There are alcohol blackouts, meaning you don’t remember anything that happens. When you’re in recovery, you don’t have to think about the effects of hangovers or blackouts. If this is the year Dry January extends well beyond winter, you’re on the right track. Science shows choosing to be sober, or avoiding alcohol, has myriad positive impacts on your overall wellbeing at every age. As Mercury spins out of retrograde in your opposite sign, what have you revisited in your relationships department?
You May Have More Energy
While it has been suggested that one or two drinks per day may have health benefits, one meta-analysis found that even moderate intake has serious health risks. Women who had two or more drinks per day and men who had four or more drinks per day had significantly increased mortality. At this point, your risk of developing all types of disease will be reduced and your bone density will start to increase. Keep in mind that everyone is different and will experience different things when they stop drinking. After one week without alcohol, your risk of seizures is much less.
Author: Find Recovery Editorial Team
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Physical Health
- You won’t experience intense hangovers, blackouts, or fuzzy memories anymore.
- You can host an alcohol-free cocktail tasting, take a special trip, or go out to dinner together.
- The American Society of Clinical Oncology adds that limiting or quitting alcohol while you’re having cancer treatment may help you avoid complications.
Perhaps you are learning to enjoy mocktails instead of alcoholic drinks. “(People) tend to learn that others won’t care or judge their behavior as they may have previously worried,” says Dr. Kennedy. Volpicelli says that some of the negative effects of alcohol on mental health can be reversed if you stop drinking. Alcohol contains a high number of empty calories, which can contribute to weight gain.
- You may also begin to notice a number of improvements in your physical health.
- Instead of battling limited sleep, skip the evening drink and replace it with tea, a carbonated beverage or a mocktail.
- Also, your risk of developing cardiovascular disease will start to decrease.
When you live a sober life, you can get to know yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin. Self-love and addiction are two things that can never go hand-in-hand. When you suffer from addiction, you become so obsessed with obtaining more alcohol or drugs that you stop investing in your relationships with other people. In fact, the selfish behaviors that often come with addiction often break the relationships that you have with others. One of the major reasons to stay sober is that you will regain the patience, time, and ability you need to build long-lasting relationships.
This contributes to a positive cycle of improved self-esteem and well-being. Start by talking to your doctor about how much alcohol you’ve been using and your plan to quit. It’s important that you work with your doctor when you’re ready to stop drinking rather than trying to do it alone. Quitting alcohol and abstaining for several months to a year gives your brain a chance to try to recover. Heavy drinking can actually cause the part of the brain that’s critical to memory and learning (hippocampus), to shrink. One study found that around 70% of participants had sleep problems when they were admitted for alcohol treatment.
