It can also help you gain a new perspective as you consider how your life will change without alcohol. Now that you understand the impact of alcohol on your health, embracing a life free from its influence becomes an empowering journey of self-discovery. With a strategic plan to navigate challenges plus a support system, achieving sobriety is not only within reach but transformative. Taking charge of your https://theillinois.news/top-5-advantages-of-staying-in-a-sober-living-house/ well-being, each step toward a sober existence becomes a stride toward a healthier, happier, and more resilient version of yourself. It is still unknown whether these positive effects of abstinence persist beyond a month, but Moore speculated it could be possible. “It’s quite clear that alcohol has a physiological effect on the body, so I’d be surprised if all those effects just wore off,” he said.
Risks and Complications
However, when alcohol makes up part of your typical routine, drinking can become something of an automatic response, especially when you feel stressed or overwhelmed. Turner notes the importance of bringing along a trusted support person when attending events that involve alcohol. It’s often easier to turn down a drink when you don’t have to do it alone. It’s possible to develop a better relationship with alcohol and make more mindful, informed choices about drinking without total sobriety.
Severe Symptoms
- Cognitive, emotional, and sleep disturbances can occur at even moderate levels of drinking.
- If you’re overweight and regularly drink alcohol, you should find that your weight falls noticeably if you stop drinking.4 And not drinking at all will make it easier to maintain a healthy weight.
- Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that has immediate effects on the body, like intoxication (feeling drunk) and hangovers (unpleasant aftereffects from drinking).
- They can recommend treatment options that can help, including therapy and medications.
- “There’s a high correlation between alcohol use disorder and other mental disorders, including depression and anxiety,” Dr. McGrath explains.
Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues. You might run into obstacles along the way that tempt you to drink. Keep in mind the reasons you chose to cut back on or quit alcohol. But maybe you’re unsure about quitting completely and don’t want to hold yourself to that goal. Knowing why you drink is essential, says Cyndi Turner, LCSW, LSATP, MAC, a Virginia therapist specializing in addiction treatment and alcohol moderation.
- Moore hypothesized that instead of causing cancer to develop in the first place, these findings may suggest that alcohol instead promotes cancer’s growth once it gets a footing in the body.
- “Nutrition optimization is actually the most evidence-based and most important intervention aside from stopping drinking,” points out Dr. Lindenmeyer.
- This condition is serious and may lead to symptoms such as high blood pressure, tremors, and seizures.
- You may want to speak with a loved one or therapist about a strategy to prevent relapses from happening.
- Healthcare providers typically prescribe short-term medications to relieve the symptoms of mild to moderate alcohol withdrawal.
Can You Mix Trazodone and Alcohol? Plus, 3 More FAQs About This Risky Combination
Benzodiazepines like Librium (chlordiazepoxide) and Ativan (lorazepam) may also help to prevent minor withdrawal symptoms from becoming more severe. Other drugs a healthcare provider might prescribe include anxiolytics , vitamins, and suboxone. Opting for sobriety extends benefits to the cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) system. Ceasing alcohol consumption is crucial in preventing Sober House the elevated risk of high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and stroke that excessive drinking and even a single bout of drinking can pose. After two weeks into quitting alcohol, you may start to lose weight, due to the removal of calories from alcoholic drinks. Scientists recruited 94 volunteers who were on average 45 years old and asked them to stop drinking for a month.