What happens to your body when you stop drinking alcohol
Do you ever question if your quality of life could be improved if you reduce your alcohol intake? Whether you're considering participating in dry January, reducing your consumption, or keen to give up altogether, we take a look at what could improve if you were to reduce your intake of alcoholic drinks.
Improved Sleep Quality
Regular drinking has been known to interrupt your sleeping patterns. Whilst it can help some people fall asleep more quickly, it can reduce the deep sleep you get each night. Ditch the alcohol should help you feel well rested and ready to face the day.
Lowering Blood Pressure
If you've been told you have high blood pressure, or are worried about your heart health in general, reducing your drinking can help. Long-term benefits of reducing alcohol intake have been shown to lower blood pressure.
On a more serious note, heavy drinking over long periods comes with a risk of developing an enlarged heart. Stopping drinking may not be able to stop this condition completely, but can help to prevent the condition from getting worse. Please speak to your GP or medical professional if you're concerned about how your lifestyle may be affecting your heart health.
Liver Disease
A long-term health benefit of reducing your alcohol intake is a lower risk of developing liver disease. Your liver cleans your blood, removing toxins and supporting digestion and immunity, to name just a few functions.
Physical and mental health
Reducing alcoholic intake can help us to sleep better, thus improving our energy levels to help get through the day-to-day tasks involved in adult life. Having more energy to enjoy the day can help with mental health, along with other benefits such as saving money, reducing embarrassing behaviour whilst intoxicated and even improving memory.
Weight Loss
It can be surprising how many calories are within our favourite alcoholic beverages, hindering our ability to lose weight. A standard glass of wine can have an average of 158 calories. When just one drink turns into a few, this calorie count can soon add up. Using apps such as Food Story to track your calorie intake may help you to understand how many extra calories you're taking in via alcohol.
Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal
The symptoms you may experience after stopping your consumption of alcohol highly depends on how much alcohol you've been drinking regularly. If you only drink occasionally, you're unlikely to experience any negative or noticeable affects, however if you have an alcohol dependency, you may experience mild to severe symptoms.
Mild symptoms experienced within the first 12 hours include anxiety, headaches, nausea and sweating.
Moderate symptoms after 12-48 of quitting may include hallucinations and seizures
Severe symptoms after 48 hours may include symptoms such as confusion, an elevated heart rate and fever
Information above provided by webmd
If you believe you're struggling with alcohol use, please speak to a doctor about the best way to reduce your intake.
What happens when you stop drinking alcohol for a week
What happens to your body and health when you stop drinking alcohol for a week depends on your normal alcohol intake. In severe cases, you may experience hallucinations and delusions, however, if you are only an occasional drinker of alcohol you may just notice positive changes such as heightened energy levels.
What happens when you stop drinking alcohol for a month
If you've successfully managed to avoid alcohol for a month or longer, you may benefit from life-changing benefits such as lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and better weight management. You could also reduce your risk of stroke, hypertension, cancer and liver disease.
Abstaining from Alcohol
If you believe you have a bad relationship with alcohol, and you'd like to seek help to reduce or completely stop your alcohol intake, the following are just a few ways in which you can do so. As mentioned throughout this post, do speak to a GP of medical professional for further advice.
Support Groups
Support groups such as alcoholics anonymous can provide assistance and a sense of community for individuals aiming to reduce or stop alcohol consumption. Benefits include emotional support, sharing experiences and gaining accountability for your behaviour.
Alcohol-free alternatives
The alcohol-free market is continuing to grow, as a growing number of people choose not to drink due to health, religion, pregnancy, and many other reasons. Nowadays it is possible to find alcohol-free alternatives to most of your favourite beverages, so you can still enjoy the taste without the nasty side effects!
If you'd like to make a start tracking how much alcohol you consume regularly, download the Food Story app to track both your food and drink throughout the day, and visualise what you consume over time.
Please note, that any health information provided within this blog has been fact-checked via the NHS and WebMD sources.
