Many people make the mistake of assuming that the only reason they need to quit drinking alcohol is if they start to develop health problems. That is not the case at all. Giving up alcohol can bet your life in many different ways, especially if you are an alcoholic. The following guide walks you through a few of the benefits that come with giving up alcohol.
You Could Lose Weight
Most alcohols have ingredients that can cause massive weight gain if ingested in higher quantities. Sugar, wheat, and barley are all found in most beers and liquors that are commonly sold in bars. If you quit drinking alcohol, you may begin to lose weight rather quickly.
Look Younger When You Give up Alcohol
Alcohol dehydrates the body. When your skin becomes dehydrated, it loses its elasticity and plumpness. This can cause the skin to begin to sag and appear more wrinkled. Alcohol also inflames the body. This makes your skin look red and splotchy. The combination of dehydration and inflammation makes you look much older than you really are when you’re drinking. A few weeks after you stop drinking elasticity should return to your face and your skin inflammation should start to diminish. This will lead to you looking younger than you have in quite some time.
Save Money Right Away
Many people do not realize how much money they are wasting from constant drinking. They assume that if they go out during happy hour or have people buy drinks for them drinking doesn’t cost them anything. That is not the case at all. You have to consider the money that you spend on rides to get home, the time you miss from work due to hangovers, the food you buy when you are intoxicated and money you waste on frivolous purchases when you are drunk.
Quitting drinking also save you money in the future. Seeking treatment for the damage that alcohol causes to your body over the years can be quite expensive. The sooner you quit drinking, the less damage you’ll actually cause your body overall. The liver can heal itself, but only if it’s really given a chance to.
Gets a Better Night’s Sleep
Some people use alcohol as a way to self-medicate when they are suffering from insomnia. They drink until they pass out and think that this is a healthy way to get more sleep. The truth is, when you get drunk and pass out you actually are not getting a good night’s sleep. Your body is not able to fall into a deep sleep so that you can truly relax. It may take some time before you are able to have a restful night’s sleep once you quit drinking. Your body has to adjust to falling asleep on its own without the help of alcohol. Once it does, you’ll be able to have a much more restful night’s sleep because you will fall asleep from truly being tired rather than from being drunk.
Be More Productive
Trying to get things accomplished with a hangover can be quite difficult. You often feel very tired, achy and lethargic because your body is dehydrated. Once you stop drinking, your body will not be as dehydrated as often, and you’ll be able to get more done throughout the day. Many people who stop drinking find that they have a lot more time on their hands. They are able to learn how to do new and exciting things while still getting their responsibilities taking care of on a daily basis.
Enhance Your Relationships
It can be very difficult for someone to have a relationship with an alcoholic. They never know what to expect from the person, often feel like they cannot trust them and find themselves worrying about the person a lot. Once you stop drinking alcohol, you should find that your relationships with others enhance exponentially. This is because people feel that they can trust you to come to events without getting drunk and embarrassing them or showing up to things when you say you’re going to because you no longer have the excuse of being hung over. It can also enhance your relationships because people no longer have to worry about you possibly getting hurt in a car crash or arrested for being drunk in public. Once you give people peace of mind and allow them to see who you really are developing relationships becomes much easier.
Have Less to Worry About
Believe it or not, being an alcoholic can be very stressful. There are a lot of things that people have to worry about including what they did when they were inebriated and blocked out, possibly having to face criminal charges for their behavior when they were intoxicated and repercussions that can affect their health in the years to come. Once you quit drinking you no longer have to worry about these things. You will always remember what you did the night before, will never have to worry about waking up somewhere unexpectedly and can actually be proud of yourself in your actions.
Become a Responsible Adult
One of the best things that come from giving up alcohol is that you can become a responsible adult. You no longer have to rely on other people to help you because you don’t know what’s going on around you. You can serve as a role model for others and eventually even help others be able to stop drinking themselves. It can be very rewarding to know that you change your life and that you can help others change as well.
Being able to stop drinking isn’t always easy. There are many different treatment options available to make quitting easier though. You may need to try an inpatient treatment option if you have been drinking for many years because quitting on your own could be dangerous. This is the safest option because you will have medical staff available to monitor your health and make sure that you get the medical attention you need during your recovery.
