals
- For women your bladder/pelvic floor & body composition will become stronger. As high sugar alcohol like wine decreases bladder strength thus causing incontinence and also more fatty deposits like cellulite. You will be able to run again without little leakage issues.
How did I swap it?
I drink sparkling water in a short glass with lime at events. This is to avoid the long winded encourages of alcohol consumption. This is also to avoid the comment of not ‘being fun’ or the why don’t you let loose? questioning. I am not here to make your life boring,encouraging you to become more alive. No more numbing actual living!
There is no better time to test it! Why not have a go at living optimally and nurturing that health back on track?
Health and Happiness,
B.x